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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Triboconditioning (Development of an innovative and cost-efficient process for friction and wear reduction)

Teaser

Summary

Worldwide about 100 million terajoules, one fifth of the total energy produced, is used each year to overcome friction. The largest quantities of energy are used by industry (29%) and in transportation (27%). As much as 17.5% of the energy used in road transports can be reduced by effective implementation of new tribological solutions.
TriboconditioningÂ® is a cost- effective mechanochemical surface treatment that reduces friction and wear by up to 80% and 90% respectively. The uniqueness of the process lies in combining high-pressure mechanical finishing of the component surface with chemical reactions from a special process fluid applied, creating a low friction anti-wear nanocomposite film on the component. The genius of Triboconditioning is its simplicity, being easily implemented in standard CNC machines and combining both surface finishing and coating in one step.
Triboconditioning is a flexible process that can be applied on components made of steel or cast iron and has therefore a huge range of possible applications, both within industrial and automotive. More than 50 automotive parts per vehicle can benefit from Triboconditioning including geared electric drive. There are also many industrial machines and tools that can benefit from treating components such as hydraulics, rock drills, compressors, pumps, bearings, etc.
The main target of the Triboconditioning project is to reach production readiness with process configuration and optimization of machines, tools and process parameters for four main application areas: Big and Small Bores, Shafts, and Gears. To achieve this goal, it is also necessary to optimize the quality and process control systems. During the project the goal is also to verify the technology with both new and existing clients and demonstrate Triboconditioningâ€™s industrialization viability.
Applied Nano Surfaces (ANS), is the company behind Triboconditioning. ANS is headquartered in Sweden with sales offices in Germany, Czech Republic and in North America. The companyâ€™s core competences lie in tribology, industrial engineering, product- and business development as well as marketing and sales. By today, ANS has grown to a strong position, working in a large number of customer programs with corporate giants in automotive and general industry, both OEMs and Tier1s. ANS overall target is to have the process industrialized and license agreements signed so that Triboconditioning can start generating revenues by the end of 2020. Once established with first customers, the results may then be quickly transferred to new clients and sectors enabling rapid growth.

Work performed

A wide range of components, such as gears, shafts, small and big bores, from both the industrial and automotive sector have been funneled into the project matrix. For each studied component, tools and machines have been selected and the treatment process has been optimized to get the required treatment quality. Within this work, several new tool concepts have been evaluated that will enable improved processing. A Customer Component Testing Plan has been prepared and scheduled with each customer and for each component in order to verify the process and get ready for implementation. Verification of the technology and business model is thus fully ongoing and discussions about industrialization viability have been started. Promotion and dissemination work has attracted huge interest in the Triboconditioning project. Therefore, it has been decided to take the opportunity to include more customers than originally planned to test ANS low friction and anti-wear treatment. The Triboconditioning web site (https://triboconditioning.com/about-triboconditioning/) is up and running. Triboconditioning has been presented in magazines (Todays Motor Vehicles: www.todaysmotorvehicles.com, Advanced manufacturing: https://advancedmanufacturing.org/sunnen-and-ans-collaborate-on-friction-and-wear-reduction-technology/, Production machining: https://www.productionmachining.com/products/friction-and-wear-reduction-technology-for-honed-parts, Machinery trade international: https://www.mtimagazine.com/sunnen-and-ans-join-forces/, Fabricating Metalworking: http://www.fabricatingandmetalworking.com/2019/07/sunnen-and-ans-enter-joint-agreement/, Automation: https://www.automation.com/automation-news/industry/sunnen-products-announces-partnership-with-applied-nano-surfaces-to-advance-friction-and-wear-reduction-technology, and fairs such as Hannover and EMO. All events generating new customer leads and spreading the information to potential clients. The efforts have also led to two new license agreements, new patent applications drafted as well as capital raised from investors.

Final results

With Triboconditioning Phase 2 project, we are embracing a huge market opportunity at the intersection between nanotechnology and automotive. Nanotechnology is a fundamental factor for innovation in a variety of economic sectors and the automotive market is particularly prone to innovation, being Europe\'s largest private contributor to R&D. Regulations and cost pressure are pushing the automotive industry forward to boost efficiency and improve fuel economy. Similar trends can also be seen within the general industry sector.
Triboconditioning addresses urgent environmental and economic issues by reducing wear and friction by up to 80% and 90%, respectively. For example, reducing friction have a direct positive impact on the environment through reduced electricity consumption from machines as well as improved fuel economy in vehicles. Triboconditioning can lower the CO2 emissions by 0.11 tons/vehicle/year (savings of â‚¬640/vehicle in 10 years). It offers high-performance at reduced costs compared to competing technologies (savings of â‚¬201 million/year compared to plasma spraying of only a few types of engine components).
Vehicles as well as machines consists of many complex components and sub-assemblies that must comply with strict quality, manufacturing and business standards. Many producers are becoming more like assemblers and less like manufacturers, with suppliers producing many of the parts. We are offering Triboconditioning to Tier 1s and OEMs (the targeted end-users), where Tier1s will implement the process while OEMs will do end testing and approval. Triboconditioning is a flexible process that can be applied on both industrial and automotive components, itâ€™s easy to implement in standard manufacturing processes so both Tier 1s and OEMs can benefit from our technology with low investment and low risk. In addition, Tribocontioning is a highly adaptable process and we can provide end-user easy access to innovative technology integrated in existing production lines at a low cost.
Triboconditioning is the leading technology that supports our business strategy, offering a family of friction and wear reducing solutions (Tricolit, TriboNite and Triboconditioning) for various materials and surfaces, thus becoming a natural partner to our customers. By establishing strategic partnerships with leading Tier 1s we can use their sales force and marketing channels to access a wider market. This strategy allows for fast time to market and quick internationalization with a modest sales force. We are presently carrying out more than 40 automotive and industrial customer projects and our objective by the end of the project is to have 6-8 new license deals signed and an accumulated net profit after 3 and a half years of â‚¬ 14.1 million.