R&D Innovation

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CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION Doctors and engineers support you in your R&D and innovation projects. A continuous resourcing of their knowledge, though the involvement in numerous collaborative projects, complete and efficient laboratory means, allow to carry out a reactive and effective R&D

Tribology Surface Cold Plasma Functionalization 3D printing Innovation State of the art MIM PIM CIM Wear Watch Research CIR Bibliography

R&D Innovation

CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION Doctors and engineers support you in your R&D and innovation projects. A continuous resourcing of their knowledge, though the involvement in numerous collaborative projects, complete and efficient laboratory means, allow to carry out a reactive and effective R&D.

Tribology Surface Cold Plasma Functionalization 3D printing Innovation State of the art MIM PIM CIM Wear Watch Research CIR Bibliography

Materials shaping by innovative processes

Metallic or ceramic powders injection moulding (PIM)

Additive manufacturing without melting

This strategic activity aims development and technology transfer for polymeric, ceramic and metallic materials shaping, by direct or indirect means. It gathers PIM (Powder Injection Molding) facilities and several 3D-printers able to implement polymer wire or feedstock (mix of polymer and ceramic or metallic powder, wire or granules allowing to get at the end a ceramic or metallic part). It targets to support companies to implement small and large series additive manufacturing technologies, in partnership with the Platinium 3D platform. A great experience was got for PIM and 3D technologies, especially for:

Development for materials shaped by additive manufacturing for biomedical sector (bioresorbable polymers, and ceramics under development).
Composite materials (metal/ceramic) by PIM process
Metallic foams elaboration by PIM process
Metallic materials development for implantable medical devices (pure titanium, titane alloy (TA6V) and CrCoMo (F75)) by PIM process
Development of water-based debinding (accelerator)
Printed polymers for tribology (TPU and ABS by Freeformer)

Tooling development, in partnership with PLATINIUM 3D platform. CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION is involved in several collaborative R&D projects about this topic: Fabricar3V OptimOs PEPS

PIM technology

The equipments

The PIM process, grouping MIM and CIM (Metal or Ceramic Injection Molding) is a combination between plastic injection and powder metallurgy, allowing to make metallic or ceramic parts.
This technology consists to inject in a injection moulding machine a feedstock (mix of metallic or ceramic powder with a polymeric bind), to get a shaped part call green part. After, this part is debinded (elimination of the polymer) then sintered.
This process is adapted to:

Large series

Parts with shape or architecture complex and innovative

Small or medium size parts (typically between 1 and 100 grams)

It offers a large range of materials:

– Based on metallic powder (TA6V, CoCrMo, 316L, innovative alloys…)
– Based on ceramic powder (zircona, alumina…)
– Composite (several powders mixed)
– Bi-material (by co-sintering)

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Injection moulding machine with multi-lift robot

Closing Force: 60 Tons

Opening stroke: 500 mm

Distance between tie bars (maximum mould dimensions): 320 x 320 mm

Maximum mould depth = 270 mm

Platen dimensions (extreme values for mould fixing): 320 mm central injection with 125 mm centring diameter

2 injection screws for metal powders: 0 20 and 0 30mm

2 injection screws for ceramic powders: 0 20 and 0 30mm

Maximum injectable volume (20 mm screw) =31 cm3

Maximum injectable volume (30 mm screw) =70cm3

Mould: vacuum pump up to 80 mbar and maximum temperature = 160°C

Horizontal vacuum sintering furnace

Volume: 54 L (292 x 305 x 610 mm)

Sintering temperature: 1650°C max. under vacuum and 1600°C max at P=933mbar under protective atmosphere: H2, Ar or N2

Molybdenum heating body

“FREEFORMER” additive manufacturing machine

Two material preparation units, to shape simultaneously two materials:

Two different thermoplastics for simple parts

One thermoplastic and a support material for complex parts

Max thermoplastics shaping temperature: 400°C

Temperature max of the enclosure: 140°C

Max dimensions for parts: 230 x 130 x 250 mm

Nozzles diameters: 0.15, 0.20 or 0.25 mm, allowing to have thickness layer from 0.15 to 0.31 mm.

Max pressure of material: 1300 bars

Ultrasonic tank Annemasse for water debinding

Capacity: 200 L

CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION is also equipped for solvent debinding (ethanol or acetone)

Ceramic debinding furnace

Volume: 120 L (450 x 600 x 450 mm)

Temperatures = 150-450°C

Maximum part size: 60 x 60 x 10 mm

Maximum debinding speed: 6g/min

Atmosphere: atmospheric pressure air

Others additive manufacturing machines

CRITT MATERIALS INNOVATION owns several others additive manufacturing machines, originally intended for polymers, used for its research works, notably for “PIM-Like” (PIM and additive manufacturing technologies hybridization, to obtain metallic or ceramic parts).

Catalytic debinding furnace

Volume: 95 L (330 X 762 X 381 mm)

Temperature: 20 to 150°C

Operates with nitric acid Fuming (concentration lower than 4% by volume) and under nitrogen

Debinding speed = about 1 mm/h

Ceramic sintering furnace

Maximum temperature = 1750°C

Volume: 40 L (300 x 350 x 350 mm)

Maximum part size 60 x 60 x 10 mm

Atmosphere: atphosmeric pressure air. Sweeping by nitrogen possible…

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Surface functionalisation

Low pressure plasma surface treatment and coating

Atmospheric pressure plasma surface treatment

CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION studies from 25 years cold plasma treatment and coating and it’s one of its strategic research axes. Plasma, “fourth matter state” is a gas medium under conditions to allow its ionization: it then becomes conductor. A plasma is a matter state constitute with neutral particles and ions and electrons charged. CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION owns various surface treatment devices, under vacuum or atmospheric pressure. Usual treatments concern: the activation or modification of the materials surface properties (metallic, polymeric, composite…); thin layers coating (mainly, by CVD) or then the sterilization. These applications, associated with our numerous characterization means, allow us to answer at various surface treatment issues for R&D, with industrial companies or into collaborative projects frame, at level regional, national or European. CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION is involved in several collaborative R&D projects about this topic:
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CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION have various technologies:

Low pressure plasma (under vacuum)

CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION is actively working for the improvement of a cold plasma device under vacuum, allowing materials treatment, especially polymers (as biopolymers) sensitive to the temperature, chemical agents or powerful radiations effects.

This device have several plasma sources: microwaves, radiofrequency plasma and various couplings, including magnetic fields. An innovation, patented (with URCA) by CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION consists to generate a plasma exclusively inside a container, itself located inside a reactor. This technology was used to perform sterilizations treatment, but can be enlarge for others applications, as activation treatment of granular materials or thin layers by CVD.

Atmospheric pressure plasma

For a decade or so, atmospheric pressure plasmas, allowing to freeing from the vacuum, raise a growing interest, as level scientific or industrial.

CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION has various devices allowing to get plasma at ambient pressure:

Plasma torch device (Axcys®): atmospheric plasma jet, set on a 6 axes robot.
Manual plasma torch (Piezobrush® PZ2) from Relyon Plasma
Plasma gun (Thermofisher, in collaboration with CNRS): plasma generation and transport in a capillary pipe for length until some meters, or splitting into several plasma secondary jets.

Plasma assited CVD coating

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a chemical process used to make solid material layers with high purity and hardness levels. CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION has an evaporation device for CVD thin layers (VDM from Bronkhorst®): this system allows the transformation of phases (organometallic precursors, organic compounds or other aqueous solutions) into steam by using a carrier gas and controlled heating. Thus, thin layers CVD generation can be performed in both cases: atmospheric pressure and low pressure. Various surface treatment are complemented by:

Measurements during the process (plasma monitoring by optical emission spectroscopy, mass spectrometry),
An acquisition centre to record various parameters: temperature, flow, pressure, voltage, frequency…,
Surfaces analysis (see sheet “Surface analysis”)

Wear and friction tests

Facilities of the CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION tribology platform, allow the evaluation of wearing and friction properties of materials and parts for several fields of activity. We are equipped with:

Two scratch-tests: instrumented scratch test for the analysis of the strength of thin films and their level of adhesion to the substrate, at micro and nanometric scales

A Taber® abrasimeter : strenght test for surfaces abrasion (standards ISO 7784-2, ASTM D 4060, ASTM F 1978)

Pin-on-disc tribometers: for measurement of friction coefficient and wear of materials in various mediums:
o Standard, pin or ball-on-disc, from 1 to 20 N
o Hight temperature, until 800°C, from 1 to 20 N
o High loads with multi directional movements, until 500 N (standard ASTM F 732)

Wear simulators for joint implants: hip, knee… (standard ISO 14242 & 14243)

More informations

Certification

With these equipments, associated with its numerous facilities for surface characterization, CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION proposes to support your projects for new materials development, surface treatment, comparative validation, close realistic tests conditions

A part of these tests can perform under ISO/CEI 17025 (COFRAC) accreditation. Find detail here

Exemples d'applications Fermer

Micro scratch test

Analysis of surfaces scratch resistance

Thin films adherence

Abrasive wearing by multiple passages of the indentor

Determination, under load and residual, of indentor penetration deepness

Conventional pin-disc tribometer

Accorded with ASTM G99 standard

Rubbing coefficient measurement

Wearing test under ambient air/ liquid medium/ lubricated

Wear evaluation by weighing, grooves areas, SEM observations…

High temperature tribometer

Temperature until 800°C

Load from 1 to 20 N

Speed max 500 turn/minute

Continues measurement of rubbing coefficient

Rotative or rotative/alternative mode

Possibility of tests in fretting

Can highlight high temperature rubbing’s specific phenomenas, as impact of oxide layers witch are forming on surface, their lubricating properties and disaggregation cinetic.

High loads tribometer

The 3 stations tribometer, multi directional, apply higher loads than conventional pin-disc devices.

3 simultaneous stations, with independent load

Rubbing coefficient measurement

Multi directional trajectory: displacement as two directions (x, y)

Triangular trajectory…

High loads, until 500 N

Accorded with ASTM F-732-00 standard, annexes 1 and 2, « Wear testing of polymeric materials used in total joint prostheses n »

It can sollicite polymeric materials in a more realistic way, generating shear constraints. Moreover, the tested pin’s contact area can be increased maintaining realistic contact pressures, therefore the sample’s surface topography influence is taken in account.

Contact:
Clémence Demangel – c.demangel@critt-mi.com

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Technology watch and state of the art

Subscription to specialised magazines

Subscription to several scientific journals specialized on CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION skill fields. These journals are read and analysed by CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION staff who thus updates its skills and identify new developments likely to interest its customers

Documentary database and specialised technical data in the field of materials

Access to “Techniques de l’Ingénieur” (Engineering Techniques) and the complete collection of “ASM Handbooks”. These encyclopaedias are rich in technical data on processes and materials.

Access to database servers

Access to database servers, which can query several hundred specialised databases (bibliographic, technical data, directories, etc.).

Research and analyse patents tool

Professional tool allowing to directly query the patent databases of the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), to extract relevant information according with a given topic, to analyse it and then to organise its monitoring.
Don’t limit your watch only to web search engines

Support for R&D projects setting up and running, and research of funding

Support for specific requests

CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION can support you in your development projects thanks to a personalised service combining its various skills:

Identification of your requirements or issues

Solutions research with our numerous databases and watching tools. (see above)

All kind of customized analyses and tests performing, with the CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION facilities.

Support for research of funding

Help to set up funding file

« Crédit Impôt Recherche » (CIR, research tax credit) and » Crédit Impôt Innovation » (CII, innovation tax credit. Only for companies located in France.

As a Technology Resource Centre (CRT), CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION is approved for the Research Tax Credit (CIR) and the Innovation Tax Credit (CII).

CIR is a tax reduction aid based on your company’s Research & Development expenditure and designed to encourage research and technological innovation.

CII is tax credit based on expenditures incurred in favour of “the design, conception of prototypes or pilot installations of new products”. Only SMEs in the European sense of the term can benefit from it.

Thus, this agreement allows to our customers which perform R&D activities to reduce the cost of performance entrusted to CRITT MATÉRIAUX INNOVATION, subject to their eligibility.

9 rue Claude Chrétien, Campus Sup Ardenne, Bâtiment D, 08000 Charleville-Mézières | 26 Rue Lavoisier, Pôle Technologique de Champagne, Bâtiment A, 52800 Nogent

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