To shorten the wait for the 14th ThGOT and the 6th Optics Colloquium we would like to give you a small foretaste of our numerous exciting technical presentations in the coming weeks.
Machine beds made of any natural stone? SolGel coating makes it possible!
Anett Kästner, ETC PRODUCTS GmbH, Deggendorf
The production of machine beds for precision measuring instruments is often made of natural stone or concrete due to their specific properties, such as low expansion and conductivity coefficients and high damping. The use of natural stone has the further advantage of long-term thermal stability. However, the procurement of the stones involves a great deal of time and expense, since the high-quality, huge blocks of stone have to be transported to Europe from quarrying areas such as Africa or Asia.
Another way is to use cheaper rock from Austria, for example. However, this requires a complex, multi-stage refinement process. In order to avoid the high transport distances of the natural stone, but at the same time to minimize the subsequent processing steps, while maintaining the same material quality, coating materials similar to the natural stone are therefore necessary.
If concrete is used for the production of complex components, an increase in strength can be achieved here with a suitable sol-gel system. Thus, the flexural and tensile strength of the concrete can be improved by deep penetration of the coating material into the concrete pores.
This talk will be presented in SESSION A: FUNCTIONAL COATINGS ON NATURAL MATERIALS on March 12, 2019 at 2:40 pm.
Deposition of conductive layers on wood-based materials by PVD
Judith Sinic, Wood Competence Center GmbH, Linz (Austria)
In a feasibility study, tests were carried out on the deposition of metallic thin films on wood, wood-based material and paper surfaces using PVD (physical vapor deposition) processes.
The objective of the study was to produce an electrically conductive layer on the different substrates, with the focus of the potential application being the integration of electronic components in wood and wood-based furniture elements. Using the plasma-assisted magnetron sputtering process, a molybdenum layer of about 3 to 5 microns could be deposited on fiberboard, wood polymer composites, and solid wood and kraft paper substrates.
Good results were obtained in conductivity tests and analyses using a microcontroller board with touch and capacitive proximity switching functions. Furthermore, the high electrical conductivity of the metallic layers enabled an application of the coated substrates in an electrical circuit, which worked for all tested materials by touch but also by capacitive proximity. Furthermore, a prototype of an electrically conductive laminate board was fabricated by interlamination of the molybdenum coated paper.
This talk will be presented in SESSION A: FUNCTIONAL COATINGS ON NATURAL MATERIALS on March 12, 2019 at 3:30 pm.