Self-cleaning plastic surfaces, plastic surfaces with special optical properties and colorful plastic surfaces without the use of colors? That is the real future! Danish plastics companies and researchers from DTU, Technical University of Demark, are behind a major project to make Denmark a leader in the application of nanotechnology in plastics production. 

This technology allows the creation of completely new properties of plastic products, and application prospects are enormous. The idea is that products are cast in molds with nano-structural surfaces, and these nanostructures are transferred , "molded" , into plastic items. The project will strengthen the application of high technology in Danish tool and plastics businesses and the commercial prospects are huge.

Thomas Friis Jorgensen, VP Product Development, DBI Plastics said: "We are very excited and cannot wait to get started. This project will definitely be opening up new possibilities for use I'm chasing even more options when we get going, to start getting our customers to understand the possibilities. It is nothing less than a fantastic journey, we must all understand and respond. "

On behalf of the researchers, Rafael Taboryski, senior scientist at DTU Nanotech says "It is highly motivating for us that our research can come into play so directly" . We feel that there really is a need for this technology from commercial companies and then there are some really interesting research challenges, in other words a "perfect match. "

The project is implemented by a strong consortium with 12 Danish partners consisting of technology developers, four institutions from DTU and a number of companies and end users, including plastics companies and a design company.

The project has a Reference Group with participation of a number of plastics companies that will implement and commercialize the results of the project in its own new products - and thereby reap "first mover" advantage in their respective markets.