Bavarian Innovation Award for SCHLENK

21.11.2022

Augsburg, November 21, 2022 - Forward-looking development from Roth-Barnsdorf

SCHLENK Metallic Pigments GmbH has been awarded the 3rd main prize at the Bavarian Innovation Awards for its ultra-thin pigment technology, brand name, Zenexo®.

Of the nominated companies, SCHLENK was able to impress the jury with its Zenexo® effect pigments, based on ultra-thin pigment technology (UTP® technology). "We are delighted and very proud to have won such an important and prestigious award," says CEO Joachim von Schlenk.

Zenexo® belongs to a class of sophisticated effect pigments, metal interference pigments (MIP), which are often used mainly in red to gold colored metal coatings for automobiles, sports and electronic equipment, however, Zenexo can also be used in all environmentally friendly processes such as powder coatings, ultra-high solids, zero-VOC coatings or sustainable artists' paints accessible to endusers for the first time. "The high hiding power allows the formulation of up to 25% thinner paint layers, thus saving material, lowering drying costs and reducing CO2 emissions," says Vice President of Research and Development, Dr. Adalbert Huber. "The precise design of the pigment makes it possible to formulate metallic coatings that are significantly more aesthetically efficient,,and more brilliant in color, than before."

Zenexo® pigment is three thousand times thinner than a human hair

Using a vacuum-based coating process, platelet shaped substrates, three thousand times thinner than a human hair, are developed. The pigments are protected by a robust silicon dioxide layer which can withstand the high stress of the subsequent iron oxide coating. The result is a pigment with a much lower thickness and an unprecedented narrow thickness distribution compared to conventional pigments. This allows for bright metallic coatings to be formulated without reducing transmission of the RADAR signal.  At the same time, the high reflectivity of such coatings makes them very easy to detect with LIDAR systems, which means that Zenexo® pigments are also suitable for autonomous driving.

Established award for Bavarian innovations

The Bavarian Innovation Award is presented every two years in recognition of outstanding innovative achievements by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, the Association of Bavarian Chambers of Industry and Commerce and the Association of Bavarian Chambers of Crafts. In 2022, it was awarded for the sixth time.

Download the press release here.

For more information on the 2022 award ceremony, click here: https://www.innovationspreis-bayern.de/

Zenexo® is the SCHLENK brand for effect pigments based on UTP® technology for coatings, plastics and printing applications. According to valid transport regulations, the product is not a dangerous good and is not classified according to the CLP regulation. Further information at www.schlenk.com

SCHLENK is a family-owned company based in Roth, Germany. The company is a leading international manufacturer of metal powders, effect pigments and metal foils. Today it is active in the coatings & plastics, printing & graphic arts, cosmetics, metal foils and building materials industries. With production sites in Europe and USA and application technology departments in Germany, USA, China and Southeast Asia, SCHLENK has a worldwide sales and service network.