€1.5M EU grant to clean up space metal coating industry

Enbio, an Irish SME with facilities in Dublin and Clonmel, Tipperary has won a €1.52M grant from the European Commission to develop a green alternative to the toxic chemicals necessary to coat metals.

Initially the company will focus on the Space sector, but the technology will also have wide-ranging applications in aerospace, automotive and general industry, as well as public infrastructure and civilian applications.

Through the REACH guidelines, European environmental legislation is reducing the use of hazardous chemical treatments widely used to prepare metal surfaces for bonding or coating in the Space sector.

However, any European industry using wet hazardous metal pre-treatments such as chromate conversion processes could benefit, such as the aerospace and automotive industries.

Enbio has developed a proven alternative coating process – their patented CoBlast process.

The European Commission funding will enable Enbio to accelerate its development and launch of a chemical replacement metal treatment.

Enbio’s alternative uses no hazardous chemicals and meets or exceeds existing industry standards and performance requirements.

Enbio has already gained significant experience in the Space sector, working with the European Space Agency (ESA).

The company has provided two protective coatings for the ESA’s most advanced spacecraft, Solar Orbiter, one of which will become the closest man-made object to sun.

Once Enbio has proven the process in the Space sector, the company plans to extend the technology to applications on Earth and help clean up the coatings sector across numerous industries and the thousands of acres of metal requiring protection from the elements.

The SME Instrument funding will enable Enbio’s accelerated breakthrough into these global markets.

This will place Enbio at the forefront of green coating technology internationally and put CoBlast on the path to world-wide adoption.

"The grant will have a massive impact in scaling the CoBlast process for the Space sector and beyond and gives Enbio the opportunity to invest in the capital equipment and team needed to do this work,” noted Dr Barry Twomey, CTO.

"We are thrilled to have been granted this funding to accelerate CoBlast for adhesive bonding for the Space sector and beyond – the sunset dates are fast approaching and Enbio is dedicated to offering a solution,” said Dr Paolo Fiorini, Head of Operations.

Dr Kevin O’Flynn, General Manager, said, "Receiving the SME Instrument funding is an enormous boost for Enbio.

"It validates the potential of our technology and gives us the momentum to help change the world for the better through greener coatings – both in Space and back here on Earth.

"Assisted by Enterprise Ireland, the Enbio team has been developing a suite of exciting new coatings and this funding will help us to bring those to market quickly.”