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Slick Coating Made to Aid Manufacturers
With an eye toward expanding its super-slippery coating platform beyond consumer packaging, LiquiGlide Inc. has announced an added focus on applications for manufacturing that aim to eliminate waste and contribute to sustainable processes.
The company recently launched its LiquiGlide CleanTanX system—a slippery coating designed to address industrial manufacturing challenges posed by viscous liquids sticking to equipment, such as blenders, reactors and tanks.
The technology, invented at MIT, is based on the groundbreaking science of liquid-impregnated surfaces, the manufacturer says. Its patented, permanently wet coatings create lubricated surfaces that reportedly eliminate the no-slip boundary condition between viscous liquids and solid surfaces that causes products to stick to tank walls.
According to the company, the system has been shown to reduce up to 95 percent of product waste, wash water and the associated cleaning costs in manufacturing tank applications.
“Viscous products sticking to the inside of tanks leads to huge ineffiencies across industries,” says MIT Professor Kripa Varanasi, LiquiGlide’s co-founder and chairman of the board.
“For example, in paint manufacturing alone, paint sticking to the inside of mixing and holding tanks costs the industry more than 100 million gallons of lost product and billions of dollars per year in associated waste costs,” he explains.
Featured Benefits
The manufacturer says its CleanTanX system is custom-engineered for each coating application, depending on manufacturing specifications and product properties.
The technology can be retrofitted onsite by LiquiGlide, without having to remove equipment, which minimizes installation costs and operational downtime, it adds.
In addition, the company indicates it will work closely with customers to validate coating performance, product compatibility and cost savings.
Among the sustainability and financial benefits touted for manufacturers of viscous or sticky products, the company says it offers:
The company recommends its CleanTanX system for a range of manufacturing applications, from food and personal care, to adhesives, agrochemicals and energy.
More information: http://liquiglide.com/.
