Feasibility study for an Estonian Materials Technology Programme

More documents

Recommendations

Info

31 Feasibility study for an Estonian Materials Technology Programme 2. Materials technology in Estonia Technology transfer potential of advanced materials technologies The core advanced materials technologies for the metals and machinery industry is at Tallinn University of Technology in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Most of the research work is conducted in the Department of Materials Engineering, which conducts research in the fields of powder technology and tribology having specific laboratories for these fields. The laboratory also studies surface technologies, disintegrator technology and nanotechnology as well as welding technologies. One area of work is also the study of TiC and Cr2C3 cermets, which is unique even in global terms. Research work is also conducted in the Department of Mechanics where composites and especially their quality control with non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are being studied. The Tallinn University of Applied Sciences is also active in the same areas and they are closely co-operating with the Tallinn University of Technology. Other Estonian universities in the area are more fundamental research oriented. Relevant research is conducted at the University of Tartu and Tallinn University but these are more related to fundamental physics than to e.g. machinery applications. The University of Tartu, Institute of Physics is conducting large amounts of research in areas such as sol-gel technologies, nanofilms, measurement methods (AFM, SPM), nanomaterials and coatings and these can also be applied in the metals and machinery sector. In summary, advanced materials research in Estonia in the field of metals and machinery sector can be described as follows: Metal coatings and surfaces Tribological coatings Wear reduction Composites for replacing metals in various applications Cermets (TiC, Cr2C3) Use of other advanced materials to replace metals Modelling and measurement Non-destructive evaluation and testing Atomic Force Microscopy, Surface Probe Microscopy, other measurements Majority of the high quality publications identified in the sector (33) were published in Wear, which currently has the impact factor of 1.7 and ranks among top journals in mechanical engineering as well as surfaces, coatings and films. International markets and assessment of Estonian potential The global market for the abovementioned technologies, including metals coatings and surface for wear reduction, corrosion resistance and composites for replacing metals in various applications, is huge. Rough estimations in the area suggest 28 that direct costs of friction and wear in an industrialized country are 7% of the Gross National Product (similar to GDP) and as a result up to 1% of GNP can be saved by developing and utilizing better tribological solutions. The impacts of corrosion for industry and economies are also significant. It has been calculated that the costs in the U.S. and Europe amount to 3% of GDP and 70% of these costs could be avoided. A concrete example by Battelle Institute reports that corrosion damages correspond to $300 billion per year in the U.S alone. In addition to manufacturing industry and machinery, one large application area for tribological coatings is transportation. Tribological coatings used and developed for transportation include single phase, multi-phase or composite coatings of materials such as carbides (e.g. TiC), nitrides, metals or ceramics. 29 These coatings are used for increasing the performance of e.g. engines and power trains of vehicles. They increase lifetime and decrease energy consumption and dissipation of heat by reducing wear and friction. As a result, the efficiency of vehicle (and machinery) is improved, maintenance costs and the need for lubricants are reduced. The current market of coatings in the automotive industry is estimated to around $133 million and is expected to reach $330 million in 2015 (ReportLinker). Similarly, the coatings market for the aerospace sector was estimated at $215 million in 2001 with expected increase of the figure by 50% by 2010. 28 Roadmap of the European Technology Platform for Advanced Engineering Materials and Technologies (2006) 29 ObservatoryNANO: Coatings, adhesives and sealants for the transport industry
32 Feasibility study for an Estonian Materials Technology Programme 2. Materials technology in Estonia Nanotechnology is very closely involved in novel innovations of advanced materials for metals and machinery sector. Several general market estimations for nanotechnology applications for coatings in general and nanotechnology in the automotive industry in general has been given as follows: Nanocoatings (BCC Research) $3000 million in 2010 $18000 million in 2015 Nanotechnology in automotive (43% of nanotechnology for automotives were paints and coatings in 2008) $6460 million in 2015 (Institute of Nanotechnology, 2007) $7000 million in 2015 (RNCOS, 2006) $6460 million in 2015 (Frost & Sullivan 2005) Undoubtedly high competition already exists in the area of tribological and wear resistant coatings both in Europe and globally. However, the huge market size means that there is plenty of room for novel innovations and a huge number of potential partners exists e.g. in Europe thanks to the strong automotive and machinery industry. Main drivers for applying novel coatings and surface technologies for machine building include: Reducing environmental footprint Fuel efficiency, weight reduction, new powertrain systems Maintaining and increasing competitiveness Innovativeness New products, e.g. electric vehicles Cost reduction Despite clear key drivers, large barriers also exist in the application of new technologies. One of the identified barriers is the lack of understanding between the industrial and scientific communities, which has also been identified as a challenge for Estonia in general. Coatings can typically be applied in various fields of industry and researchers tend to try to find out what is technologically possible instead of trying to solve more applied industrial problems (for e.g. tool-making). Thus there is a large gap between research findings and market applications. Another notable barrier that needs to be taken into account is the lack of nanomaterials availability to the extent of mass industrialisation as well as various environment, health and safety concerns related to nanomaterials. 30 Summary and conclusions In conclusion, there is very high potential in the Estonian metals and machinery sector Large company base, high net sales and high export rates Some companies with good potential to adopt novel materials technologies due to their large size (e.g. BLRT and Norma) Long traditions in specific fields such as tool-making, which requires high quality coatings Broad R&D support from the university sector Core at the Tallinn University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Both materials research and machine building expertise Support from University of Tartu, Estonian Nanotechnology Competence Centre and Tallinn University of Applied Sciences Huge global market and big possibilities for increasing collaboration Huge market potential for novel coatings in machinery and transportation Already existing international collaboration with e.g. EU projects and Finland Key challenges for Estonia Need to build more complete value chains including large companies, smaller subcontractors and universities Need to decrease the gap between universities and companies – this is an important challenge also globally 30 ObservatoryNANO: Coatings, adhesives and sealants for the transport industry
Page 1 and 2: Innovation studies 15 2011 Feasibil
Page 3 and 4: Authors: Commissioned by Technology
Page 5 and 6: Table of Contents Executive summary
Page 7 and 8: List of Figures Figure 1 Characteri
Page 9 and 10: 8 Feasibility study for an Estonian
Page 11 and 12: 10 Feasibility study for an Estonia
Page 13 and 14: 12 1.1 Feasibility study for an Est
Page 31: 30 2.4 Feasibility study for an Est
Page 83 and 84:
82 Feasibility study for an Estonia
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
show all

Feasibility study for an Estonian Materials Technology Programme

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?