Tag Archives: Nanovate

Integran’s 2013 SERDP Award and its hockey sticks

Leave a reply

Integran, a company based in Mississauga (sometimes identified as Toronto), Ontario, has received an award for its nanostructured alloy, a replacement for poisonous copper-beryllium, according to a Feb. 13, 2014 news item on Azonano,

Toronto-based Integran Technologies Inc. (Integran) today announced that it has received the 2013 SERDP (Strategic Environmental Research and Defense Program) Project-of-the-Year Award for Weapons Systems and Platforms for the development of a nanostructured alloy for copper-beryllium replacement.

For decades, essential parts in fixed and rotary wing military platforms have been made with copper-beryllium alloys. Beryllium is particularly useful for this purpose because it is both lightweight and strong, a rare combination not found in most other metals. The problem is beryllium is a toxic material that can be harmful to workers who handle it during assembly and repair. Working with beryllium, which requires donning protective gear and taking extensive precautions, is costly and time-consuming.

The Feb. 12, 2014 Integran news release found on MarketWire but oddly not on the company’s website at this time (Feb. 13, 2014) and which originated the news item, describes the process in general terms,

With support from US DoD’s SERDP program and Industry Canada’s Strategic Aerospace and Defense Initiative (SADI) program, Integran developed and validated an electroforming process that produces a nanostructured alloy that matches the desirable properties of copper-beryllium, particularly for use as high load bushings. This pulsed electroplating process goes beyond merely coating a metal object. Rather, near-net-shape components are created that require little to no machining to achieve final dimensions, resulting in very little material waste. The work also showed this innovative process can be used successfully for large metal sheets and high conductivity wires, both of which are used in multiple military applications.

Integran’s Aerospace and Defense R&D Unit Manager Brandon Bouwhuis states, “The validation testing performed in this project demonstrates that these nanostructured alloys can meet or exceed the performance of copper beryllium in many applications, and could result in substantial cost savings for the US DoD and Canadian Military through the decreased use of toxic substances.”

There is no mention in this news release as to whether Integran’s replacement alloy might itself be poisonous or toxic in some form.

I checked the Integran website and found that it lists one product, Nanovate. I was not able to find any information about environmental testing but there is this on the company’s  Why Nanovate™? webpage (Note: Links have been removed),

Integran is a world leader in development and manufacturing of revolutionary electrodeposited (plated) nanocrystalline “Nanovate™” metals. Our nanotechnology enabled metals take advantage of the fine crystalline grain structure to achieve superior performance at reduced weight vs conventional material solutions. Our technology platform consists primarily of Nickel, Iron, Cobalt and Copper alloys that we use to create high performance parts that are:

  • Lighter, stronger, harder and cheaper than Aluminum
  • Corrosion and wear resistant
  • Shielded against low frequency magnetic interference
  • Efficiently absorb energy and noise

In addition to manufacturing products, we also provide services such as:

  • Plating on plastics, including polymers like polyamides (Nylon), PEEK and ABS

I have previously posted about Integran and its alloy many times including this April 16, 2012 posting referencing a Canadian government investment in the company’s technology.

As I was browsing the Integran website I found this on the company’s homepage,

[downloaded from http://www.integran.com/default.aspx]

[downloaded from http://www.integran.com/default.aspx]

The quintessential Canadian enterpreneur’s dream, creating an ‘unbreakable’ hockey stick that never gets ‘tired’. According to a Nov. 7, 2013 posting on the Integran News Blog, the hockey stick was a Kickstarter project,

Congratulations to our partners, Colt Hockey, for meeting and exceeding their goal on Kickstarter to develop a higher performance and more durable composite hockey stick with PowerMetal Technologies.  The project exceeded expectations with over $100,000 raised from almost 500 supporters.

…

This news item seemed particularly à propos during the 2014 Olympics. Good luck to the Canadian women’s and men’s teams!

Why is Toronto (Canada) company Integran announcing a new patent?

Leave a reply

Perhaps I have this backwards but it seems to me that announcing a patent isn’t an especially exciting business or technology event. Nonetheless, Toronto-based Integran’s latest patent is mentioned in a Mar. 7, 2013 news item on Azonano,

 Toronto-based Integran Technologies Inc. (Integran) today announced further advances in its “structural metal plating-on-polymer” technology (Nanovate™ NP) for enhancing fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by enabling the cost-effective manufacture of lightweight transportation parts. [emphasis mine]

Under development for several years, Integran’s nanometal-polymer hybrid core technology is protected by a number of patent filings including US 8,367,170 which issued on Feb 5, 2013 and EP 2,193,664 which issued on Feb 20, 2013 disclosing lightweight metal-coated polymer electric and electronic housings for use, e.g., in automotive electronic control units (ECUs).

Integran’s Vice President of Intellectual Property Klaus Tomantschger stated, “We are pleased that our developments relating to structural plating-on-polymer parts have been recognized in the patent jurisdictions of Europe and the United States as these remain dominant regions for advanced automotive technology development.” [emphasis mine]

How does getting a patent advance the technology as the company states in the opening sentence of the news item? Perhaps someone could relieve my ignorance by leaving a comment explaining how this works.

Meanwhile, the Integran news blog’s Mar. 7, 2013 posting states the patents are meant for ‘protection’ (Note: A link has been removed),

Today we announced another series of issued patents that protect our “structural plating on plastic” Nanovate NP platform.  [emphasis mine] This approach is used to create lightweight, structural, EMI and magnetic shielded housings for electronics using an injection molded, machined, or rapid prototyped polymer with a structural Nanovate metal electroplated cladding on the outer surface.

While the patents are geared towards the transportation industry, this approach has value for any application where there is weight sensitivity, but a durable, structural part is required. As an example, hand held medical devices used in hospitals, or ruggedized hand held military electronics are good examples of other applications where this Nanovate metal structural plating could provide a durability part while also providing a part weight reduction.

I have a special interest in this company, since as a Canadian taxpayer, I, and millions others of us, have an investment in it as per my April 16, 2012 posting about the Canadian government’s ‘venture capital’ program and its Integran investment.

US fluid power market and Toronto’s Integran

Leave a reply

There’s more than one NCC, which I’ve used exclusively as an abbreviation for nanocystalline cellulose. There’s also nanocrystalline Cobalt according to the May 9, 2012 news item on Nanowerk highlighting another NCC and Toronto’s Integran Technologies, Inc.,

Toronto-based Integran Technologies, Inc. (Integran) today announced that it has reached an agreement with Enduro Industries LLC (Enduro) to extend Enduro’s license exclusivity term for Integran’s nanocrystalline Cobalt electroplating process, Nanovate™ CoP, in the US fluid power market by five years.

Enduro Industries LLC of Hannibal, Missouri, a subsidiary of PTC Alliance, and a major manufacturer of hard chrome steel bars and tubes for the fluid power industry, has successfully marketed a corrosion and wear resistant Nano-CobaltTM alternative alongside its conventional engineered hard chrome (EHC) ChromerodTM and Chromrod ExtremeTM product lines.

I notice they don’t use the NCC abbreviation; I imagine they would prefer to avoid any confusion.  Integran’s company president and CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Gino Palumbo goes on to hint at further developments due to this renewed licensing agreement but offers no details, from the news item,

“Furthermore, this agreement will now extend to other Cobalt-based Nanovate coatings systems and a new field repair process recently developed by Integran.”

I have mentioned Integran before, most recently in an April 16, 2012 posting about a Canadian federal government investment in the company and in a March 26, 2012 posting about a deal with Pratt & Whitney Canada.

Integran’s nano-enabled electroplating process takes to the air

2 Replies

A Toronto-based (Canada) company has licensed its nano-enabled cobalt electroplating process to Pratt & Whitney Canada. From the March 26, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

Toronto-based Integran Technologies, Inc. (Integran) today announced that it has licensed its nano Cobalt electroplating process (Nanovate™ CoP) to Montreal-based Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (PWCC) for deployment as an alternative to hard chromium electroplating in gas turbine power plant applications for aerospace use.

Integran’s nanotechnology can be used to replace existing hard chromium plating processes known to cause adverse health effects ranging from lung cancer to skin ulcerations. The highly efficient Nanovate™ CoP coating process avoids these health issues and furthermore reduces greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.

Here’s a little more about Integran Technologies from their About Integran page,

Integran is a world leader in revolutionary metallurgical nano-technologies, pushing the boundaries of “lighter, better, cheaper” with products based on our “Nanovate” nanocrystalline metal platform. Integran and its predecessor organizations have been at the forefront of metallurgical nano-technology development for over twenty years. From the first large scale structural application for nano-structured materials in (the award-winning Electrosleeve process for nuclear steam generator repair) and one of the earliest issued US patents in the field of nanotechnology, Integran has established an international reputation for excellence in materials technology development and commercialization.

From Integran’s About Nanovate™? page (Note: I have removed some links),

Integran is a world leader in development and manufacturing of revolutionary electrodeposited (plated) nanocrystalline “Nanovate™” metals.   Our nanotechnology enabled metals take
advantage of the fine crystalline grain structure to achieve superior performance at reduced weight vs conventional material solutions.  Our technology platform consists primarily of Nickel, Iron, Cobalt and Copper alloys that we use to create high performance parts that are:

  • Lighter, stronger, harder and cheaper than Aluminum
  • Corrosion and wear resistant
  • Shielded against low frequency magnetic interference
  • Efficiently absorb energy and noise

Here’s a diagram (full size available on the Integran Technologies website) illustrating the differences,

From the About Nanovate™ page on the Integran Technologies website

As for Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC), here’s more from the About PWC page,

Every second, a Pratt & Whitney Canada powered aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in the world.

We power the largest fleet of business and regional aircraft and helicopters – more than 45,000 engines around the world.

We boast 10,000+ operators and 700+ airlines in more than 195 countries.

PWC’s boasts make one wonder just how much revenue this contract will generate for Integran? There’s no mention of money in Integran’s press release.