Surfaces of technical devices in the field of food industry or metal working industry which get into contact with water in combination with organic materials are at risk to get contaminated by microorganisms. Are these surfaces in areas which are not easily accessible for mechanical cleaning, a continuous contamination of the whole system can occur. Within this project special emphasis will be given on the system metal working fluid - machine, because such systems get very easily contaminated by microorganisms. During storage and handling metal working fluids undergo several chemical changes which are affected or directly produced by microorganisms. This is especially true for water based systems. As a result the maintenance costs for the machines are higher than the additional costs, caused by a long term effective control of microbial contamination of the metal working system. If this is achieved by a coating for machine, tank, and filter surfaces, which is effective against microorganisms for a long period, it would be possible to keep areas which are difficult to access and therefore to clean free of microorganisms or at least under control.

Within this project new coatings or modifications of already existing coatings will be developed, which inhibit the colonization of microorganisms and contamination of critical surfaces in technical devices. A specific task will be the development of coatings (silver-based) which prevent surfaces from an attachment of microorganisms in a passive way by anti adhesive or hydrophobic properties, or in an active way by killing already attached microorganisms.

In close cooperation between the Fraunhofer-Institute - IFAM and the Department of Microbiology of the IWT - Foundation Institute of Materials Science various surface coatings and surface treatments will be tested for activity against microorganisms, on demand modified, and therefore optimized. The final aim is to develop one or more effective coatings or surface modifications for users of metal working devices at low costs.