04 Jun 2010
With TopFlexTM, Optics Balzers now also offers a surface coating that repels dirt, liquids, and chemicals. The original idea of coating eyeglasses has thus been successfully transferred to other applications in the fields of medical technology, industry, and building construction.
TopFlex
TM is a surface coating with hydrophobic characteristics. It is chemically resistant to water, oils, and fats. Moreover, TopFlex
TM is dirt-repellent and easy to clean. TopFlex
TM offers excellent adhesive properties on the substrate and is suitable for a wide variety of cleaning processes.
TopFlex
TM is a highly planar and enclosed surface coating and can be combined with all coating systems, as it is spectrally neutral in the VIS and IR regions. Its hydrophobic properties are especially evident at a wetting angle up to 120°. At this wetting angle, fluids und dirt cannot adhere to the surface, or only very poorly. This makes such surfaces very easy to clean. Thanks to their film stability up to 300°C, TopFlex
TM-coated components can be applied even in adverse conditions. As a surface coating, TopFlex
TM is also resistant to scratching and corrosion.
TopFlex
TM has conquered new fields of application in which ease of maintenance and resistance to dirt are required. TopFlex
TM is applied in endoscopy, in sensor systems, and in special-purpose cameras which are used for instance to inspect sewage systems. Other fields of application include research activities, metallic coatings, or medical devices.