Canadian cameras acquire nanocoatings

A Canadian company that produces marine cameras recently formed a strategic partnership with Diamon-Fusion International (DFI), a US company that specializes in nanocoatings. From the Feb. 9, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,

Diamon-Fusion International, Inc. (DFI), global developer and exclusive licensor of patented hydrophobic nanotechnologies, announced today it has entered into a strategic marketing partnership with Canadian-based Current Corporation, manufacturers of high-end day and night vision camera systems for commercial, private, high-speed, law enforcement and military marine vessels. Utilizing the award-winning, patented Diamon-Fusion® nanocoating on the Night Navigator camera glass protects the lens from harsh sea salt and environmental elements. In addition, the coating provides better visibility, reducing night glare as well as the corrosion and mineral buildup that can occur by ever-present saltwater.

This marks the second time I’ve come across an item about DFI and a Canadian company. From my Nov. 26, 2009 posting,

I’m always happy to see innovations with glass and mirrors (I hate window cleaning as I always leave streaks no matter how hard I try). So this news warmed my heart: an Alberta-based (Canada) company, House of Mirrors and Glass, has signed a licensing agreement with Diamon-Fusion International [DFI Nanotechnology] for a coating. From the news item on Nanowerk,

The agreement provides distribution of DFI’s NanoPax™ product throughout the Province of Alberta and further expands DFI’s applications into a diverse niche of architectural markets province-wide.

I gather DFI is expanding into the marine market via this partnership agreement with Current Corporation, which is located in Port Moody, British Columbia. Here’s a picture of one of Current Corporation”s cameras,

Image from Current Corporation website.

This camera’s ability to detect whale spouts successfully passed a round of tests recently. From the company’s Feb. 9, 2011 news release,

The purpose of the testing was to prove that ships can detect whale spouts at great distances, night and day, through high-resolution thermal imaging. This allows ships to avoid collisions with marine mammals.

Two separate camera systems were used during testing; a Night Navigator 3 with a thermal optical dual field of view of 20° and 6.8° (25 micron pitch), and a Night Navigator 3 with a thermal optical dual field of view of 13.8° and 4.6° (17 micron pitch). Both systems also feature image-intensified night vision and high-definition day cameras.

To simulate the spout of a whale, an air compressor was customized to eject from 0.5-2 liters of mammal temperature (98°F) and ocean temperature (60°F) seawater and freshwater. When initiated, the simulator blew the contents approximately 3-6 meters into the air. The simulator was placed on a 13 meter test barge which was then sent to varying distances of 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 meters. At each distance, night and day, the simulator made several blows. In each instance the spout could clearly be seen through the thermal imager.

The testing was overseen by Professor Joe Mobley, PhD, MA, Professor, of the University of Hawaii, a leading expert in whale research, who validated the results. “I’ve been presented with a lot of papers, proposals and products over the years and have never seen what was demonstrated to me in Vancouver by Current Corporation”. [sic]

As for DFI, from their home page,

For over a decade, Diamon-Fusion International (DFI), a California-based and privately-held US Company has pioneered the use of protective coatings for surface care.

Known throughout the world as a leader in the glass protection and protective coatings industry, DFI has developed, produced and distributed a variety of products designed for the restoration, protection and maintenance of not only glass but ALL silica-based surfaces, such as granite, ceramic tile, porcelain, quartz, among the main ones. The breadth of DFI’s product offering ranges from award-winning and patented, professional quality products only available through authorized distributors (licensees) to easy-to-use highly-effective, do-it-yourself products for consumers.

Here’s an explanation of why their coating technology is described as a ‘nanocoating’ (from the company’s Nanotechnology page),

DFI’s coating, a patented process, works at nanoscale levels, approximately 30 nanometers. The change of the molecular composition of the silica-based surface created by DFI’s chemistry and bonding nanoparticles, along with the cross-linking, branching, and final “capping”, enables the full efficiency of the coating process at an atomic scale.

Good luck to the strategic partnership!

One thought on “Canadian cameras acquire nanocoatings

  1. Pingback: Curved glass, Italy, and Diamon-Fusion « FrogHeart

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