VIRIDYN DT: Protecting Optical Components in Demanding Industrial Automation Applications
The Challenge
A manufacturer faced significant performance degradation of silicon-based optical sensing components operating in demanding thermal processing environments. Their thermographic systems, critical for monitoring high-temperature industrial processes, suffered from accumulation of oil and water projections on optical surfaces.
Key Issues:
Oil-based liquid splashes from processing operations continuously contaminated lens surfaces.
Water projections combined with high operational temperatures accelerated optical degradation.
Conventional cleaning protocols were frequent, labour-intensive, and posed surface damage risks.
Accumulated contaminants reduced optical transparency and sensor accuracy over extended duty cycles.
Unprotected silicon surfaces required frequent maintenance and replacement cycles
The manufacturer sought a surface treatment solution that would:
Provide durable oleophobic and hydrophobic protection.
Maintain optical transparency for thermal imaging applications.
Withstand high-temperature operational environments.
Be compatible with existing optical systems and sensor architectures.
The Solution
ViriDyn worked with the customer to deploy VIRIDYN DT, an extremely robust, low-surface energy coating that forms a transparent, smooth shell impermeable to gases, corrosive pollutants, and capable of withstanding extreme temperatures.
Field trials demonstrated significant improvement in lens surface performance under operational conditions:
Contact Angle Performance:
Untreated Component (Control): Water contact angle ~30° to 45°.
VIRIDYN DT Coated Component: Enhanced contact angle >60°, demonstrating superior repellency characteristics.
Operational Performance:
Dirt Adhesion: Substantially reduced accumulation of oil-based particles compared to untreated surfaces.
Daily temperature drift (indicating optical degradation) was measurably reduced.
Maintenance Intervals: Extended operational time between cleaning cycles observed.
The Impact:
By deploying ViriDyn's advanced oleophobic coating technology, the manufacturer:
✓ Extended Operational Lifespan: Reduced maintenance-driven downtime and surface replacement requirements.
✓ Improved Measurement Stability: Sustained optical performance through longer duty cycles between cleaning intervals.
✓ Achieved Greater Cost Efficiencies: Elimination of frequent manual cleaning protocols and associated labour costs.
✓ Ensured Compatibility: Drop-in integration with existing optical systems without architectural modification.