On June 17, according to a Japanese media report, General Manager Yamaichi Uchiro of Japan's Daiichi Manufacturing Co., Ltd. developed a thin-film coating technology for antifouling. Fingerprints adhere to sebum and easily remove dirt. Compared to existing thin film coating technologies, the film improves durability.
The thickness of the film is as thin as 0.02 micrometers, and the coating can be performed while maintaining a metallic material appearance. The company aims to commercialize its thin film coating technology in 2020 for use in areas where design is needed, such as elevator interior materials.
The company is now developing a coating agent with a fluorine-based component that is compatible with various metals such as stainless steel and aluminum.
According to the company, silica-based coating agents have been put into practical use as existing technologies. However, since the silica type has low durability against friction and is easy to peel off, this technique has drawbacks in use.
In order to test the durability of the silica-based coating agent, the company conducted a test in a public research laboratory in Ibaraki Prefecture, repeatedly wiping the coating surface with a cloth to observe the results after wiping. The results confirm that the fluorine-based coating agent invented by the company is 20 times or more durable than the silica-based coatings on the market.
The company's main business is precision sheet metal. It proposes to combine new sheet metal processing with this coating technology to develop new requirements in the field of building materials.