Functional Coating

Bringing the lab precision to the industrial settings

Qlayers’ R&D team has done extensive research on precision coating and printing microstructures on large industrial surfaces to make them multi-functional. Inspired by nature and fascinating riblets in shark skin that reduce water drag, our team aims to develop an innovative technology that can start a revolution in industries such as aviation and wind energy.

For example, printing sharkskin microstructure on the surface of wind turbine blades can reduce the frictional drag with air and drastically increase their yield by 5%. In the aviation industry, smartly coated airplane wings can hugely reduce the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on aircraft

Sharkskin riblets

Qlayers invented a technology to print microstructures on surfaces. Over the last decades, it has been shown by researchers that in nature all surfaces are multifunctional. An example is a shark, which has microstructures on its skin that reduces drag with water.

Researchers have been replicating these structures in lab for many years. However, it was always a challenge to apply these structures on a larger scale. We developed a patent-pending technique that has the potential to make this happen.

Increasing the energy output to 264000 kWh per year

Reducing up to 8000 tonnes CO2 per year

Reducing up to 4400 tonnes CO2 per year

Reducing drag with sharkskin

It has been proven that the microstructures that you can find on a shark’s skin reduce friction drag water or air up to 8%.

This principle has been known for over 50 years. For example, a sharkskin coating was applied to the sailboat Stars and Stripes, winning the America’s Cup in 1987. Since then, structured coatings have also been applied to swimsuits and aircraft, to increase top speed or reduce fuel consumption.

Qlayers believes that costly application methods and ease of fouling have prevented widespread application on aircraft, ships, and wind turbines.

To solve these problems and to make functional surfaces a reality, Qlayers developed a new application method with which sharkskin structures can be printed in a cost-efficient and fast way.

We use the existing theory around sharkskin structures. The only thing that we change is the application method.

On the left you see some results of over 30 years of research on the drag reduction of sawtooth (a) and scalloped riblets (b). The reduction Δτ/τ₀ depends on the non-dimensional riblet spacing s+. For yachts, the optimal spacing is between 50 and 100 μm.

Making each surface functional

Nature is full of functional coatings, from penguins to sharks, from anti-freezing to drag reducing, and each surface is functional. To apply functional microstructured coatings on industrial surfaces, Qlayers has developed a special printing technique.

The controlled environment allows Qlayers to apply innovative functional coatings. Coatings can offer more than colours and protection. they have the potential to radically reduce fuel consumption, CO2m emissions, and avoid expensive methods for de-icing and assist maintenance in the energy and transportation sector.

Sharkskin is drag reducing

Penguin feather is anti-icing

Butterfly wings repel predators

Spray Shielding System

The first version of our automated coating head is already transforming how coatings are applied, and currently, we are evolving our system into new versions to solve different market needs.

About the technology