The windshields, windows, and covers of aircrafts, cars, vehicles, and cameras must endure harsh environments. Snow and ice buildup pose significant risks in cold weather, while fogging can obscure the pilot’s or driver’s view, compromising safety. Icing and fogging on cameras also impact their operational effectiveness. To address these challenges, AlchLight has invented and pioneered a non-coating laser surface processing (LSP) technology that turns regular transparent materials such as glass and polymers superhydrophobic. The altered materials also provide superior anti-icing and anti-fogging capabilities while maintaining high transparency. Moreover, AlchLight has developed the world’s first m-nm surface multi-functionalization workstation that can process a meter-size surface area at an nm resolution on both flat and curved surfaces, which can scale and transfer LSP to the marketplace.

Unlike conventional chemical coatings, AlchLight’s LSP technology permanently alters the intrinsic wetting property of transparent materials without compromising their transparency and does not rely on chemical coatings, so LSP technology is fundamentally immune to the flaking and delamination issues associated with coating. The treated surface has an extremely strong hydrophobic performance, and it repels moisture with rigor; the moisture will not be able to stick to the surface and it will be always repelled away. Therefore, it will prevent snow, ice, and fog formation in the first place. The durable and long-lasting nature of this treatment ensures cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness.

AlchLight is a well-established DoD Phase III contractor and an award-winning innovator. After successfully completing a number of SBIR Phase I and II awards, AlchLight is currently a SBIR Phase-III contractor, which allows AlchLight to integrate its technologies into the production lines of two types of crucial military equipment. Therefore, AlchLight’s technology transition success rate beyond Phase II currently stands at 100%. On the civilian side, AlchLight has a strong customer base and has been providing crucial technological solutions to dozens of customers across a range of industrial sectors, whether applications are desired for high-quality integrated materials or highly transparent anti-icing and anti-fogging materials. Just over the past 24 months, AlchLight has amassed over 12 paid customers from major industrial leaders, and the list continues to grow rapidly. Additionally, AlchLight can estimate its potential market through an assessment of the inquiries and potential orders requested by a range of businesses and organizations through direct communication with AlchLight. Many companies have contacted AlchLight for solutions to their industrial challenges. For example, under the ongoing wave of self-driven vehicle developments, two industrial key players (one is recognized globally as an innovator in all aspects of vehicle exteriors, and one is a leading IR optical system military contractor) have contracted AlchLight to develop superhydrophobic polymer and glass covers for anti-icing and anti-rain sensor/camera, crucial for self-driving vehicles’ operation and safety.

AlchLight’s innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize anti-icing and anti-fogging surface treatment on windshields, windows, and covers, of aircraft, cars, vehicles, and cameras. This can significantly reduce maintenance costs, extend component lifespan, and improve overall readiness, trip quality, and mission success in various transportation and camera applications.