20 Technology development in the USA: where will it go from here? By Dr.-Ing. Georg Wagner, Executive Director, NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH German technology company NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH was founded more than twenty years ago and has successfully established itself on the international market with innovative coatings using chemical nanotechnology. Before the company celebrates its first quarter-decade, we are taking a look at current technological trends and examining which areas are likely to offer innovative developments. The USA is particularly interesting in this respect. In order to take a closer look at the USA, NTC employees have made various trips to the ‘New World’ to gain insights and ideas. Some of these trips were individually organised, others were delegation trips with the VDA or as part of attending international conferences. With the VDA, we have travelled to Boston and New York, including visiting various universities such as MIT, Harvard and Cornell, as well as numerous start-ups. There is huge financial support for training, as well as for industry-related development projects, basic research and start-ups. For Europeans, the start-up environment and gigantic use of venture capital (VC) are particularly interesting prospects. Although these are highlighted in a variety of media, experiencing their reality via discussions on the ground is more than impressive. Research and development are shaped by interdisciplinarity between different areas of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, automation, new materials, textile technology, electromobility and much more. The global elite of coating companies met at an international conference, The Coatings Summit, in Miami in 2022. Key topics were once again the circular economy and material efficiency. The aim is to achieve this via increased use of renewable raw materials and innovative products using fewer coatings. Pre-treatment processes are being simplified and often do not involve any toxic heavy metals; multiple elements can be applied directly to the metal surface in a single layer. Direct-to-metal (DTM) and single-layer technologies are the order of the day. Startups are working on smart materials with additional qualities, achieved using electrochemical processes and/or the use of nanomaterials. As well as decorative surfaces, this can even involve integrating sensors into coatings. There are various approaches to applications in (electro)mobility. You get the impression that international companies have already fully recognised and adapted topics such as the circular economy, renewable materials and sustainability. The CEOs of major companies are taking the challenges of climate change seriously enough that they are applying a more targeted, ambitious approach than that currently required by many legislators. It appears that corporate scientists have understood the seriousness of the situation and prompted their companies to act accordingly. NTC’s approach of continuing its developments to improve material efficiency has proven to be the right choice. Industrial coatings currently in use for heat exchangers, which drastically reduce surface contamination and thus optimise the exchangers’ efficiency, are already a successful area of application. In long-term use, this creates energy savings of up to 30% – with corresponding reductions in costs and CO₂ emissions. Developing innovative active substances with combinations of properties in some cases will also continue in the future, with the insights gained from this eventually being incorporated into our work. Share � � NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH www.ntcgmbh.com/en Summary Das deutsche Technologieunternehmen NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH wurde vor über 20 gegründet und hat sich mit neuartigen Beschichtungen auf Basis der Chemischen Nanotechnologie erfolgreich am internationalen Markt etabliert. Bevor das Unternehmen das erste Vierteljahrhundert seines Bestehens feiert, macht man sich dort Gedanken darüber, … Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/m5bxu Technologieentwicklung in den USA: Wohin geht die Reise? Von Dr.-Ing. Georg Wagner, Geschäftsführer, NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH Image: © NTC/Dr. Georg Wagner Szilvia Eperjessy and Dr. Georg Wagner, NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH, at “The Coatings Summit 2022“, Miami, Florida.
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