Glassomer – A Revolution in Glass Processing | Glassomer | Progetto | Scheda informativa | H2020 | CORDIS

Descrizione del progetto

Un nuovo nanocomposito in silice rivoluziona ciò che è possibile fare con il vetro

Il vetro è un materiale senza tempo dotato di proprietà diversificate fondamentali per numerose applicazioni ad alta tecnologia. Tuttavia, le tecnologie per plasmarlo sono obsolete, il che impedisce la produzione delle strutture complesse richieste. La PMI tedesca Glassomer ha sviluppato un nanocomposito in silice dallo stesso nome che rivoluziona i modi in cui è possibile lavorare il vetro. Il materiale è compatibile con numerose tecniche, dallo stampaggio per iniezione e dalla produzione additiva ai tradizionali processi sottrattivi, quali la perforazione e la fresatura, tutti eseguiti a temperatura ambiente e con un consumo energetico ed emissioni nettamente inferiori rispetto ad altre tecnologie di produzione del vetro. Il progetto Glassomer, finanziato dall’UE, aiuta l’azienda a portare il suo prodotto sul mercato per i clienti in attesa.

Obiettivo

Glass is a material with unique properties: unmatched optical transparency, heat, pressure, and chemical resistance, outstanding biocompatibility to name but a few. This makes glass the best material for a vast range of key applications, such as optics & photonics for data transfer, smartphone lenses, and Lab-on-a-Chip. However, glass processing techniques are centuries old, and prevent the production of complex structures required in key applications.
Glassomer GmbH has developed the disruptive Glassomer® Technology, which revolutionizes the use of glass by allowing an almost limitless freedom of design. The unique, patent-pending technology allows structuring of glasses at temperatures below 130 °C, which enables the creation of tiny, complex glass components required in current and future key applications such as in (fiber) optics. The entire production can be done with machines used for polymers (e.g. injection molders), at the same low cost and high production volumes, but with 100% recyclability, 80% less energy consumption and resulting CO2 emissions. This opens up vast current and future markets, as proven by the first orders from companies such as Zeiss, BASF, Heinz Glass, Chanel, AAC for the smartphone market and Molex, a leading global fiber connector vendor. Glassomer has generated major interest with several investors, and has secured two Letters of Intent (LOIs) for impending investments. Glassomer has also won several prestigious awards and secured major interest in world-renown media.
An award-winning team, world-class advisory board and major companies already as customers are our recipe for successful growth. We have a “100-100-10” Three-Phase Development Plan to grow into a €100 million annual revenue, 100 employee company in 10 years, creating a European center of excellence on “future glass” to ensure Europe’s competitiveness in essential applications.