[news 2011-2012]

Queen’s world-leading ceramic coating process awarded Underwriters Labs certification

For immediate release

Sept. 28, 2011

MISSISSAUGA/KINGSTON, ON -- A unique ceramic coating process developed by Datec Coating Corp., a spinoff company of Queen’s University’s PARTEQ Innovations, has been awarded certification by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) for its heating element technology for use on mica and aluminum. UL recognition certifies that that the company’s product meets national safety and performance standards across North America.

The certification makes Datec the only manufacturer in the world approved to put high-power, UL-recognized thick-film heating elements on aluminum.

Aluminum and aluminum alloys are lightweight and good heat conductors. Until now, their low melt temperatures have made them unsuitable candidates for thick-film heating applications. The Datec technology has overcome this limitation because it can be applied and cured at very low heat, creating a low-profile, highly efficient, rapid and uniform heating surface.

Because of its versatility, Datec’s high-tech heating solution can also be applied to a range of other materials, including mica, quartz, stainless steels, ceramics and industrial fabrics.

Developed by Queen’s University researchers David Barrow, Ted Petroff and Michael Sayer, the Datec process uses environmentally benign inks and pastes and curing temperatures as low as 300 C. It produces a dense, hard, long-lasting ceramic surface with corrosion-resistance as well as non-stick and thermal and electric insulating properties. The company’s technology is being applied in a wide range of sectors, including the food service, life sciences, consumer and industrial uses as well as the packaging and semiconductor industries.

“Datec’s thick-film technology is being used in a wide range of products that touch every part of our lives,” says Scott Morris, Director of Sales Engineering at Datec. “From use in humidifiers and sleep apnea machines, to weather-proofing the electronics in ATM machines and gated entries, to food service, from warming countertops and cabinets to pizza delivery bags, the versatility of this material is almost limitless.”

“The Datec technology is an excellent example of university researchers finding a solution to a longstanding industry need,” says John Molloy, President and CEO of PARTEQ. “As an early supporter, along with Ontario Centres of Excellence, of this technology, we are pleased to see the impact that this discovery has made, and continues to make, on the development of innovative products and technologies around the world.”

“Queen’s research excellence in advanced materials has had many spinoff effects, not the least of which has been its capability to inspire the next generation of innovators,” says Steven Liss, Vice-Principal (Research) at Queen’s University. “This research sector is also generating a pipeline of promising technologies now being further developed by entrepreneurs at Innovation Park.”

The Datec technology is patented in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Korea and Hong Kong.

Headquartered in Mississauga with a U.S. office in Atlanta, GA, Datec provides high-performance heating solutions and high-performance coating solutions for Fortune 500 and small/medium-sized companies.

Contact:

John Molloy

President & CEO

PARTEQ Innovations

P: 613. 533. 2342

E: jmolloy@parteqinnovations.com

About PARTEQ Innovations:

PARTEQ Innovations is the not-for-profit technology transfer office of Queen’s University, part of the Rideau Commercialization Network. PARTEQ works with institutional researchers and the business and venture capital communities to bring early stage technologies to market. Since 1987 PARTEQ has been instrumental in the establishment of more than 40 companies developing a variety of products, from potential drugs for Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease to automated bacteria detection for water systems, solar-powered appliances, and advanced materials used in the plastics, automotive, aerospace and household appliance industries.