Annual Report 2011 (5.07 MB, PDF-File) - Oerlikon

part of the new INGENIA coating system, gives customers
access to previously unimaginable options with unique properties.
For instance, it will be possible to produce extremely hard,
very smooth coatings with user-definable nanostructure
characteristics. The INGENIA machine also sets new standards
for precision and productivity. For the first time ever, a machine
is capable of eight coating processes per day – nearly a threefold
productivity boost over previous equipment capable of
only two to three processes per day.
e-save
Another excellent example of development activities focused
on customer needs is the “e-save” label. Introduced in 2004
by Oerlikon Textile to identify machines that use significantly
less energy, the label was redefined in 2011 and now identifies
units that are more environmentally efficient and operatorfriendly
than those without: they deliver improvements in at
least one of four areas: energy consumption, efficiency, waste
and emissions reduction, and ergonomic features. E-save machines
boost the quality and productivity of production processes
and make it possible for textile producers to operate
more efficiently and effectively – they require less maintenance
and personnel.
Almost all of the new products introduced by the Textile
Segment in 2011 bear the e-save label. Alongside the e-save
products presented at the 2011 ITMA Barcelona textile trade
fair was the new automatic texturing machine eAFK, that was
the first machine to have been fully developed in China. By
expanding R&D activities in China, the Segment’s largest
market, Oerlikon Textile is positioning itself even more closely
to its key customers.
A preferred research partner
Oerlikon was once again partner in an array of 2011 research
programs. Oerlikon Textile, working with the textile research
center ITV Denkendorf and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial
Mathematics (ITWM) on the NABLO project, continued to
form the foundation for the commercial production of nano-
fibers. The goal of the project is to achieve material advances in
the melt-blown process, which could facilitate production of
synthetic fibers with a diameter of just 100 to 200 nanometers.
Nanofibers of this size, 200 times smaller than a human hair,
could, for instance, make air filters significantly more efficient
along with a host of other advancements.
Oerlikon Textile has also partnered with the University of Stuttgart’s
Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management
on the “eColleagues” project to develop a joint on-
demand learning system for service technicians working in
mechanical and plant engineering. The system bundles and
organizes decentralized know-how and provides it to technicians
working around the globe, allowing services to be delivered
more efficiently and at a consistently high level of quality.
165
Oerlikon Advanced Technologies is jointly developing methods
for manufacturing piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems
(MEMS) as part of the “piezoVolume” project. Partners
include the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISIT) in
Germany and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale (EPFL) Ceramics
Laboratory in Switzerland. Now used primarily in motionmeasurement
sensors for consumer electronics and in medical
equipment, MEMS combine semiconductor components with
miniature mechanical devices. Oerlikon Advanced Technologies
has also joined forces with Fraunhofer ASSID in Germany
to research the silicon vias (TSVs) process. This technology can
support the three-dimensional creation of semiconductor components
and make it possible to manufacture higher-performance
chips for use in such devices as smartphones and tablet
computers.
At the heart of the EU project “NanoHiTec,” Oerlikon Advanced
Technologies is helping develop thermoelectrical generators in
conjunction with such partners as the Spanish National
Research Council, the Swiss materials-testing agency EMPA,
the Institute for Microelectronics at TU Vienna in Austria and the
Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems
(IKTS) in Germany. One future use of thermoelectrical generators
would be to transform a car’s waste heat into electrical
energy.
Overseen by Oerlikon Solar, the EU-funded project “PEPPER”
is working to develop manufacturing processes that enhance
the performance and lower the production cost of thin film silicon
solar modules. One goal is to proportionally lower the cost
of glass in finished modules, which now amounts to 20 % on,
for example, Oerlikon Solar’s ThinFab production line. By
reducing the amount of glass used in production, the overall
costs of the module will drop and the competitiveness of thin
film silicon technology will rise further.
Oerlikon received a number of awards in 2011 that once again
demonstrate the Group’s position as a technology leader.
Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum, for instance, was recognized by the
Vienna University of Economics and Business as one of the
100 most innovative small and medium-sized enterprises in
Germany, and Oerlikon Solar received the Solar Industry Award
in the “Thin Film Innovation” category for the ThinFAB production
line. Oerlikon Advanced Technologies was honored by
two customers – Amkor Technology with the “Best of Class
Equipment Award 2011” and ASE with the “Best Supplier
Award 2011.” Oerlikon Schlafhorst was honored with the
“Vendor of the Year Award” by Parkdale, the largest American
spinning company. Oerlikon Saurer received the “Tire Technology
Award for Innovation and Excellence 2011” for being the
best supplier to the industry.