Development and nationalization of automated systems for nanostructured coating production

• Grant number: 17/00930-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: March 01, 2019
• End date: February 29, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Metallurgical Equipment and Facilities
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Saito
• Grantee: Eduardo Saito
• Company: BRCOL Máquinas e Equipamentos Ltda
• CNAE: Fabricação de máquinas e equipamentos para uso industrial específico não especificados anteriormente
• City: São José dos Campos
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/02207-8 - Development and nationalization of automated systems for nanostructured coating production, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Currently, there are no company producing totally automated systems to produce nanostructured coatings by chemical vapor deposition. In general, the academic research centres develops by its individual initiative and frequently have to import most of the system or even all the equipment. In most cases, the industrial domestic market is exposed to import those systems with high importation taxes and prohibitive costs. This project intends to develop a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) systems assisted by plasma to supply the domestic market with a nationalized system and totally automated to produce nanostructured protective coatings and, in future, 2d materials as graphene. In the light of the mentioned purpose, the company will find the LPCVD parts (as electric power source, plasma source, vacuum system, automated controls, vacuum chamber, flux controls and pressure sensors) and develop an automated and calibrated system to produce nanostructured coatings to supply the domestic market. In the future, the company also intends to produce customized systems to supply specific client's demand. This development intends to supply academic and industrial clients. The researchers involved in this project detected a common demand (from academy and industrial environment) for LPCVD systems for diamond like carbon coatings. The approval of this project will pivotally support the development of an automated LPCVD system with high performance systems to high control production and nanomaterials synthesis. The major contribution of prototype's development will be develop an automated and nationalized system with high performance nanomaterials synthesis. In the next step (in scale production), supply to domestic market a high performance and stable system to produce nanostructured coatings. Considering the basic system's configuration, in the future the system can be adapted to supply customized solutions to client's nanomaterials demand. Of course, in this context some adaptation (as gas composition, plasma density, etc.) must be engineered and developed to reach the purpose. The consolidation of national supplier will have an important positive impact in a wide scenario and results in a notable increasing of Brazilian industry competitiveness. In academic context, research centres and universities (which frequently need this kind of systems) have to develop by their human capital those equipments under the condition to import all the automated system or develop their own effort. In this scenario, a nationalized system with lower cost will catalyze scientific development, especially for new materials and interdisciplinary research. (AU)