R&D roadmap
Technology focus
The technology development planned in vecco:net is divided into three main fields of action:
Processes
A broad development approach is necessary because no single alternative technology is able to replace the broad property profile of functional chromium plating from hexavalent electrolytes 1:1. Therefore, based on the product properties required in each case, specific solutions must be developed that fulfill all technical and economic requirements for a specific product class with similar properties.
Materials
The focus is on new and further developed materials for coatings. However, the substrate materials used also play a special role in the development of solutions; the interaction between substrate material and coating material is particularly critical here.
Further developments of coatings, such as dispersion deposition with the integration of nanoparticles into the layer, require a high level of understanding of the interfacial phenomena in the interaction of base material, pretreatment and coatings. Safeguarding the processes also requires analytical methods for determining the material properties, in particular the microstructure of the coatings, and for in-process determination of the process components in the solutions.
Digitization
Both the development itself and the new manufacturing processes for metallic functional coatings require new, intelligent and data-based methods and processes to be able to master the complexity of the requirements.