Project Description
Objectives:
- Lightmotif is a spin-off company of the University of Twente (UT) and M2i and was founded in February 2008.
- Lightmotif creates unique surface structures in metals by laser treatment.
- FUJIFILM is evaluating new high added value products to be manufactured on their existing chill roll process line.
- The aim is to create super hydrophobic surfaces on plastics by using a metal, laser textured, mould. These surfaces have a high potential in self cleaning applications in buildings and for medical purposes.
M2i Project:
- Laser processing parameters for texturing mould surfaces.
- Injection moulding of super hydrophobic structured plastics using the laser textured mould, as a demonstrator for production on FUJIFILM’s chill roll process line.
- Durability (weathering) of textured plastic surfaces.
Industrial Benefits:
- Plastic with superior properties – weather resistant, and hydrophobic – can now be produced at low cost in large quantities enabling the use this technology in low cost products.
- Cost reduction by more than a factor 250:
cost of laser surface treatment of individual product > 25 €/cm2.
cost per full product using injection moulding < 0.10 /cm2. - Cost per product can be further reduced by using chill roll process.