Antibacterial shields
Benefit from our advanced antimicrobial shields to create products that match the demands of the strictest industries.
Antibacterial shields
Public spaces are full of machines that are not as clean as they should be – such as cash or vending machines or electronic information systems.
Every day, several hundred or even thousands of people use these devices. Each of these users may leave more or less dangerous bacteria behind them.
Touch panels and health risks
Displays with touch panels are increasingly popular in public places thanks to their convenience, intuitive usage, and legibility of the displayed content. The reduced costs of using such solutions is another key reason behind their presence in our everyday lives.
The problem of bacteria transfer via touch screens has been already raised by doctors and scientists. Did you know that it takes just 5 seconds for bacteria to appear on our hands once we use a device?
The leading manufacturer of touch panels for industrial and medical applications, AMT, introduced brand-new products with antibacterial coating. These can be successfully used in public places.
Silver is the solution
Such solutions take advantage of silver ions that reduce the number of bacteria on the panel surface of the panel by 99.9%. An antibacterial coating prevents the spread of bacteria, but also fungi.
Testing demonstrated the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles as an antibacterial agent that prevents their expansion. Note that tests use the most common bacteria strains such as Staphylococcus Aureus, Escherichia Coli, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, and fungi – Aspergillus Niger and Candida Albicans.
This table shows the results obtained during testing for selected pathogens:
| Tested bacterial : Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6533P | |||
| Test group | CFU/cm2 | LOG | bacterial resistance (R) |
| A | 2.3×104 | 4.36 | >5.16 |
| B | 9.1×104 | 4.96 | |
| C | <0.63 | -0.2 | |
| Tested bacterial : Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 | |||
| Test group | CFU/cm2 | LOG | bacterial resistance (R) |
| A | 2.2×104 | 4.34 | >5.92 |
| B | 5.3×104 | 5.72 | |
| C | <0.63 | -0.2 | |
The antibacterial action of silver ions is a mechanism that has been studied for over 60 years. We don’t understand how they work exactly yet, but there’s no question about their effectiveness. Silver is toxic – and that’s true even for bacteria strains that are resistant to all the known antibiotics.
How is the antibacterial shield created? It’s all thanks to a diffusion process during which silver nanoparticles are distributed all over the glass surfaces. When they come into contact with bacteria, the silver ions destroy bacteria by stopping their metabolism and preventing their replication.
The global antibacterial glass market is growing
In 2015, the value of the global antibacterial glass market reached more than $150 million. Experts agree that the market is going to grow systematically in the near future. The value of the antibacterial glass European market was estimated at $95 million.
The growing awareness of users about hygiene in public spaces and the changing requirements of the medical sector are the two main drivers that increase the demand for antibacterial glass. Researchers estimate that the global revenue from the sale of the antibacterial glass is going to reach $230 million by 2023.
Beyond medical applications
Modules equipped with an antibacterial coating are a perfect match for medical applications. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. They are also an excellent choice for digital signage solutions and applications dealing with more stringent hygienic requirements – for instance, in the food and beverage sector. The ability to prevent the spread of bacteria and fungi is what makes solutions using antibacterial coatings more popular on the market today – and will continue powering their success in the future.
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