Sparc Ships Graphene Additive to Tier 1 Coatings Customer
Sparc Technologies Ltd. has completed its first commercial delivery of the ecosparc graphene additive to what it described as a global Tier 1 coatings manufacturer, moving the technology from qualification work into a new commercial application.
The 160-kilogram shipment was produced at Sparc's Adelaide facility and will be used in a high-performance protective coating, according to the company's Sept. 1 market announcement.
Sparc did not identify the customer, the finished coating or its intended end market, citing confidentiality arrangements.
Sparc describes ecosparc as a graphene-based additive intended to improve corrosion protection in protective coatings. The company said its current manufacturing capacity can produce enough additive to dose approximately 4.5 million liters of coatings annually without additional capital spending.
The shipment follows years of testing and product-development work with coatings companies. Sparc said more than 20 active programs are under way and that it is targeting multiple product launches during the next six to 12 months, although the timing and commercial outcome of those programs remain subject to customer testing and launch decisions.
Sparc also reported that two coatings manufacturers have launched products containing ecosparc since May, marking a broader move from development programs to market use.
For coatings formulators and protective-coatings manufacturers, the significance of the announcement is the scale-up step. A commercial shipment to a Tier 1 producer tests not only laboratory anticorrosion performance, but also additive manufacture, handling, dispersion and repeatability at a volume closer to finished-product production.
The shipment is relevant to readers following nanotechnology in coatings and anticorrosion additives for protective coatings.
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