What is An Anti-Fingerprint Coating?

Anti Fingerprinting coatings are a class of specialized surface coatings which act to either hide the appearance of or make fingerprints easier to clean. Anti fingerprint coatings which operate on the principle of hiding fingerprints are designed to alter the behavior of oil droplets in such a manner that they blend in with the surface. By making the oils from the fingers more difficult to see the surface appears clean despite the presence of the fingerprint. Coatings which operate on the principle of making fingerprints easy to clean behave similarly to oleophobic coatings. By making the surface oleophobic, or oil repelling, the surface is easier to wipe clean of any fingerprints without smudging utilizing a simple dry wipe. 

What Applications Benefit from an Anti Fingerprint Coating?

 

There are numerous applications in a wide variety of industries which can benefit from anti fingerprint coatings. Examples include oil & gas applications, electronics applications, optical applications, medical applications, industrial, & consumer applications. Devices treated to have anti fingerprint properties benefit from having improved aesthetics for consumers, less frequent cleaning required, and improved functionality for devices requiring good optical performance. You may benefit from an anti fingerprint coating if any of the following apply to your application:

• Fingerprints are unsightly and have a negative impact on the customer experience.
• Cleaning your surface is time consuming, expensive, or impossible.
• Fingerprints negatively impact performance of optics.
• Fingerprint oils or other contaminants are difficult to clean without chemical cleaners.
• Fingerprints negatively impact the quality of touchscreen displays.

 

 How are Anti Fingerprint Coatings Applied? 

 

There are a wide range of options for application of anti fingerprint coatings. Examples include:

 

• Dip Applied Anti FIngerprint Coating

 

Anti Fingerprint coating can be utilized to treat large batches of parts which require complete treatment of all surfaces. In some cases masking may be needed to prevent treatment of certain areas. Anti Fingerprint coating can be done manually or via an automated process which controls insertion and extraction rates. Upside to dip coating is it is a simple process and allows for large volumes of quickly treated parts. Downside to dip coating is the need to properly maintain the bath concentration, mitigate evaporation & dragout losses, in addition to replacement of contaminated bath materials. 

 

• Spray Applied Anti Fingerprint Coatings

 

Spray application is an effective and easy to implement coating process for application of anti fingerprint coatings to large surfaces or for high volumes of parts. Spray application is flexible as well, as parts can be done in line or in a batch process. In addition spray processes can be done manually or automated. Downsides to application by spray are high usage rates due to overspray and also the necessity for masking in some scenarios.

 

• Vacuum Deposited Anti Fingerprint Coatings

 

Certain anti fingerprint treatments are applied via vacuum deposition processes. These are good options for small batches of parts requiring complete treatment. Parts requiring selective treatment can be masked prior to application.  Upside to the vacuum deposition process for anti fingerprint coatings  is repeatability, uniformity of coating thickness, and tight control over coating thickness. Downside to vacuum deposition options is extreme high cost of capital equipment and low throughput due to small batch sizes. 

 

How Do You Solve Your Fingerprint Related Surface Issue?

The first step to solving your fingerprint surface related issue is to reach out to a proven supplier of anti fingerprint coatings. Aculon is a leading B2B manufacturer of easy to apply liquid phase anti fingerprint coatings. Rather than providing generic off the shelf solutions, Aculon only works on new programs on a case by case basis optimizing a solution for your application that is truly a perfect fit. Together we can help you make winning anti fingerprint products.