PEKK – a coating travels to Mars
One of the main targets in the major, international ExoMars Mars project is the scanning of the Mars soil and the search for earlier or present life. To be able to realise this target, the CaSSIS team of the University of Bern developed a special telescope.
Copyright: CaSSIS Team University of Bern
For one important component in this device, you don’t only need a special coating but also the specialist who – in cooperation with the University of Bern – is able to apply and test this layer.
Buser Oberflächentechnik AG is one of the leading providers of complex coating systems. In addition to the diversified knowledge, its speciality is also the flexibility to be able to coat individual parts and to understand complex tasks. Together with the CaSSIS team, the specialists of Buser Oberflächentechnik AG test the PEKK coating system which will then be used in the Mars telescope.
Product properties
PEKK (polyether ketone ketone) offers some considerable advantages as compared to the PEEK coatings. In the coating process, the thermal load of the parts is reduced by 70°C as compared to PEEK. This spares the substrate. Thus, substrates which do not withstand the process temperature of PEEK can also be coated with polyaryletherketone.
The shrinkage stress of PEKK is considerably lower than that of PEEK which allows for the coating of demanding part geometries without problems. The mechanical properties and the high resistance to chemicals are virtually identical with those of PEEK. In contrast, the former properties are to some extent even considerably better.
The new PEKK used by Buser Oberflächentechnik AG is only approved of for direct contact with food according to FDA and EU.