Abakan proclaimed that its portfolio company, MesoCoat along with University of Akron (UA) has secured a $2 million grant under the Advanced Energy Program (AEP) from Ohio Third Frontier (OTF).
The AEP grant will be used to develop nanocomposite ceramic metallic (cermet) materials called CermaClad and will also be used to speed up the commercialization of a high-speed fusion cladding process, CermaClad. In addition, the award will be utilized to develop Ceramers at UA for sophisticated infrastructure and energy purposes.
MesoCoat and UA’s Corrosion and Reliability Engineering (CAREs) program have collaborated to qualify sophisticated corrosion resistant coatings to assist UA to produce new materials by utilizing CermaClad high-speed fusion cladding equipment of MesoCoat, and to create a pool of corrosion researchers and engineers to support the growing business of MesoCoat.
A part of the grant will be invested to build a new high-speed cladding and powder coating facility at UA, which will be utilized for the development of sophisticated coatings by Mesocoat and UA employees. The facility will also be used as a training place for new employees and students to gain knowledge about the new technology. The grant will help support the staffing and building of a new MesoCoat coating facility.