News Release

Poeton wins prestigious Innovation Award

4th June 2003

 
Poeton Industries, the well-known UK surface engineering company, has won a prestigious award for excellence in R&D. The company's 'SMART Achievement Award' was one of only 12 chosen from hundreds of such projects supported by the DTI and the Welsh Development Agency, and is for research into the Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation coating process.

Called 'Apticote Keronite 3000', the new process, licensed from Keronite Ltd (Cambridge), was tested on a wide range of lightweight alloys to investigate the tribology, corrosion, effect on fatigue, coverage, hardness and finish. Poeton also explored the processing and commercial aspects for potential applications.

The award, given for the excellence of the project and the subsequent wide commercial exploitation of the new process, was presented to Poeton's R&D Director Keith Stevens by Adam Hart Davies, the television presenter and historian, at a ceremony held at the British Library in London.

The process, which creates a remarkably tough oxide coating on aluminium, magnesium and titanium surfaces, greatly reduces corrosion, wear and friction, and opens to door for these materials to be used in a wide range of new applications and industrial sectors, from sports-ware to space shuttles.


For more information, contact Keith Stevens at keithstevens@poeton.co.uk

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File: SMART Achievement Award

Editors Note:
The SMART project support scheme is operated by the DTI and Business Link www.businesslink.rg/smart) throughout the UK.