Degussa founds Novara Technology: Market entry planned for September

06-Sep-2001

The Degussa AG Aerosil & Silanes Business Unit, Düsseldorf, has founded the joint venture Novara Technology (NTECH), with headquarters in Novara, near Milan, Italy. Degussa and the former shareholders of the previous company GDE (Gel Design Engineering) each own a 50 percent share in the new company. Novara Technology has developed a sol-gel based process for the cost-efficient and environmentally safe production of technologically superior products made of glass/order_t/'>quartz glass. "This technology," says Degussa Vice President Carl Voigt, "is unique in the world and offers an extremely cost-effective alternative to the production methods formerly used for quartz glass. Our goal, for the time being, is the sale of licenses for the production of high-purity, synthetic quartz glass based on the fumed silica AEROSIL® manufactured by Degussa and the silicic acid ester DYNASIL®." Examples of applications for this technology include optical fibers, melting pots for the production of silicon monocrystals for the semiconductor industry and optical applications. Novara Technology will present its results for the first time in Padua, Italy, during a worldwide professional sol-gel conference on September 21st. Novara's technology is based on the so-called sol-gel process. This enables the processing of highly refined powder into compact, flawless, bubble-free molded articles from high-purity quartz glass, such as that found in optical data carrier systems for the telecommunications industry. Novara Technology's patented process makes it possible to produce glass bodies of the highest purity, which have high geometric precision as well as high transparency. Novara Technology President Andreas Rückemann: "The production and investment costs for our customers are both lower compared to previous processes. Also, the construction period for an industrial plant for the process is shorter." Aside from the technological advantages, Rückemann says that these would be good reasons in the future for falling back on patents and licenses from Italy. The new company's market chances are good. Novara Technology is already working together with renowned manufacturers. In addition to licenses for the complete Novara Process, the joint venture also offers its customers the possibility of working out customized solutions with its specialists and further development on the industrial scale. The cooperation with Degussa ensures that customers of Novara Technology receive not only a sufficient supply of the custom raw materials AEROSIL® and DYNASIL®, but also answers to their individual questions regarding application technology by Degussa's experts. As the worldwide leading manufacturer of pyrogenic silicas, sold by the Aerosil & Silanes Business Unit under the brand name AEROSIL®, Degussa operates plants in Rheinfelden, Germany, Antwerp, Belgium, Mobile and Waterford in the USA, as well as Yokkaichi in Japan. In the future this list will also include Leverkusen, Germany, and Roussillon, France. AEROSIL® is a pyrogenic silica, i.e., a silica manufactured in a high-tech combustion process. AEROSIL® is used, for example, as an active filler for silicone rubber. It also imparts the correct consistency to paints, adhesives, sealants, and other materials, and allows the production of drip-free paints. AEROSIL® is also used in pharmaceuticals and in the manufacture of cosmetics. In high temperature applications it is used for insulation. The microchip industry uses AEROSIL® as an ultra-fine polishing agent. The cooperation with Novara Technology and their innovative process means that more interesting applications for AEROSIL® and DYNASIL® will open up in the future.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/4573/degussa-founds-novara-technology-market-entry-planned-for-september.html