Ploughshare Innovations Ltd.
Unit 2, Nine Mile Water Business Park, Nether Wallop, Stockbridge, Hampshire SO20 8DR United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 1794 301602
© Ploughshare Innovations Ltd 2010
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Ploughshare Innovations Ltd.
Unit 2, Nine Mile Water Business Park
Nether Wallop, Stockbridge
Hampshire SO20 8DR
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 1794 301602
info@ploughshareinnovations.com
P2i grows its market presence
October 2010
P2i, a Dstl/Ploughshare spin-out, and its Aridion™ product grows its market presence with more than two million hearing aids now protected.
Licensed by three of the largest hearing aid manufacturers, Aridion™ is transforming conventional levels of reliability by substantially reducing warranty failure and repair costs and ultimately increasing user confidence.
Stephen Coulson, Chief Technical Officer at P2i, comments: “Proven to be five times more durable than the market-leading coating, Aridion™ is the ultimate protective shield for high-performance hearing aids – regardless of how intricate the design is or the environment it is worn in. We’re already achieving excellent results with major manufacturers and see huge potential for Aridion™ across the entire market through our new machine.”
Aridion™ is applied using a special pulsed ionised gas (plasma), which is created within a vacuum chamber, to attach a nanoscopic polymer layer – one thousand times thinner than a human hair – to the hearing aid. This dramatically lowers the product’s surface energy, so that when humidity or sweat come into contact with it, they form beads and simply roll off.
Plus, because Aridion™ can coat every aspect of a finished product at the nanoscopic level, it protects much more thoroughly than alternative approaches where individual product components are treated prior to assembly. The result is a truly durable liquid repellent coating that does not affect the product’s look, feel or delicate acoustic properties.
Notes for Editors
About Ploughshare Innovations Ltd.
Ploughshare manages the commercial licencing to industry of Intellectual Property developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Dstl is the centre of scientific excellence for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). It provides impartial scientific and technological advice to the UK Armed Forces and British Government.
Tel +44 (0)1794 301602 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
About P2i
P2i Ltd was established to commercialise liquid-repellent treatments developed by the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
P2i’s patented process has been successfully applied to a wide range of products in a wide range of markets including performance textiles, electronic devices, filtration media and bio-consumables.
www.p2ilabs.com.
Tel: +44 (0)1235 833100 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
How the P2i technology works
P2i’s technology works by applying a nanometre-thin polymer layer over the entire surface of a product. Using an ionised gas (plasma) this layer is molecularly bound to the surface and will not leach away. The process confers superior oil and water repellency by reducing the surface energy to ultra-low levels – down to one third that of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). In footwear and textile applications, P2i’s technology also minimises liquid absorption from outside elements and evaporated perspiration.