Advanced Diamond Technologies,
Inc., the world leader in developing and applying diamond films for industrial
and electronic applications wins the prestigious R and D 100 Award for its UNCD Seals-deemed “one of the 100 most technologically significant products
introduced into the marketplace over the past year,” by R and D Magazine.
ADT’s patented, award-winning, and internationally recognized UNCD technology
adds the exceptional hardness and low friction attributes of smooth, nanocrystalline
diamond, to the demanding application of mechanical seals for fluid pumps. UNCD
Seals improve reliability, save energy, and reduce costs in fluid pumping systems.
“Much of the innovation in mechanical seals over the last several decades
has been in the materials used for the seal faces. Through the efforts recognized
by this award, diamond is now available as a face material for seals. When it
comes to durability and low friction, it doesn’t get better than diamond,”
said ADT president Neil Kane.
The UNCD Seals resulted from a collaboration among ADT, John Crane Inc., and
Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne). ADT developed a commercial manufacturing
platform for producing UNCD Seals in volume with exceptional reproducibility
and quality. John Crane, the world's largest manufacturer of seals, contributed
significant engineering expertise and performed exhaustive qualification tests.
Argonne provided materials characterization and testing through the support
of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy (DOE-EERE) Industrial Technologies Program.
This is the second R and D 100 win for the UNCD technology. In 2003, UNCD marked
the first-ever affordable diamond film suitable for mass production of a wide
range of diamond-based microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, biosensors, and
microelectronic circuits.
“We’re honored to receive this level of industry recognition and
it validates our vision of diamond as an engineering material,” said Kane.