MouldTex Project

Polymeric seals are essential components in almost every industrial and mechanical process enabling the effective containment and movement of liquids and gases under extremes of environment. Friction is intrinsically related to seal performance. High friction accelerates wear of the seal leading to leakage and/or premature failure, and increases the energy consumption of industrial processes. Surface (micro-) texturing is a proven technique for reducing friction across lubricated rigid materials such as metal and ceramic materials. Within recent years this technique has been applied and demonstrated for polymeric and elastomeric materials at laboratory level. The project will develop and demonstrate a novel methodology for the design and high volume manufacture of surface textured polymeric components This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 768705