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Coatings for Polymers Optical Coatings for Polymers Our technology is specifically designed for the coating of polymers with optical coatings such as Antireflection coatings, filters and mirrors. Polymerised Silica Light Coatings have the capability to apply Polymerised Silica sealing/buffer layers to polymers through an insitu PACVD process. Barrier Coatings Light Coatings can undertake a range of coatings to act as barriers for moisture, air or chemicals, through the application of dense Al2O3 or custom designed layers and materials to suit your specific application. Coatings for 3D Printed Polymers Through our current research projects we are developing the capability to apply hard wearing, chemically resistant and in some cases decorative coatings to a range of 3D printed polymers. Vacuum Plasma Treatment Of critical importance for coatings for polymers is the use of vacuum plasma pretreatment. This is a routine aspect of the coating process depending on the polymer type but can also be performed as a stand alone treatment for specific applications for surface energy and activation. Ready to take the next step to a coating solution? Contact Us

WELCOME TO LIGHT COATINGS LTD Delivering Coating Solutions by Your Side Our Vision Our company's vision is to be a leading provider of PVD coatings and consultancy, offering innovative solutions that help our clients achieve their goals and create value for their customers. We strive to be known for our expertise, reliability, and customer-centric approach, building long-lasting partnerships with our clients based on trust, collaboration, and mutual respect. Our vision is to create a positive impact on the world by providing sustainable solutions that improve the performance, durability, and aesthetics of our clients' products, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and environmental responsibility. We aspire to be a company that is respected by our industry peers, admired by our clients, and valued by our employees and stakeholders and to make a meaningful contribution to the communities in which we operate. Services Component Manufacturing Light Coatings Ltd can provide a range of manufacturing services around the coatings industry. This can include component manufacturing, substrate sourcing, dicing, coating and mechanical component manufacturing. ​ We have internal 3D printing capability for rapid prototyping and functional component manufacture and in house design capability for mechanical components. Coatings (Optical, mechanical and elecrical) Using our state of the art reactive sputtering technology we specialise in precision optical coatings for UV - Vis- NIR - MIR -FIR optics for mirrors, antireflective coatings and complex filters. In addition our low temperature process is particularly suited for coatings on polymers and also for the reactive deposition of hard durable coatings. We also produce conductive coatings such as Copper and Silver as well as transparent conductors such as ITO. Consultancy We provide consultancy to a range of customers from optical coating design using our range of simulation, modelling and optimisation software to complete process development and troubleshooting. We also support customer new to the industry or with new product requirements with equipment specification, project management and technology assessment. Whatever your need for support with PVD Coatings we can support you or direct you to a partner that can. RESEARCH PROJECTS Our Current Focus Coatings for 3D Printed Plastics Feb, 2023 Low Temperature Diamond Like Coatings (DLC) July, 2023 Specialist IR Coatings June, 2022 Contact Us Campus Technology Hub Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, United Kingdom WA4 4AD +44 (0)845 1549796 sales@lightcoatings.co.uk First Name Last Name Email Message Send

Coatings for 3D Printed Polymers Light Coatings started an Innovate UK funded project to develop a range of optical, durable and electrical functional coatings tackling the range of 3D printed polymer types and printing processes. 2023 Press Release - PVD Palm PVD Palm: Helping to put the North West at the forefront of technology Established tech business Light Coatings Ltd, based at Sci-Tech Daresbury, is delighted to announce it has received a cool £100,000 grant from Innovate UK as part of the Liverpool City Region Launchpad programme to develop its functional technology for 3D printed polymers. Light Coatings Ltd offers a range of manufacturing, consultancy and support services to the thin film and vacuum deposition industry and is hugely excited about being given the opportunity to further develop this innovative product. Over the next 12 months, the tech team from Light Coatings Ltd will develop the technology and collate the relevant technical data in order to prove the viability of PVD (physical vapour deposition) coatings on a range of commercially viable polymers. The key target is to identify the polymer materials that are compatible with the unique, low temperature PVD process, so that at the end of the project, Light Coatings hopes to be in a position to take this unique product to market. And what makes it all even more exciting is the fact that currently there is no one else in the industry offering such a service, helping to put Light Coatings in particular, and the North West tech industry in general, at the cutting edge of new technology. Directors Dr Steven Stanley and George Titley are both looking forward to moving forward with their ground-breaking product, Dr Stanley saying: “The funding from Innovate UK will greatly increase the pace at which Light Coatings can develop this exciting technology for a new market. The project builds upon new work and developments already undertaken by the innovation team at Light Coatings to bring this technology to a market first offering.” Want to discuss our R&D projects? Contact Us

Component Manufacturing Optics We can source and provide coatings for precision optics utilising our network of suppliers for a wide range of optics. Polymer Optics We can source a wide range of polymer optics from micro lens arrays to large polymer lenses and specialist large format polymer components. We are able to combined this with fabrication, machining and a variety of coatings where required. Vacuum Coating Parts We supply a range of vacuum parts and consumables to custom designs to a range of customers. These can be from specific target materials to custom machine components. Wafer Components We use wafer substrates from Silicon and Germanium to Sapphire and can supply a range of coated wafers to custom shapes and requirements. Metal Components Through a range of suppliers we can supply a range of coated metallic parts with decorative, durable or other functional coating types. Optical Housings and Assemblies We can design custom optical housings and assemblies for custom requirements Ready to take the next step to a coating solution? Contact Us

3D Printing Formlabs 3 SLA printing of high performance Formlabs resins for superior surface quality components. The surface finish of SLA components ensure excellent aesthetics and accuracy for high performing prototyping and engineering components/prototypes. STFC Facilites Based at the STFC Daresbury site, and situated across from the campus technology HUB we have easy access of a wide range of 3D printers and printer technologies to support activities. These include metal printing as well as various polymer printing technologies. 10K Industrial Prototyping We carry stock of Formlabs 10K resin for high load, high temperature and excellent rigidity prototype and functional components. This glass filled polymer also lends itself to coating with our in house facilities. Formlabs Resins We can source many resins from the selection from formlabs and are happy to print in new polymers where this supports our additional activities and services. Ready to take the next step to a coating solution? Contact Us

Facilities Light Coatings have specialist facilities for the design, manufacture and analysis of a range of thin film coatings along with prototyping facilities to support rapid development at the systems level where required. Thin Film Coatings Our primary coating method is through Reactive Magnetron Sputtering of which we specialise in small batch production for prototyping and small volumes/components but with techniques which we can take to larger scale production within our own or other facilities. Our automated system can produce multilayer coatings with nm level precision and to date we have performed coatings exceeding 160 discrete layers in a single cycle. ​ We have a range of coating materials available including; - Oxides (SiO2, ZrO2, TiO2, VO2, Al2O3) - Nitrides (Si3N4, ZrN, TiN, Al3N4, CrN) - Metals (Al, Ag, Cu, Stainless Steel, Ni, Cr) - Others (DLC, Me:DLC, HMDSO, Carbides, ITO) ​ We also undertake materials development for new materials which we can conduct within our equipment very quickly but within a system which can be directly taken to industrialisation compared to a research system. ​ ISO 5 Clean Room As part of our ongoing quality assurance we have the Clean Environments, fully portable, inflatable class 5 clean room with HEPA filtration. This provides a dust free environment for the most demanding of customer applications. With the portable approach we gain in flexibility without the requirement and cost of a permanent clean room. Formlabs 3 3D Printer Light Coatings have recently brought in house SLA 3D printing capabilities to support not only our internal tooling and prototyping capability but to develop our ability to print and coat final products for customers with specialist requirements. We have stock formlabs resins available and can design and print components at a lead time much faster than an equivalent aluminium or metal component. Analysis Techniques To support our coating activities and consultancy offering we have a range of test and analsyis methods available including; - Spectrophotometers (UV - NIR and MIR - FIR) - Adhesion and Durability Testing to various standards - SEM Analysis - XRF - XRD Beyond this testing we have direct access to a significant range of test facilities through our various partners. Cleaning Facilities Utilising an ultrasonic cleaning process we ensure the cleanliness of customer substrates, essential prior to coating. Two separate cleaning stages ensure no cross contamination occurs. A dedicated drying system removes any remaining moisture. Ready to take the next step to a coating solution? Contact Us