Surface Engineering

Yolanda Alesanco, from CIDETEC Surface Engineering, has been one of the winners of the Extraordinary Doctorate Prize awarded by the UPV / EHU Graduate Commission in the area of Sciences. Yolanda’s doctoral thesis, “New electrochromic systems: multicolored, semi-solid and easy-to-make”, directed by Dr. David Mecerreyes Molero and Dr. Ana Viñuales Martínez, has been defended through the Department of Applied Chemistry.

The Graduate Commission of the UPV / EHU, in session held on June 28, 2019, approved the proposals for granting the Extraordinary Doctoral Awards corresponding to the academic year 2016/2017 presented by the Courts appointed for that purpose.

The award ceremony of the eighth edition of the “MAIER S. COOP International Design Contest” took place on June 28 at the “Automotive Intelligence Center” of Amorebieta-Etxano. The event was attended by the president of the MONDRAGON Corporation Iñigo Ucín, Daimler’s Exterior Design Director Robert Lesnik, Renault Color and Trim Design Director François Farion, Byton Color & Trim Design Director Williane Oliveira and the director of Design of Huawei Technologies François Duris. On the part of CIDETEC Surface Engineering attended director Eva García Lecina and the head of marketing and positioning Gemma Vara.

To this edition, which has been directed to the use of lighting as a vehicle design element of 2025, a total of 128 projects have been submitted from countries such as the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, China, India or Brazil, and more than 15,000 euros have been distributed among the winners of the contest. The first prize for the category of “Professionals”, worth 8,000 euros, has corresponded to the FLUX VISIONS project developed by the Viennese architect of Bulgarian origin Nikolay Ivanov. The prize to the category “Students”, of 4,000 euros, has fallen to the AURA project of Donostiarra Victor Groten, Design Engineer by the University of Mondragón and currently a student of the Master “Styling and Concept of the Automobile” of the Polytechnic University of Valencia. The prize for the “Best sample of materials”, worth 2,000 euros, has been for the group of students formed by Vicas Sethi, Anuja Sanjeevi and Sharan Ahooja of the College for Creative Studies of Detroit (USA). Finally, the prize for the “Best University” category, worth 1,500 euros, went to Mondragón Unibertsitatea.

Last 5 June saw the holding of the seminar, “Effects of the REACH Standard on Surface Treatments towards a More Sustainable Future,” attended by some fifty professionals in the field of surface treatments, in the context of the International Fair on Manufacturing Processes and Equipment 2019 (Subcontracting 2019), which took place at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre.

REACH (Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) is a European Union regulation adopted to improve human health and environmental protection against the possible hazards presented by chemical products, while strengthening the competitiveness of the chemical industry in the EU.

From 2008 to 2011, different chemical compounds used in the surface treatment industry were included in the list of candidates for REACH regulation. The main reason for this inclusion is to promote alternatives making it possible to avoid the use of such products. In the specific case of Cr(VI) compounds, it implies the need to request authorisation for use starting from a given date.

Given the lack of solid alternatives, a large number of requests for exemption have been submitted to the ECHA (European Chemical Agency). However, the exemptions granted have not been very extensive for producers of compounds or suppliers of semi-finished products, who are generally the parties requesting exemption to be able to sell their products for surface treatments. For this reason, surface treatment users are beginning to understand that it is not feasible to find a single alternative over the short and medium term that will serve for all current applications. Hence, the sole manner of approaching the problem with any guarantee of success would be to analyse the question of substitution by families of components or applications.

At this seminar, the impact of REACH on the industries requiring surface treatments was analysed and different alternative treatments/coatings of high industrial potential due to both their environmental features and quality in finished products were presented.

The seminar introduction was given by Elvira Martín of AIAS, while the event was managed by Dr José Antonio Díez and Dr Gemma Vara of CIDETEC. CIDETEC Surface Engineering researchers Jorge Rodríguez, Asier Salicio and Rosalina Pérez were among the experts giving presentations, with Borja Fernández representing Aveq-Kimica and Sergi Dominguez speaking for HEMPEL. Antonio Montoliu participated for CHEMPLATE.

The “Electrochemical methods for the characterisation and evaluation of corrosion” seminar, organised jointly by CIDETEC and GOMENSORO, took place on 19 June at the Arima Hotel in the Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park in San Sebastian, with the aim of introducing electrochemical techniques to industry as a method for controlling corrosion and the behaviour of materials, since it allows measures to be taken quickly, efficiently, economically and systematically.

The accelerated salt spray test (industrially accepted and used as a corrosion evaluation tool) provides information on durability (degree of attack) based on how long the test lasts. However, bearing in mind that the nature of corrosion is electrochemical, there are alternative methods to the accelerated tests, capable of providing information on the speed of corrosion instantaneously and of monitoring its evolution over time. Perhaps one of the most important advantages lies in the fact that the speed of attack can be estimated in a very short time, providing an evaluation of the susceptibility of the materials to corrosion, either generalised or localised.

Nearly a hundred professionals had the opportunity to learn about these techniques first hand, thanks to the contributions of various experts in the field. The seminar was introduced by doctors José Antonio Díez and Gemma Vara, from CIDETEC, and Roberto Conde, from Gomensoro. Doctor Jesús Manuel Vega, from CIDETEC, gave the talk on “Electrochemical techniques for corrosion control” while Jesús García de la Fuente, from Gomensoro, spoke about the legislation applicable when working with electrochemical techniques.

In the second part of the seminar, various case studies were presented by professionals from both CIDETEC and Gomensoro.

The day ended with a visit to the CIDETEC Surface Engineering centre.

Representing CIDETEC Surface Engineering, Eva García Lecina and Germán Cabañero attended the Automotive Interiors Expo 2019 held in Stuttgart in May where exhibitors presented the latest products and technologies for the design of vehicle interiors.

From fabrics to lighting, foams to fasteners, veneers to laminates, and seating to switches, the 2019 edition of Automotive Interiors Expo was the biggest yet, with a record number of attendees enjoying the latest products and innovations from over 180 exhibitors.

Meanwhile the free-to-attend Style & Technology Studio saw some 40 expert speakers address everything from plastic metallization through to the integration of optical fiber for interior customization.

Attendees were able to touch, feel and sample colors, textures and quality finishes, while also discovering new HMI materials, lighting technologies, advanced materials, and manufacturing processes.