03.21.19
Heraeus Epurio and Plast Composite Consulting (PCC) announced that they jointly developed the industry’s first antistatic coating that protects lighting units in electrostatic discharged (ESD) and explosion-proof areas.
Utilizing Clevios, the conductive polymer from Heraeus, the two companies were able to successfully create the first coating to combine conductivity with a transparent surface sealing for lighting covers in electrostatic discharge and explosion-proof areas.
In ESD environments or areas with an explosion hazard, the requirements placed on lighting units are extremely high. They must remain durably resistant to chemicals and scratches - and reliably dissipate static charges.
"Our solution is unique in this combination and quality," says Wilfried Lövenich, head of Innovation at Heraeus Epurio.
Clevios is a conductive polymer additive that is suitable for various plastics such as PC, ABS, PMMA and SAN. The additive gives the coated material its dissipative properties so that no static charges can arise that could, in the worst case, cause sparks and thus an explosion hazard.
The Clevios coating can be applied to plastic surfaces using all conventional methods, after which the components are dried.
Surfaces coated with Clevios become antistatic, static dissipative or conductive – with precisely adjustable coating resistances.
“For the first time, Clevios makes it possible to give a 3D plastic body a glass-like surface that is also highly conductive,” said Lövenich. “Compared to the possibilities offered by current substrates, the new property profile of the Clevios-based coating represents a big step forward in materials technology.”