For SCH Coating Options Pvt. Ltd’s Madhusudan Marepalli and Praveen Kumar Munipally, flooring is not about mats and coatings. “It’s the subsequent technology of ESD flooring,” they clarify to EFY’s Akanksha Sondhi Gaur, outlining a filler-free, polymer-based innovation that makes surfaces clever, zero-maintenance, and future-ready for cleanrooms, good factories, and extra.
Q. What impressed the creation of ProShield ESD and its coatings expertise?
A. We started with conformal coatings to guard electronics from environmental injury, however over the previous eight years, our focus expanded by means of the event of our conductive good expertise (CST) platform. In shut collaboration with producers, we recognized a big hole in efficient electrostatic discharge (ESD) administration. Conventional options comparable to mats, resin-based flooring, and different ESD merchandise rely on conductive fillers whose resistance degrades over time, posing important dangers in ESD-sensitive industries. Furthermore, the usage of carbon in ESD merchandise exhibits solely black color.
Dr S. Palaniappan pioneered the event of superior polymer-based ESD paints and associated merchandise. These modern coatings present a extra secure, easy-to-maintain, and long-term resolution, whereas additionally being out there in a number of colors. Importantly, they’re formulated utilizing indigenous uncooked supplies, thereby decreasing dependency on imports. With ProShieldESD, we’ve efficiently dropped at market a really modern, India-manufactured resolution that bridges efficiency, sturdiness, and aesthetics for ESD safety.
Q. So that you recognized a severe and recurring trade ache level?
A. Conventional ESD options, whether or not mats, tapes, and even high-end flooring, have restricted lifespans and are usually not fitted to good manufacturing. Their efficiency depends upon fillers, which degrade or migrate over time. That led our workforce to ask a basic query: can we design a conductive plastic that doesn’t depend on fillers? That query sparked the innovation behind our surface-bound, dependable, and scalable ESD resolution.
Q. What did that R&D journey result in?
A. Analysis and growth work led to the muse of ProShieldESD as a specialised enterprise in ESD safety, a flexible strategy that integrates conductivity, sturdiness, and environmental safety in coatings. As I mentioned earlier, innovation from Dr S. Palaniappan’s pioneering work on ESD paints and supplies analysis grew to become the idea of a collaboration that gave rise to ProShieldESD, bringing collectively superior supplies science with sensible, scalable options for electronics manufacturing, cleanrooms, and important infrastructure.
Q. How would you sum up the imaginative and prescient behind ProShield?
A. The imaginative and prescient focuses on utilizing superior supplies to handle static electrical energy, defend electronics, and enhance reliability throughout industries. It emphasises safeguarding individuals, merchandise, and infrastructure from ESD dangers, whereas turning analysis in ESD coatings into sensible, scalable industrial options. Sturdiness and eco-conscious design are prioritised to create supplies that may adapt to future wants. On the identical time, the strategy goals to offer producers and important services with reliable, examined options that meet established requirements.
Q. So this isn’t simply paint combined with conductive components; it’s the polymer itself that conducts electrical energy?
A. ProShieldESD relies on intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs), the place conductivity is constructed into the molecular construction moderately than added by means of fillers. In contrast to conventional conductive paints, which depend on dispersed powders and sometimes endure from uneven conductivity, poor adhesion, and degradation, ICPs present uniform efficiency throughout surfaces. Thinner, lighter coatings can obtain secure ESD management, as sturdiness and adhesion are improved as a result of inherent conductivity of the polymer community. The resistivity might be exactly tuned for various functions, from conductive (10⁵–10⁶ ohms) to dissipative (10⁷–10⁹ohms) or antistatic (10⁹–10¹²ohms) behaviour, making the coatings absolutely adaptable with out counting on exterior conductive supplies.
Q. How does this expertise translate into real-world benefits?
A. The intrinsically conductive polymer coatings provide secure, long-term conductivity, in contrast to filler-based paints that may degrade or shift, and obtain efficient ESD management with solely micron-thick layers. They supply constant safety for delicate electronics, cleanrooms, and manufacturing traces whereas minimising the danger of arcing by means of clean, uniform conductivity. The formulations are versatile, permitting use as paints, primers, movies, or versatile substrates, and bond effectively to plastics, metals, rubber, and composites. They cut back heavy-metal content material, are sturdy, and appropriate with commonplace coating processes, supporting scalable, low-maintenance functions throughout industries.
Q. What makes ProShield ESD totally different from standard ESD options?
A. It’s the world’s first everlasting, filler-free conductive ESD coating in paint type. In contrast to mats or movies, it bonds to any floor, together with partitions and ceilings, and delivers long-term, maintenance-free safety. It’s sturdy, cleanroom-compatible, cost-effective, and superb for contemporary manufacturing.
Q. Your coating is polymer-based with out metallic fillers. Are you able to clarify the way it works?
A. Conventional ESD paints depend on metallic powders, carbon, or different fillers dispersed in a resin, which may result in uneven conductivity, brittleness, and efficiency degradation over time attributable to particle migration or oxidation. ProShieldESD as a substitute makes use of intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs), the place the polymer spine itself carries cost by means of the chains and their junctions. Conductivity is molecular, permitting very skinny layers to dissipate static safely and uniformly. These coatings provide constant ESD efficiency, resist cracking even on versatile substrates, and keep away from corrosion or particle-related points. They’re light-weight, skinny, and might be formulated in clear or colored variants. Conductivity is additional enhanced by means of doping, changing insulating polymers into conductors with out metallic fillers, offering secure, adaptable, and exact ESD management.
Q. How do you make sure that conductivity stays uniform and long-lasting throughout a floor?
A. In contrast to conventional carbon- or powder-filled paints, the place conductivity can fluctuate throughout the floor, our polymer-based coatings are uniformly conductive. The polymer chains themselves carry cost, guaranteeing constant efficiency throughout your entire floor. The formulations are additionally engineered to keep up their resistivity over time, whether or not conductive (10³–10⁶Ω), dissipative (10⁶–10⁸Ω), or antistatic (10⁸–10¹¹Ω).
Q. How does it tackle the large resistivity vary allowed by trade requirements?
A. That’s precisely what we’re fixing. Many requirements accept ‘something beneath 10⁹ohms’ as a result of conventional merchandise can’t reliably hit narrower targets. With ProShield, we’re elevating the bar. We provide precision resistivity ranges and assure that our merchandise stay inside these limits all through their whole life cycle. This ensures each security and compliance with out compromise.
Q. How does ProShield evaluate with conductive polymers like PEDOT?
A. PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)) provides very excessive conductivity (10²–10³S/cm when doped) and is especially utilized in clear conductive movies for OLEDs, photo voltaic cells, and touchscreens, however it’s delicate to moisture, UV, and oxygen and usually requires encapsulation. In distinction, ProShieldESD polymers are engineered for secure ESD dissipation with floor resistivity from 10³ to 10⁹Ω/sq, offering sturdy, abrasion- and chemical-resistant coatings for flooring, partitions, and industrial tools. Whereas PEDOT is utilized as skinny aqueous dispersions for electronics layers and is expensive with restricted large-area scalability, ProShieldESD is available in paint-like formulations appropriate for brush, curler, or spray software, making it cost-effective and scalable for industrial surfaces.
Q. What allows your coating to bond with such a variety of surfaces, and what’s the science behind it?
A. Our coatings leverage superior polymer engineering and deep floor chemistry experience. Fairly than a one-size-fits-all strategy, we mix appropriate polymer techniques tailor-made to every substrate, comparable to cement, tiles, granite, wooden, plastics, foam, or paper, bearing in mind elements like porosity, flexibility, and tensile energy. Every materials is evaluated individually by our lead scientist, Dr S. Palaniappan, ranked among the many prime 0.2% globally in polymer science. For instance, when engaged on an HDPE laptop computer mouse, he assesses its construction and suppleness to formulate a coating optimised for adhesion and efficiency on that particular floor.
Q. How do you guarantee ESD-safe coating throughout such various surfaces?
A. Our innovation focuses on broad materials compatibility, offering tailor-made ESD-safe coatings throughout various substrates. For wooden, we provide a low-cost single-part coating for disposable pallets and a harder two-part model for everlasting fixtures. Exhausting-to-treat plastics like polypropylene and versatile EVA foam are efficiently coated, and even paper can obtain non permanent, cleanroom-compliant protection. Most just lately, we launched an ESD-compliant wall paint, extending safety to vertical surfaces. The science lies within the formulation: adhesion chemistry anchors the coating to all substrates, intrinsic conductivity ensures ESD security no matter materials, and a crosslinked matrix gives sturdiness and stability.
Q. Are you creating ESD-safe coatings for materials as effectively?
A. Sure, material is in growth. It’s a robust problem, as our coating have to be breathable, washable, and retain ESD properties after laundering. We’re creating an answer that addresses these wants with out compromising the material’s really feel.
Q. You’ve gotten additionally tailor-made coatings for plastics like polypropylene?
A. Completely. Our paint for PPCP, generally utilized in industrial bins, lets customers convert common bins into ESD-safe ones at a fraction of the fee. As a substitute of shopping for ₹700–800 moulded conductive bins, they’ll coat commonplace ones for ₹200, with straightforward touch-ups when scratched.
Q. Can the coating be utilized manually and thru automation? And the way straightforward is it to reapply or patch?
A. Sure, the applying is versatile. Spray weapons, rollers, or brushes work for small-scale use, whereas massive producers can combine it into automated traces with spray or dip techniques. We offer clear datasheets and help customized setups. Reapplication is simple too. If a piece will get broken, you’ll be able to patch simply that space with out redoing the entire floor.
Q. How shortly can your workforce reply to requests for brand spanking new materials diversifications?
A. It depends upon the complexity. For example, we just lately labored with a shopper utilizing HDPE, which is notoriously resistant to color adhesion. By making use of floor chemistry strategies comparable to flame or plasma therapies, we developed an answer inside every week. Implementation took longer attributable to tools availability, however the core growth was fast. Our coatings might be sprayed, brushed, or built-in into automated techniques. We have now additionally made certain that repairs or reapplications are easy. You simply masks and spray once more. Customisation requests are normally addressed inside days attributable to our modular chemistry framework.
Q. What key limitations of conventional ESD options like mats does ProShield’s coating expertise overcome?
A. Conventional ESD techniques like mats and tiles have inherent limitations. They degrade over time, require frequent substitute, contain complicated upkeep, and sometimes go away seams or edges that permit static buildup. ProShieldESD coatings remove these points by making surfaces inherently conductive, offering seamless protection throughout flooring, partitions, ceilings, and tools. The chemically crosslinked polymer community is sturdy, straightforward to scrub with water or gentle detergent, and permits easy touch-ups if broken. Utilized like paint, it cures in a single day, works on irregular or vertical surfaces, provides customisable aesthetics, and scales cost-effectively for big or complicated areas.
Q. How does ProShield ESD carry out in cleanroom settings, high-load zones, and harsh environments?
A. Cleanroom-grade testing is at the moment underway, with early outcomes trying promising for ISO compliance. For mechanical sturdiness, our two-part resin coating handles heavy masses, together with forklifts and cranes, with out injury, even at simply 50–60 micrometres (50–60 microns) thickness. The coating matches the substrate’s energy with out brittleness. In harsh environments, in contrast to carbon-filled techniques that degrade, our filler-free polymer stays secure underneath temperature shifts or vibrations. It additionally resists gentle solvents like IPA, with straightforward recoat choices for harder chemical publicity.
ProShieldESD isn’t just ‘lab-safe paint’. It’s:
- Industrial-tough (abrasion, site visitors, and load-resistant)
- Environmentally resilient (chemical compounds, moisture, UV, and warmth)
That’s the reason it’s appropriate for electronics manufacturing, pharma cleanrooms, aerospace hangars, defence services, and heavy trade.
Q. Are you able to share how ProShield’s versatility has led to impactful and inventive functions throughout industries?
A. One standout success is ESD-compliant carton containers, usually laborious to supply in India and sometimes imported with degraded conductivity. We developed a coating that may be instantly utilized to those containers with out weakening them, enabling native, on-demand manufacturing. This breakthrough has opened doorways to modern makes use of: coating the insides of plastic enclosures for inner EPAs, creating clear coatings for glass, ESD materials for jackets or seat covers, and even rejuvenating previous ESD mats. ProShield is very customisable. We fine-tune conductivity primarily based on software wants, whether or not it’s dissipative coatings for PCBs or conductive layers for packaging. From partitions and workbenches to wearable electronics, the probabilities are huge.
Q. Is ProShield licensed underneath international ESD and security requirements?
A. Sure. ProShield complies with ANSI/ESD and IEC requirements, with inner and third-party lab testing. It’s RoHS and REACH compliant, low-VOC, and out there in each water- and solvent-based eco-safe formulations.
Q. What’s the enterprise case for ProShield, and the way has the market responded?
A. ProShield provides a robust return on funding. It’s a everlasting, low-maintenance different to consumables like mats and tapes that want frequent substitute. With a two-year shelf life and simple touch-ups, it cuts long-term prices in materials, labour, and downtime. The market has responded effectively, particularly in areas like Europe, the US, and the UK, the place customers are shifting from disposable ESD options to sturdy, substrate-agnostic coatings.
Q. Who’re your goal clients?
A. Anybody who wants ESD safety, comparable to electronics, defence, explosives, pharma, and extra. We have now used our resolution for all the pieces from out of doors pathways between industrial buildings to antistatic paper envelopes. Software is simple, and our product is forgiving, as any native applicator can use it efficiently.
Q. May you communicate to your go-to-market technique and high quality assurance?
A. Whereas upfront prices may appear excessive in comparison with mats, the return on funding over three to 5 years is considerably higher. There aren’t any replacements and no degradation. Our superb clients are from electronics, prescribed drugs, defence, and clear manufacturing. We depend on technical companions, licensed applicators, and a decent high quality assurance loop to ship worth. We certify all distributors and applicators by means of hands-on coaching in our Hyderabad facility. This ensures consistency and high quality, no matter the place it’s utilized. Our Hyderabad lab produces as much as one tonne per day and might scale up inside weeks if wanted.
Q. Any ideas on Trade 4.0 readiness?
A. We’re creating good coatings that mix ESD safety with EMI shielding and sensor integration. Early outcomes are very promising. Our objective is to help the subsequent technology of smarter, safer, and extra linked factories.
Q. What challenges did you overcome whereas creating ProShield?
A. Attaining constant adhesion throughout extremely dissimilar surfaces was the toughest. We invested closely in analysis and growth on adhesion and end. Sharing this data with companions and purchasers is now a core a part of our market growth. We turned conductivity from a ‘filler-based function’ right into a ‘molecular property’, then wrapped it in a rugged, universally relevant coating system. That’s what makes ProShieldESD each modern and sensible.
Q. Are you open to new partnerships or educational collaborations?
A. We welcome partnerships with distributors, dynamic startups, and educational establishments. Our workforce is keen to collaborate with analysis labs and universities, providing alternatives comparable to internships, pattern provision, and information sharing to help educational progress and innovation.
Q. What broader influence do you see ProShield having on the trade?
A. We’re redefining ESD safety, providing smart-factory-ready, traceable coatings which are low-maintenance, sturdy, and cost-effective. This permits native manufacturing, reduces dependency on imports, and boosts security and compliance throughout sectors comparable to electronics, pharma, chemical industries, explosive industries, and defence.
