Slippery Solutions

Sticky problems are pervasive in industrial, medical, and consumer applications. Viscous liquids stick to containers, barnacles stick to ship hulls, plastic parts stick to molds, ice sticks to refrigeration coils, and bacteria stick to medical devices.

SLIPS™ delivers tremendous value by offering the following:

Savings in Cost and Energy

Reducing downtime, waste, fuel, and water use

Examples

  • Marine Fouling

    Reduce drag and fuel consumption

    Barnacles, mussels and algae stick to the hulls of ships, creating extra drag that costs the shipping industry billions of dollars each year in extra fuel. Most anti-fouling coatings today are copper-based and therefore toxic. Ship operators are looking for an effective and environmentally friendly solution such as the SLIPS™ Foul-Impede™ product.

  • Industrial Release

    Increase throughput and reduce waste

    Many manufacturing processes involve sticky or viscous materials like rubber and paint that stick to molds, mixing equipment, or the inside of pipes. This creates waste and inefficiencies and requires equipment to be cleaned frequently. Manufacturers are looking for effective industrial release coatings and films such as those being offered by SLIPS™.

Functionality Or Durability Enhancements

Adding features to products and increasing durability

Examples

  • Container Emptying

    Reduce waste and facilitate the recycling process

    Complete emptying of containers is particularly desirable for high-value contents like cosmetics, or hazardous materials like motor oil. Product and packaging manufacturers are working with SLIPS Technologies to add SLIPS™ complete emptying functionality to their containers.

  • Heat Exchanger Efficiency

    Ensure high heat transfer efficiency

    In order to maintain a high heat transfer efficiency, it is important to keep heat exchanger surfaces free of frost and other fouling agents and ensure the rapid removal of water condensation. SLIPS Technologies is working with industrial customers to develop SLIPS™ coatings that will resist fouling, promote ice release, and accelerate dropwise condensation.

Improved Healthcare

Reducing biological fouling in medical applications

Example

  • Medical Devices

    Prevent bacterial infection and improve fluid drainage

    Bacterial fouling of catheter surfaces can lead to infections, and incomplete emptying of drainage tubes and bags can create health complications. Medical device manufacturers are working with SLIPS Technologies to incorporate SLIPS™ into their products in order to address these problems and ultimately deliver improved healthcare solutions.

Top finds