However, companies specialised in the cost-effective production of large quantities mostly set store by only one or two products. And these then have to run day and night, if possible seven days a week.
With CMC coating technology this is different. The coating facilities are far slower than high-output coaters, which apply up to 1000m per minute. Yet, if we examine the requirement for Teflon® film, for example, it becomes clear that such a high-output coater is unsuited for this material:
High-output coaters coat very fast on systems which are as long as possible. This can mean that while driving in the facility a large quantity of material is already applied with incorrect settings. Furthermore, thousands of square metres are very quickly coated.
But the requirement for such expensive films as Teflon® is not of the order of magnitude of "thousands of square metres". So, after a short time another product must be produced. Specialised facilities are not designed for this. The setup times can be very long and therefore drive up costs.
CMC coating technology coats exactly in the areas which large coaters cannot cover. Production batches of around 500m² to several thousand square metres are usual. In the cross-fire between coating speed and setup effort, this achieves optimal balance and therefore optimal pricing.
CMC coating technology has two systems for solvent-based coating compounds, one of these up to 1,900mm wide. Between approximately 10µm and 1000µm compound can be applied, while normally up to around 150µm dry is sufficient.
Thus, it is no surprise that since 2009 more and more companies are seeking outsourced coating. Competitors are also shifting small production volumes of a few thousand square metres from their large facility to the more flexible and more cost-effective coating facilities of CMC coating technology.
By contrast with coaters specialised in only a few products, CMC coating technology has very extensive experience with different materials and applications. The many interested companies benefit from this knowledge.
Reasons for out-sourcing can be
- No in-house development capacity
- Overcoming bottlenecks
- Focus of competence lies somewhere else
- No competitive situation (other customers, other markets, other technologies)
- System technology not available or unsuitable
- Concentration on one's own core competence
Whether for special constructions in battery or fuel cell technology, medicine, constructions in the aviation industry or in safety engineering: All applications have their specific requirements which must be translated to the right blank films and coatings.
Class and not mass is therefore not meant in the sense that mass is bad. Far more, it describes the field of activity of CMC coating technology: Solving problems with small and middle-sized requirements and special requirements for the performance and individuality of the product.