MicroTau Pty Ltd

An Australian start-up, MicroTau, has been offered $200,000 with follow on potential of up to $1 million from the Australian Government to commercialize its innovative contactless microfabrication technology being developed with the US Air Force Research Laboratory. MicroTau-printed “shark-skin” surfaces have already demonstrated drag reduction that can reduce aircraft fuel consumption by two per cent or more. Potential savings could run to hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO2, annually. The MicroTau technology provides a practical, low cost method of printing microstructures out of UV curable coatings onto surfaces, producing not only drag-reducing properties but potentially anti-fouling, self-cleaning and anti-bacterial properties as well. Potential applications include: improving the efficiency or speed of trains, trucks, cars and other vehicles; increasing energy output of wind turbines; biocide-free antifouling coatings for marine vessels; antibacterial surfaces in hospitals and aircraft tray tables; self-cleaning paints and microfluidic devices.

Lumii Inc.

Lumii's Inc’s mission is to deliver captivating hologram-like imagery using standard presses, media and inks for security and brand protection. This is achieved by applying sophisticated tera-scale computation and Lumii's patented Light Field Engine to model billions to trillions of light rays as they interact with high-resolution printed material. The Lumii process disrupts many of the conventions associated with traditional security devices. In their search for a press technology that can provide best-in-class contrast, detail, and alignment at the print volumes and price points customers demand, they have discovered one clear technology choice: UV offset web presses. According to Lumii, it's clear that the future of holographic printing relies on the precision of UV process technology.

LiTeProducts LLC

By combining multi wavelengths of UV LEDs with Visible LEDs and then multi-tasking them, LiTeProducts creates multi functionality solutions with broader appeal to a wider range of users. Practical examples of combining wavelengths that produce both germicidal and curing functionality include potential products like: Food utensil or Leafy Green Sanitation that also includes a UV curable seal of packaging to lock in freshness benefits; and the Sanitation of water, air, or the surface of object with an added UV printed verification that communicates that sanitation has indeed occurred.

DENTSPLY Sirona

DENTSPLY Sirona has patented highly effective photopolymerizable antimicrobial/antibacterial resins or ABR. Such ABR resins could be readily formulated in a variety of radiation-cure compositions, such as composites, adhesives, sealants, coatings to provide high performance non-leaching active surface to effectively kill a wide range bacterium with very low loading dose in the compositions without adverse impact on mechanical integrity and to inhibit the formation of such bacteria-based biofilms. Furthermore, it could lead to dramatically ease biofilm removal. This innovation promises to find wide range applications in biomedical and other industries; and has recently been published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

Eastern Michigan “Collegiate Emerging Technology Award.”

“’Green’ UV-LED Curable Nail Gel Polishes from Bio-Renewable Materials,” are novel polymers that have been synthesized from bio-renewable materials such as plant oils (such as soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil), itaconic acid, gum rosin, and bio-based succinic acid. These bio-based polymers have been suitably functionalized with unsaturated functional groups such that they can polymerize and form a crosslinked network when exposed to UV-LEDs. From Eastern Michigan’s research, bio-based nail products have not been sufficiently explored. And considering the increasing consumption of nail polishes; and the need to keep pace with the bio-based regulations and consumer preferences, they are meeting an unmet opportunity to develop novel sustainable nail gel polishes with considerable bio-renewable content.

Learn more about recent UV+EB Innovations:

• 2016 Emerging Technology Winners 
• RadLaunch 2018
• UV+EB Application News

Australian inventor Henry Bilinsky has used Shark Skin as a basis for a new drag reduction surface for planes. Currently under test by the US Air Force, this nature based design is looking to save millions of dollars for Military and Commercial Airlines by reducing drag.

"MicroTau is developing a novel method of applying drag-reducing microstructures – called ‘riblets’ – onto the surface of aircraft to reduce fuel consumption. Riblets are microscopic ridges spaced a fraction of the width of a human hair apart. As a rule a smoother surface is more aerodynamic, however these ridges – designed over millions of years of evolution – actually decrease drag when compared to a perfectly smooth surface." MicroTau

This may be able to be used in the marine environment with similar results.

Contact: Mickey Fortune, 240-643-0517, mickey@radtech.org

Sharkskin Surfaces; hologram-like security; antimicrobial, bio materials honored

Chevy Chase, MD (May 16, 2018) With a focus on high tech manufacturing, efficiency, energy savings and sustainability, the RadTech 2018 Conference and Exhibition in May, recognized several contributions to the development of emerging and novel ultraviolet and electron beam technologies.

Emerging Technology Award Winners

• MicroTau Pty Ltd, New South Wales, Australia, was presented with one of the event’s Emerging Technology Awards for their low cost, printed “shark-skin” surface, demonstrated to reduce drag and improve efficiency for airplanes, cars, other vehicles and wind turbines; and provide biocide-free antifouling materials for marine vessels; antibacterial surfaces in hospitals and aircraft tray tables; and self-cleaning paints and microfluidic devices.
• Lumii Inc. for enabling captivating hologram-like imagery using standard presses, media and inks for security and brand protection. This is achieved by applying sophisticated tera-scale computation to model billions to trillions of light rays as they interact with high-resolution printed material. The Lumii process disrupts many of the conventions associated with traditional security devices.
• DENTSPLY Sirona, has patented highly effective antimicrobial/antibacterial resins. Such resins can be readily formulated in a variety of compositions, such as composites, adhesives, sealants, and coatings to provide high performance non-leaching active surfaces to effectively kill a wide range bacterium; it could also be used to potentially dramatically ease biofilm removal.
• LiTeProducts LLC has developed Adaptive Lighting, mixing Multi Wavelength–Multi Tasked UV LEDs with visible light LEDs for novel Germicidal and 3D curing applications. Potential applications for these unique solutions include leafy green vegetable sanitation that includes a UV cure seal of packaging to lock in freshness benefits; and sanitation of water, air, and the surface of objects with an added UV printed verification that communicates that sanitation has indeed occurred.
• A special “Collegiate Emerging Technology Award,” went to a team from the Coatings Research Institute at Eastern Michigan University for the development of “’Green’ UV-LED Curable Nail Gel Polishes from Bio-Renewable Materials.” In this innovation, novel polymers are synthesized from bio-renewable materials such as plant oils (soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil), itaconic acid, gum rosin, and bio-based succinic acid.

The event also featured lively cutting edge topical panel discussions and a technical Conference with well over 100 presentations. The best paper award for the event went to Natasha Banke, INX International Ink Company for: “Residual building block chemicals in raw materials and finished printing inks - A risk assessment approach to manufacturing and detection limits; ” and best student paper to Forough Zareanshahraki, From the Coatings Research Institute, Eastern Michigan University, and her advisor Prof. Vijay Mannari for “’Green’ UV-LED Gel Nail Polishes from Bio-Based Materials.”

In a partnership with the Technical Association of the Arts Graphics (TAGA) the event also holds a student poster competition, asking students to develop a well-designed, impactful poster touting UV+EB Technology. First place went to Olivia Blandford, from High Point University; and second place winner to Ryan Hutson from California Polytechnic State University. RadTech will feature these posters in our UV+EB Technology magazine and website (http://www.uvebtech.com/).

Finally RadTech formally introduced their class of 2018 RadLaunch Accelerator, at RadTech 2018 including:

• Trio Labs—for Rapid UV 3D printing to create metal and ceramic parts with the same characteristics achieved through standard powder injection molding (PIM) processes.
• Reboot Medical, Inc.—for PhotoCast Casting Tape, light-cured composite tape that hardens on-demand, producing a rigid splint or cast.
• Team from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem—for Nanocrystal photocatalysts which fill an unmet need for efficient water-soluble photoinitiators for coatings and 2&3D printing.
• moi composites—for a new, patented process that merges the performances of thermosetting composite materials with the potentialities of Additive Manufacturing opening the world of advance composites to features today unimaginable.
• The Foam Printing Project—for Lightweight parts from resin that is foamed using a patent-pending process and solidified using a UV DLP 3D printer, parts have up to 75% gas fractions, are lighter weight and less expensive to produce.
• Dynamic Matter LLC—for UV curable thermosetting polymer that can be remolded, relax stress, or repurposed following polymerization for use in optical applications and composites to reduce shrinkage and environmental stresses.
• Team from the University of Iowa—for Transferrable Shadow Cure (TSC) decouples initiation and propagation mechanisms in cationic photopolymerization to address light penetration problems, thus providing full cure regardless of geometry, pigment and filler content, and sensitivity of material to light and heat.

Douglas Copen, Senior Packaging Safety Specialist with Nestle has just been added to the Conference Program at RadTech 2018, May 7-9, in Chicago www.radtech2018.com. Mr. Copen will be speaking on “Packaging Food Safety Concerns for Inks from a Brand Owner Perspective.” in a special EHS session taking place on Wednesday, May 9. Also in the session, Lynn Bergeson of Bergeson & Campbell will present on “What RadTech Members Need to Know about New TSCA,” reviewing what has happened, what EPA is poised to do next, and what provisions are expected to have the greatest impact on commercial operations. This session will be followed by a special meeting for attendees to discuss possible Association initiatives to address “New TSCA” concerns (please contact Gary Cohen at RadTech for information and if you would like to attend).

A new session has also just been added to the RadTech 2018 Conference Programming: New Technology Trends. Chaired by Sudhakar Madhusoodhanan and Ashwin Chockalingam of Applied Materials, the session will include: Use of High Refractive Index Materials in Display and Lighting Applications (including OLED Displays, HD Displays, OLED lighting, LED lighting); Radiation Cured Parts: Impact of Semiconductor Wafer Cleaning; Development of Functional Films and R2R Processes (for display screens and other applications); and Hydrophilicity Enhancement of UV Cured Acrylic Materials.

RadTech 2018 features over 100 presentations and 80 exhibitors. Discounted registration is available through April 20, for more information and to sign-up to join us, please visit www.radtech2018.com.