SI-03

(Oral presentation, session Smart Industry, 14.30 - 14.50 hrs)

The occasion of the FUNCY project is that products are getting smaller but at the same time getting more functions and electronics. Also, personalisation of products becomes more common. Examples of functions are self-cleaning, esthetical pleasing, electrical conductive, anti-microbial and x-ray protection. In order to be able to apply all these functions, applied research is done in FUNCY to get knowledge about designing and applying functional surfaces. The scope of the project is plastic surfaces.

By applying functions only there where they are needed, materials, volume and often costs are saved. For example, electronic components can be applied directly on a housing, saving electrical circuit boards (PCB). Another example is to add an antimicrobial surface only there where the product is touched, instead of an expensive anti-microbial compound which is also at the inner side of a product.

Research has been done which production techniques are available to apply functional surfaces. Some of the techniques are tested in the Surface Lab which is one the results of the FUNCY project. Several companies had a case regarding functional surfaces for their products. For example a construction-worker helmet with integrated electronics, a self-cleaning security casing and a personalised x-ray protective headwear.

The knowledge acquired in the project is available at www.funcy.nl (DUTCH) and in the Surface Lab. In this lab it’s possible to go hands on with the techniques to create functional surfaces for your application. Facilities in the lab are among other things a corona pen for enhanced surface attachment, a vapour smoother to smooth 3D prints from ABS plastic, super hydrophobic coatings to create self-cleaning surfaces, electrical conductive- foils and 3D print filaments, a galvanize set and a silk screen to apply electrical conductive inks.