June 2020
Whilst there has not been much to be upbeat about recently with the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing great disruption and suffering, Gencoa is providing two offers of support to help everyone through the crisis.
The first is to provide rental Optix units to industrial customers who have less production demand and hence time to study and improve their processes for the future upturn. The second is to support you in securing government funding to help fight the spread of Covid-19. Vacuum coating can create surfaces that can eliminate viruses within minutes and Gencoa has five years of experience in creating and testing such biocidal coatings.
During the current production disruption in many sectors, Gencoa is making a large number of the Optix vacuum process analysers available to customers for a monthly rental to help with process development, troubleshooting and optimisation. Optix analyses process gases, vacuum plasmas, and provides outputs for process feedback control and Industry 4.0. Its unique optical spectrum based sensing and different remote plasma generation options, allow any type of vacuum process to be characterised including ALD and CVD.
The information provided by OPTIX is valuable and the robust nature of the device means that customers can apply it to any type of situation without a risk to the health of the device. That is why we are happy to make these units widely available for 1 month minimum periods. After you have completed the studies, we can pass the unit onto another user, or you can purchase the unit and we'll deduct the rental costs.
If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please contact your local representative or sales@gencoa.com.
A video snapshot of its capabilities can be found at www.gencoa.com/optix or played directly on YouTube.
Certain vacuum coated materials are highly biocidal and can eliminate bacteria and viruses within minutes. These surfaces are very hostile to organisms and display wide spectrum antimicrobial and antiviral properties.
Gencoa has spent 5 years working on such coatings and has a rapid 24hrs assessment method to rank their performance. The nanostructured nature of vacuum-deposited films means that they perform much better than bulk materials of the same composition. The fact that only very thin layers are required means that material cost for the active ingredients are a small fraction of alternatives.
Recent studies have showed the SARS-CoV-2 virus can remain viable on plastic and stainless steel for 4-5 days (1,2). The half-life of the virus on standard copper is less than an hour and total removal within 4 hours. Whilst we have not tested a vacuum deposited layer with the SARS-CoV-2 strain yet, we know from microbial studies that they work much quicker than normal materials for a variety of reasons.
How do we weaponise surfaces in the fight against Covid-19? Vacuum coating is a ready-made solution that can be deployed rapidly when thin layers are applied to a flexible plastic web with adhesive backing. These can be easily fixed onto existing touch surfaces to rapidly reduce viral loading and hence minimise contagion.
Many governments are looking for solutions to reduce the probability of a second wave of infections. When people start to move around again, airborne and surfaces spread are the main risks. Studies in a Covid-19 hospital ward shows the widespread prevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on surfaces in the vicinity of patients (3). Whilst constant cleaning is beneficial, the use of vacuum coating technology is a smarter approach.
Gencoa can assist in a variety of ways to help in the fight. If you are in a position to assess the SARS-CoV-2 virus on surfaces, we can provide materials. If you require technical information to support funding proposals, we have a lot of acquired data and knowhow you can use. If you have the potential to use such adhesive protection, we can work with suppliers to produce the materials to the right specification.
Sources
1. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1, New England Journal of Medicine April 16, 2020, N Engl J Med 2020; 382:1564-1567, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973
2. Human Coronavirus 229E Remains Infectious on Common Touch Surface Materials: Sarah L. Warnes, Zoe R. Little, C. William Keevil, Journal of Hospital Infection Volume 99, Issue 3, July 2018, Pages 239-249
3. Transmission Potential of SARS-CoV-2 in Viral Shedding Observed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Joshua L Santarpia, Danielle N Rivera, Vicki Herrera, M. Jane Morwitzer, Hannah Creager, George W. Santarpia, Kevin K Crown, David Brett-Major, Elizabeth Schnaubelt, M. Jana Broadhurst, James V. Lawler, St. Patrick Reid, John J. Lowe, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.23.20039446
For product information or support, contact sales@gencoa.com or visit www.gencoa.com/worldwide-contacts to find contact details of international support staff and sales agents.
