The R&D culture

Innovation based on scientific knowledge has always been part of the vision of Durit's founding members, and has been passed on over the years to the company's other employees.

Formalized in 2005, Durit's R&D Center achieved certification under the NP 4457 standard in 2012, the purpose of which is to validate the company's ability to promote innovation, based on the development of a collaborative, interdisciplinary and process-efficient culture.

To this end, the R&D Department operates in a network with all of Durit's departments and with institutions in the national and international scientific and technological system (UA, FEUP, UC, CTCV, Fraunhofer IKTS). Durit's strong links with the National Scientific and Technological System have enabled it to develop numerous individual and co-promoted projects, as well as master's and doctoral degrees in an industrial environment. These projects contribute to strengthening, increasing and transferring knowledge, sustaining products and production processes on a scientific knowledge base.

R&D Center: Joaquim Sacramento, Fábio Rodrigues and Pedro Pereira (left to right).

The motivation and focus of Durit's R&D and Innovation culture is the pursuit of state-of-the-art knowledge, rational use of resources, respect for people and the environment, which are fundamental to the company's sustainability. Practical and scientific knowledge, supported by the teams' strong predisposition to evolution, are the support for the development of new products and industrial processes at Durit, leading the R&D path towards innovation.

The Prodiam project enabled the construction of a CVD reactor for coating carbide tools with diamond (drills and milling cutters), with a view to increasing their useful life during machining processes.)

PVD - Coating process

The PVD process is an atomic deposition process in which a material is transformed into vapor from a solid source, transported and deposited on the surface of a substrate, offering greater resistance, durability and superior quality through an extremely thin and highly adherent coating.

Durit Coatings offers a wide range of solutions: HardSilK®; HardTiN®; DMold®; MoldLub®; ULTRA Impact® and also DLC's, DiExtra® and Diaplus®, to meet all these needs.

These coatings generally have a hardness greater than three times that of nitriding, a low coefficient of friction and are resistant to wear by adhesion and abrasion.

Laser Cladding - Surface improvement technology

Laser Cladding technology is used to improve the surface of molds and their recovery. It consists of depositing layers of material on the surface of components, but the added material, now in powder form, is injected against the surface of the component to be clad.

At the same time, a laser beam fuses this material and the surface of the part, forming a layer of material with a metallurgical bond to the substrate, which can be between 0.5 and tens of millimeters thick. It is therefore considered an additive manufacturing technique.

Laser Cladding technology is similar to conventional welding processes, but with the advantages of being able to build layers with controlled dilution, low heat addition, which results in a small thermally affected zone and low distortion of the components and zero or negligible porosity.

Through this process it is possible to deposit materials such as 1.2344 steel which, due to the high cooling speed of the process, has a hardness of 50-54 HRC after coating, without the need for heat treatment.

Vantagens das soluções PVD e Laser Cladding

One of the most notable advantages of applying this type of coating is the increase in wear resistance. However, some materials have an abrasive effect on the steel from which the mold is made. Materials such as fiber-reinforced plastics are the most critical cases.

Injection molding with percentages of between 30-70% glass fiber presents added challenges for the durability of the molding surfaces, especially when roughness is specified by polishing or texturing them. The severe abrasive wear caused during injection leads to frequent stoppages for mold maintenance.

Advantages of PVD and Laser Cladding solutions

In response to this challenge, Durit Coatings has developed a PVD coating that is at the forefront as one of the main solutions to this problem in the injection molding industry: Moldlub®.

The MoldLub® solution has good wear resistance, acting as a "solid self-lubricant", a low coefficient of friction (reducing the extraction force by 300%) and high hardness (2000 HV), minimizing extraction problems in injected plastic components.

This improvement has resulted in a significant reduction in the extraction force of the processed part, both loaded and unloaded, faster filling of the plastic part, lower injection pressures, reduced roughness due to the PVD process and shorter molding cycle times.

This way, using this type of solution with coatings improves injection conditions and facilitates the extraction process.

Authors: Eng. Francisco Gonçalves and Eng. Marta Sousa (former Durit Coatings collaborator)

Technology and knowledge generation

For the future, it is crucial that the moldmaking industry is prepared to keep up with changes in the business model. It needs to adopt a proactive stance and carry out a transformation in the management mindset, placing innovation and competitiveness as key elements.

Digitalization and Industry 4.0 play a crucial role in the future of the mouldmaking industry.

The adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things (IoT) and augmented reality will make it possible to increase the efficiency and quality of production processes, as well as improving collaboration and communication between the different parties involved. The importance of close collaboration between companies in the sector stands out. The creation of strategic partnerships and collaboration on joint projects can boost the competitiveness of the mould industry, allowing knowledge to be shared and resources to be maximized. In addition, it is important to establish an effective dialog between companies, educational and research institutions and government entities.

This collaboration is fundamental to creating the right conditions for the development of the mold industry, promoting research and the development of innovative solutions, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of this sector.

Opinion article: Nuno Siva, Executive Director of Durit Group and President of CENTIMFE - Technological Center for the Mould, Special Tools and Plastics Industry

Electricity production for self-consumption

As unidades industriais do Grupo, consomem anualmente mais de 26.000 MWh de energia elétrica, com um custo associado superior a 1,5M€. Com a nova unidade fotovoltaica, o Grupo DURIT tem uma potência total de 2MWp, produzindo energia através de 3.700 painéis instalados na cobertura de edifícios, em sistema de “carpark” e no solo. 

This investment will enable the annual production of around 5,200MWh and the reduction of average energy consumption by around 20%, equivalent to the reduction of more than 5Tons of CO2.

The energy production operation is equivalent to emitting 5541 fewer tons of carbon dioxide per year, corresponding to the CO2 captured by 25,034 trees.

Electric Mobility

In terms of mobility, the group has gradually increased its fleet of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, which now account for more than 20% of all vehicles in the group's fleet, with the consequent expansion of the network of EV chargers in the companies.