“Flexible Products” means for us flexible materials like
The goal of our work is to provide the surfaces of these materials with custom-designed functionality.
We are continuously expanding the palette of substrate materials we work with and the coating technologies we use, thereby moving into new application areas.
Our services encompass all of the necessary steps in a development project – from the conceptualization phase to transfer of the technology:
This development work is supplemented and assisted by:
The layer and surface functionalities that can be achieved with our technologies are very diverse in character. The number of applications is even more versatile – only a few examples can therefore be mentioned here. We address mass markets, niche applications, and emergent applications with our development work.
Typical layer- and surface functionalities and applications are:
Our technology platform is the main tool for our work and is continuously being improved. We have a series of thin-film technologies at our disposal, such as magnetron sputtering, vapor deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and liquid-phase application by slot dies under atmospheric pressure. Besides these coating processes, we also develop surface treatments using electron beams, plasmas, ions, and flash-lamp annealing.
All of the technologies mentioned are realized as both roll-to-roll facilities and in-line equipment.
Several pilot and laboratory facilities are available at Fraunhofer FEP for our development work. During development projects, our pilot plants also enable us to investigate questions from technical scale-up to pilot production. Depending on the substrate, coating technique, and material deposited, we are able to employ the following facilities to optimize your coating solution:
We endeavor to build joint experimental facilities at our site with our partners and carry on mutually beneficial strategic development work. This is the basis for establishing successful partnerships.
Fraunhofer FEP has numerous additional full-scale production-emulation facilities at its disposal for coating larger areas. You can find more information here:
We are involved in numerous projects. For reasons of confidentiality, we are unable to identify or describe in detail all of the projects here; this applies in particular to projects carried out under contract with industrial clients. However, the following selected list of what are mostly publicly funded projects illustrates the breadth of our application work:
| Project name | Discription |
|---|---|
| FLEX-G | Erforschung von Rolle-zu-Rolle Technologien zur Herstellung flexibler und gebogener Fassaden- und Dachelemente mit schaltbarem Gesamtenergiedurchlassgrad |
| Optiperm | Research on the production of functional films with optimized permeation barrier coatings |
| POLAR | Polymer films with anti-reflective properties by plasma-etching |
| Flex25 | Validierung einer Rolle-zur-Rolle Technologie zur Herstellung einer Verkapselungsfolie |
| KONFEKT | Erforschung eines konfektionierbaren Dünnglas-Substratsystems für Anwendungen der Organischen Elektronik |
| LiScell | (Sich) Abheben mit Lithium-Schwefel: Zyklenstabile und intrinsisch sichere Batteriezellen mit Energiedichten > 400 Wh/kg |
| R2RBattery | Maßgeschneiderte Materialsysteme und Technologien für die Rolle-zu-Rolle-Fertigung elektrochemischer Energiespeicher auf flexiblen Trägern – Hochvalente Ionen für die Energiewende |
| SmartBarrier | Innovative Prozesse für flexible Produkte |
| INNOCIS | Kostengünstige flexible CIS Photovoltaik |
| ProSoLitBat | Erforschung photonischer Prozess- und Anlagentechnik für die industrielle Realisierung von Lithium-Festkörperbatterien in Dünnschichttechnik |
| PolySafe | Research project to increase the safety of lithium-ion batteries using metal-polymer composite current collectors |
Collaboration with our clients typically begins with a telephone call or email from the client in order to briefly describe the R&D requirement or technological problem, or to set up a meeting.
From that point onward, we work very closely with the client to develop a plan for the work, which leads to a proposal and bid, and finally to an R&D project. Confidentiality can be ensured from the beginning through a confidentiality agreement.
Please feel free to contact us. If we should not be available when you phone, then please send us a brief email and we will happily phone you back.
Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam
