Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. agreed to acquire a dry adhesive technology that utilizes biomimicry developed by Setex Technologies, Inc. (Head Office: Pennsylvania, USA; CEO: Nick Kuhn; hereinafter, “Setex”) and develops a new market, with Shin-Etsu Chemical specializing in the corporate market while Setex focuses on the consumer market.

Setex is a startup that has developed a technology for providing materials with strong friction and adhesion by building a structure resembling a gecko’s hand on their surfaces. Shin-Etsu Chemical, which has a broad material portfolio, views this technology that gives functions to materials utilizing biomimicry as a new underlying technology. The combination of the technology acquired from Setex with Shin-Etsu Chemical’s materials optimized for it will enable us to apply them to the following diverse fields without using chemical adhesives.

• Handling of workpieces with adhesive-residue free in clean processes
• Adding a holding function to workpieces in hot processes in which adhesives cannot be used
• Promoting customers’ GX and contributing to the realization of environmentally friendly processes with a technology for repeatedly adhering materials without chemical adhesives

Shin-Etsu Chemical will endeavor to apply the technology to various products used in semiconductor processes and other manufacturing processes. For applications that require repeated friction and adhesion on material surfaces, we will also make new technological proposals under the name of ShineGrip™.

Shin-Etsu Chemical produces semiconductor process materials and other functional materials used in various industries. In order to meet more sophisticated customer requests, we will provide innovative, effective solutions to help customers solve their problems by combining our own materials with the unique technology for adding a function through pattern processing on a surface.

Source:shinetsu.co.jp