Preventing films from marking powder coated surfaces

Newly developed space instruments are increasingly efficient and accurate. One of the main drawbacks is that they are consequently more and more sensitive to contamination. Once integrated, optics are continuously exposed to cleanroom environment. Most of the time, cleaning operations are risky or even impossible considering coatings fragility or accessibility constraints. Thus even in cleanrooms, with the use of specific covers and/or the implementation of purging, inducing altogether stringent operational constraints, molecular and particulate contamination deposition appears to be unavoidable. Hence, the use of a windshield film on the most critical optics during manufacturing assembly and tests would allow a significant reduction of the overall contamination levels or the release of the operational constraints to reach the same cleanliness target. This study presents the results obtained in the frame of a test campaign aiming at identifying and evaluating the most promising protection films (including varnishes, adhesive tapes and electrostatic films) dedicated to space instruments optics. Impacts on both molecular and particulate contamination were investigated together with associated effects on protected substrates (aspect, spectral properties, …). The best solution has been qualified at Airbus and is currently implemented on flight hardware.
NEW YORK, July 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Paint Protection Film Market is forecasted to reach USD 461.7 Million by 2027. Paint safety film is a thermoplastic coating that cures when added to painted surfaces. As the product is commonly used in the electronics industry to maintain the surface of electrical devices, growing development in this sector in the coming years would result in increased demand for the paint safety window films market.Technological advancements, such as color variations and superior adhesiveness, in safety films are estimated to draw consumer attention. In North America, automotive and transportation films accounted for a prominent market share, with most of the demand from the U.S. ceramic coating technologies. These technologies are likely to be utilized as an alternative to PPFs due to their superior performance against scratches and abrasions, thus negatively influencing the market growth.However, the low cost associated with PPFs is poised to offer them a competitive advantage over the forecast period. Market players invest in R&D to improve product durability, as these decoration films are installed for a longer duration. Initiatives taken by producers to manufacture flexible films, which could be applied on unique shapes and are compatible with diverse qualities of paints that are applied on surfaces, are projected to unfold growth opportunities for the market.