Fraunhofer IST: Sustainable COAD plasma process for bicycle components

With its selection, the jury recognized the importance of the COAD process for sustainable and efficient production processes. The COAD process was optimized as part of a specific industrial application for Rohloff AG. The sealing of a ball bearing posed a particular challenge in the design of highly compact bicycle components: Due to the limited installation space, no conventional sealing solution could be used. However, an alternative liquid seal initially showed insufficient adhesion to the metallic surface. The Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST had the solution: the COAD process is a plasma process with which the adhesion to surfaces can be adjusted in a controlled manner (COAD = COntrolled ADhesion). The metal surface is first cleaned in a targeted manner and functionalized with a nanometre-thin functional layer. This allows the adhesion of sealants to be improved permanently and reproducibly without the use of solvents - ideal for industrial series production.

Plasma activation for sustainable bicycle component production

For the transfer to production, the process was integrated into an industrial plasma system together with the system manufacturer Tantec A/S and incorporated into production at Rohloff AG. Today, the technology enables stable, efficient and high-quality series production of over 200 components per day. Due to the large number of possible applications, e.g. in mobility or medical and pharmaceutical technology, the system manufacturer Tantec A/S has licensed the COAD process from the Fraunhofer IST and sells the technology worldwide under the VacuTEC+ brand. "Participating in the award ceremony was a valuable opportunity for us to present the results of the development to a broad audience," says Prof. Dr. Michael Thomas, Head of the Circular Products and Processes Department at the Fraunhofer IST. "The final placement shows the potential of the technology and how relevant the transfer to industrial application is." Overall, three strong projects were presented in the final, impressively illustrating the innovative strength and diversity of technology transfer in the region. The Fraunhofer IST team and the participating industrial partners have drawn a positive conclusion from their participation in the final and the event in Braunschweig.