Company History

Developing A Better Way To Coat Complex 3-D Shapes

Dr. David Glocker discovered the unique value of cylindrical magnetron coating technology during his distinguished career at Eastman Kodak Company. In his experience, there was simply no other vacuum coating technology that could coat complex 3-D objects with consistent quality and efficiency.

There was just one problem. No one had commercialized the technology for a variety of industrial applications. So that’s what Dr. Glocker set out to do when he founded Isoflux in 1993. A year later, he sold his first cylindrical magnetron to NASA. In fact, that cathode is still being used by NASA today. See case histories.

Constantly improving the technology

Over the next decade, Dr. Glocker worked with his technical team to improve the technology, earning numerous U.S. patents in the process. Thanks to these efforts, Isoflux’s cylindrical magnetrons became easier to use and easier to scale up for high-volume manufacturing.

As the years passed, leading companies and universities purchased Isoflux technology to coat everything from fiber optics and high-tech sensors to wires and fibers. Some customers also used Isoflux systems to develop composite materials for R&D in the defense industry.

Developing a key component for a major manufacturer

In 1997, the quality and unique advantages of Isoflux technology caught the attention of Ion Tech, a leading manufacturer of vacuum coating and surface modification equipment. Now known as Veeco—Ion Tech, the company decided to incorporate Isoflux cathodes in its vacuum coating systems. This relationship continues today.

Launching a state-of-the art system for industrial applications

In 2000, Isoflux introduced the ICM 10, an easy-to-use, push-button cylindrical magnetron system designed to manufacture coatings in high-volume production environments.

This breakthrough coating system was originally designed for tool coating and other industrial fields. But it soon attracted the attention of a small number of innovators in the fast-growing field of biomedicine.

These leading-edge companies wanted to find out if Isoflux technology could help them create products and devices that worked better—and lasted longer—in the challenging environment of the human body.

Creating novel surfaces with exciting potential

To prove the value that Isoflux technology could provide to biomedical companies, the Isoflux team began to develop coatings and surfaces with unique performance characteristics. (See Image Gallery.) 

These characteristics clearly had potential in orthopedics, drug delivery, sterilization, pacemaker electrodes and other fast-growing fields. And gradually, more and more biomedical companies began to contact Isoflux about the possibility of developing proprietary coatings and surfaces for their products and devices.

Sharpening our focus on the needs of biomedical innovators

As interest from these companies increased, Isoflux expanded its focus to serve the needs of the biomedical industry.

Isoflux Biomed now works closely with innovative companies to develop and manufacture coatings and surfaces that improve the performance of biomedical products and devices.

Headquartered in an industrial park just outside of Rochester, N.Y., Isoflux Biomed is proud to play a role in the rapid development of this exciting industry.

For more information, contact Isoflux Biomed today.