Medical laser company Norseld creating diamond-like carbon coating
MEDICAL laser company Norseld Pty Ltd has found new business opportunities in defence with a unique approach to making a highly sought-after thin film coating.
MEDICAL laser company Norseld Pty Ltd has found new business opportunities in defence with a unique approach to making a highly sought-after thin film coating.
Its top-secret coating method enables the production of diamond-like carbon coatings at room temperature.
As managing director Peter Shute explains, this opens up a range of possibilities, far beyond traditional applications for the ultra-hard, slick and wear resistant coating.
Now they can coat plastic.
“Applications of the CoolDiamond DLC are endless,” Mr Shute said.
“All the way from infra-red optics to thermal imaging, lightweight headgear such as night-vision goggles and heads-up displays, through to engine parts, sensors and components.”
After working with researchers at the University of Adelaide and University of Dublin to perfect the technology, the local business has chosen to align itself with the defence and aerospace industry sectors.
“We looked at all the opportunities that we had in front of us for CoolDiamond DLC and my background is medical devices and orthopaedics, where bearing surfaces using diamond have something like 80,000 times improved lifespan,” Mr Shute said.
“Then in optics, plastic-coated diamond lenses become a very exciting proposition.
“But defence came back as the single biggest opportunity, in terms of value and volume.”
And there are other benefits, too.
“Defence presents itself as the one that offers the most support to SMEs, the one that offers the most opportunity and in South Australia, it’s all up the road at Edinburgh Parks,” Mr Shute said.
There is an established pathway for Australian business to feed into global supply chains, so a product from Japan can be shipped to Adelaide for coating and then on to the US.
The Adelaide company, with 30 years’ experience in medical lasers, has fast become a leader in coatings for manufacturers and suppliers at every level of the defence industry, with many contracts already under way.