The use of high-performance thermoplastics and fibre-reinforced composites has experienced rapid growth over recent years thanks to their high versatility, light weight, and eco-friendly properties. This allows their use in new applications and sectors, such as automotive and space, where outstanding surface properties are required.
The market demands robust components in which, apart from meeting eco-design criteria and technical requirements, perceived surface quality (i.e. the aesthetic, functional and, haptic properties and even the sound of the parts) is similar to metal.
Thanks to their sustainability characteristics, polymeric materials are considered particularly suitable in tackling some of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.
Meanwhile, metallisation is key to achieving the “metallic” properties demanded by the automotive, aeronautic, space and other sectors, enhancing polymeric surfaces in terms of:
Electrical and thermal
conductivity
Hardness
EMI shielding
Wear and corrosion
resistance
Aesthetics
Heat resistance
CIDETEC Surface Engineering is committed to providing customised solutions and expertise on both bulk material (polymeric and composite) and surfaces, enabling companies to deal with unaddressed needs in the field of metallisation of thermoplastics and fibre-reinforced composites.
We are working on innovation areas with a particular focus on:
For the whole coating industry value chain: chemical suppliers, surface finishing, parts and component manufacturers, end-users/OEMs.
End users:
Automotive
Public Transport
Space
Electronics
Consumer goods
You name
the next
application
We work on different chemical and electrochemical processes for the metallisation of thermoplastics and fibre-reinforced composites.
We have an interdisciplinary team with strong skills and extensive experience in different industrial sectors, capable of carrying out cutting-edge research focused on different needs. Our fully equipped laboratories and pilot-plant facilities also allow our solutions to be applied and tested in pre-industrial conditions:
Pilot lines for metallisation: