Claeys Aaron from Nanex Company provides an insight into stay clean coatings.
Nanex has been working with the automotive industry for a number of years, developing products for a wide range of customers on request. Due to contact with leading distribution channels and general end-users we conclude that for the most part worldwide use of solvent based detergent and waxes for cleaning & maintenance of vehicles are still the most widely used products in vehicle cleaning activities.
However, people are becoming more and more aware of their own ecological footprint and national departments and associations that are more and more involved in environmental causes and are beginning to require better solutions than what is currently being used.
For example in areas in Germany it not legal to wash your car on the street with detergents to reduce pollution in the waste water. This might seem an extreme cause but think of terms like dry cleaning and the bio cleaners that are now becoming highly used terms in any industry.
The current use of coatings
A big barrier that the coating industry is currently facing is the ease of application. Most automotive professionals are familiar with sealants and nanocoatings in the vehicle industry but regular consumers are still not yet familiar with these applications.
Another stumbling block for mass market application is the price range that is often too high therefore the majority of people still prefer the old methods.
In the automotive market, the highest importance in new developments for mass market coating products is that they are affordable, easy to use and universal in application in terms of general maintenance & repair.
Currently there are coatings being retailed in the market for windscreen & glass, the body paint, plastics and the interiors.
These are mostly different in application due the surface that is being treated and also mostly solvent based. Application of these coatings is often time consuming ( pre cleaner – application – after cleaner) which makes it more difficult for market penetration and to educate the customers who have little time and short attention spans.
For that reason it is vitally important for product developers to make the products easier and faster to apply and if possible water-based without any solvents. These developments are beginning to occur and will in our opinion will change this industry forever.
Performance benefits
If we take a look back at the detergent and the waxes we all know that the shiny outlook and pearly water beading effect that everybody loves only lasts for a week or a few weeks maximum.
A great example is that when you have cleaned your car. Then it rains heavily and often your hard work has been for nothing at all, wasting time and money.
Next to that wax finishes are also known to be extra static which makes dirt stick more to the surface and attract more dust and pollution particles that are in the atmosphere as well.
With a coating application it is possible to create a protective layer that makes a chemical reaction with the surface and therefore with a high durability for months up to a number of years.
It is also possible to implement a lot of properties in this surface modification system which creates new possibilities resulting in a car that is better protected and easier to maintain.
To our knowledge so far it is possible to implement and combine the following properties into one single product or coating system:
– anti-scratch & scratch filling of the body paint
– hydrophobic & hydrophilic surface
– high gloss & colour depth improvement (lack repair.)
– anti-static & anti-adhesive properties (repels dust and dirt. )
– smooth surface.
Self-cleaning Car from Nissan
These properties combined with the long durability of these products creates a total new way of maintaining our cars / vehicles. First of all the gloss effect and scratch filling properties make your car look like new and the fact that the gloss stays on the surface for months / years making your car look cleaner for a much longer time.
Then the hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties combined with the anti-static properties create a self-cleaning effect and your car will be cleaned to a certain degree (we say effect because it does have a degree of limitation).
Although your car can be washed with water or much less detergent is also a big advantage on top of that the maintenance is much faster because the dirt and dust cannot stick to the surface anymore.
Below is an example of a car treated with a universal coating with the above properties (The right side has been coated).
Future prospects and market potential
When we are talking about the potential of changing the global car care market it is hard to estimate a general market size, but we can foresee some future markets benefitting such as:
– Car rental services: less cleaning cycles and product needed.
– Car exterior restorations and polishing business.
– Personalised cleaning solutions for vehicles
– Second hand car dealers: improving and restoring the exterior of their products.
– Governmental vehicles: cost reduction and ecological footprint reductions.
– Car dealerships: as service to preserve the new look of the car for longer.
– End user consumers for protection and easier maintenanceof their vehicles.
– Boat & bike industry for long-term maintainence and protection against environmentally damaging factors.
Effects on the industry
As these coatings will become more prevalent in the market, maintenance will be decreased as well as the use of solvent based cleaners as they won’t be that necessary anymore.
A coating can contain a bio cleaning additive which makes it possible to wash your car with water, and recoat it for months to have the optimal results with almost none of the effort.
The applications will have a very universal beneficial effect on the total vehicle industry as we see how everybody can benefit.
We see this product hitting the selves, being used by companies and globally make the life of people easier one step at a time.
Author:
Claeys Aaron, Nanex Company
About Nanex Company: Headquartered in Belgium, Nanex Company is a young, but innovative company specializing in the commercialization of innovative nanotechnology discoveries and inventions.
Always Dry is Nanex’s super-hydrophobic nanotechnology product line, developed for a wide range of applications. Always Dry actively protects all absorbent surfaces, including textiles, leathers, wood, or stone against fluids and stains of any density.
Clean & Coat products are nano-cleaners and coatings for use on metals, painted surfaces, and ceramic. The Clean & Coat nano-cleaner formulas provide cleaner surfaces, as well as advanced scratch protection, UV protection, and hydrophobic abilities.
Dryve Auto Body Coating is a first of its kind truly self-cleaning formula for automotive bodies. While many existing formulas focus on hydrophobicity, repelling only wet dirt, Dryve contains both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties
www.nanexcompany.com
