UMI’s proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) process can uniquely transform a wide variety of carbon-containing feedstocks into high value graphene materials using its highly efficient and low-cost manufacturing process. UMI’s unique pathway for producing graphene is strongly protected by background IP and trade secrets that the company has built up during the last three years. UMI operates its Innovation Centers in Mississauga ON and Houston TX; the company has recently acquired a 18,000 square foot building in Burlington ON for housing its Demonstration Plant. The Demonstration Plant is expected to be operational in the 3^rd quarter of 2023 with a nameplate capacity of ~1t/day at full utilization. The combination of feedstock flexibility and the FJH process technology can produce tuneable graphene products with a wide range of physical properties. This is instrumental in providing performance benefits across diverse end-use applications. 

We are pleased to announce that AGM has signed a supply agreement with a global leader in the car detailing industry, for an exclusively developed graphene-based solution.

The partnership with a global household name brand represents a significant milestone for AGM in the car care sector, where the Company has already announced multiple product launches with smaller participants.

With over 80 years’ experience producing award-winning products for the international car care sector, AGM’s new partner is driving innovation in the market and now leads the way in the supply of high-performance auto detailing and finishing products. 

The addition of AGM’s Genable graphene nanoplatelet dispersion technology into car care systems has the potential to significantly improve the barrier performance of waxes, polishes and finishing sprays for vehicles.

#1: Moving graphene out of the lab and into the market

#2: Graphene’s commercial age clearly in sight

#3: AGM’s customers include major brands

#4: Meeting the needs of an expanding market

#5: Realising graphene’s green credentials

#6: The roadmap for sales

#7: Global growth: ‘Primer-y’ futures and beyond

AGM’s CEO, Adrian Potts, recently welcomed Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen to the Wilton site to discuss the Company’s recent progress, including expanded technical capabilities with the installation of a coatings spray booth unit.

The Company was delighted to welcome Mayor Houchen back to the site to learn more about progress the company is making with its graphene additive materials.

The latest visit fittingly coincided with the commissioning of AGM’s spray booth capability, given that the Tees Valley Mayor’s previous pre-pandemic visit had initiated the funding process and successful grant application supported by the Tees Valley Business Growth Fund (TVBGF), which made the installation possible.

The TVBGF supports SMEs in the Tees Valley to grow their business, improve productivity and stimulate local growth. The installation of the new paint and coatings spray booth facility using the funding will facilitate accelerated internal research and customer developments, and offer additional specialist training opportunities for AGM staff.

The funding opportunity identified by AGM through the Tees Valley Combined Authority resulted in around £47,500 being awarded to the Company.

The Tees Valley Business Growth Fund is managed by Tees Valley Business, which is the local growth hub for the Tees Valley, established by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority. The latest addition to AGM’s facility will supplement the UK manufacturer’s existing comprehensive coatings formulating and testing capabilities.

I’m delighted that Ben was able to come and see our growing facility and hear about the progress that AGM has made since his last visit. We’re extremely grateful for the support we have received through the TVCA funding programme to enable the installation of our new spray booth. Investment in our manufacturing facility will ensure we can meet our growth ambitions, as our commercial pipeline continues to develop.

Adrian Potts, CEO of AGM

Following comprehensive testing, AGM chemists have demonstrated that its graphene nanoplatelet dispersions can enable high-performance paints and coatings to effectively protect a substrate against harsh chemicals in highly aggressive environments.  

Chemical permeation is a major issue in the protective coatings market. Prolonged contact from full submersion, splashes, spills and fumes, with a range of chemical substances can have a negative impact on coating performance. As a result, coatings manufacturers strive to develop surface protection systems that can resist chemicals and protect the substrate from contamination.

In AGM’s latest tests, coatings were submerged in a range of acidic and alkaline solutions to enable a broad understanding of performance, with both the graphene-only coatings and graphene-glass flake hybrid systems significantly outperforming the standalone conventional glass flake additive.

Not only was this superior performance visually clear with less blistering, but the results also showed a marked improvement in gloss retention and hardness with the addition of graphene.

The breakthrough from the AGM technical team demonstrates that less is certainly more when it comes to graphene; the noted performance uplift was seen with as little as a 2.5% addition of AGM’s Genable 1200 graphene nanoplatelet dispersion, equating to 0.025% of graphene nanoplatelet solids). This compares very favourably to the much higher 20% loading level of glass flake. By reducing the amount of filler required in the coating, it is also possible that secondary benefits could be achieved such as increased substrate adhesion, higher impact resistance and improvement in flexibility.

AGM’s innovation team have done an outstanding job at demonstrating graphene nanoplatelet materials as a highly effective additive in coatings technology. Using our know-how to disperse graphenes to achieve consistent, reliable performance gains, we are able to bring this new application to market with solid data to support its launch. We know graphene works extraordinarily well in anti-corrosion applications and coatings innovators now have broader scope to integrate a graphene solution into a wider product range. I very much look forward to the technology development being presented through our distributor network and the prospect of strong uptake in its application across a range of opportunities.

Adrian Potts, Chief Executive Officer of AGM

We’re pleased to announce that we have successfully registered our Genable logo trade mark in the United States of America under application No. 88/002,006 in Classes 1, 2 and 17.

AGM’s well-established, stable graphene dispersion technology is proven to deliver consistent, reliable performance enhancements in a wide range of liquid coatings and composite materials applications.

The Genable trademark registration underpins the Company’s leading position in the graphene space as it continues to expand activity as a recognisable specialty chemical brand in the US market.

Graphene nanoplatelets have been shown to provide highly effective barrier properties, and enhanced corrosion prevention in protective coating systems.

The adoption by customers of AGM’s high-performance dispersions is proving to be key to success in the industrial coatings sector.

To further extend its global activity as a leading innovator, AGM has also announced the issuance of Singaporean Patent No. 11202009960Q and Chinese Patent No., 2022022700253680 covering corrosion protection comprising one or more 2D material platelets for metallic substrates.

The patents reflect AGM’s commitment to the continuous development of its graphene dispersion and application technology platform.

We were delighted to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 alongside fellow industry leaders in a female-led webinar hosted by The Graphene Council. AGM’s R&D Manager, Lynn Chikosha, represented the Company on a panel of graphene experts in order to discuss the challenges faced and the commercialisation opportunities being unlocked by advancements in graphene-based nanotechnology.

As the largest community in the world for graphene professionals, The Graphene Council facilitated the discussion to encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing across companies at the forefront of the industry.

The panel came together from across the graphene value chain – from raw material production, to dispersion and end product manufacture.

While the commercial adoption of graphene is accelerating relatively quickly in applications as varied as Sensors, Textiles, Concrete, Coatings and Composite materials, the webinar discussion explored the regulatory environment and the importance of national standards to drive wider industry growth.

Confidence in the commercial use of graphene continues to increase through international approvals, including EU REACH registration and the recent development of The Graphene Council’s Material Classification Framework for graphene, which is now making progress towards becoming an ISO standard.

The panel agreed that ensuring quality control and reduced variability across graphenes in order to reliably scale up production, would further underpin the value that graphene can add over legacy materials.

As increased numbers of forward-thinking innovators incorporate graphene into their material systems and demonstrate its positive impact on both product performance and climate change, the wider industry will inevitably follow.

We’re proud to announce our membership of Composites UK, a leading trade association bringing companies together and creating a unified voice to drive the UK composites industry forward.

Composites UK represents the industry and feeds directly into the UK Composites Strategy. Following AGM’s recent success developing partnerships within the industry, the membership will allow the company to further engage with the wider composites community.

As an additive, AGM’s graphene nanoplatelets offer great potential for materials engineers to enhance the performance of their composite systems. A range of attributes imparted through the use of graphene nanoplatelets enable significant uplifts in material performance to be achieved.

As a leading innovator in graphene dispersion and application technology, AGM looks forward to the collaboration opportunities that Composites UK membership will bring. Involvement in the network will enable us to further establish AGM in the world of global composite production through the commercialisation of graphene-enhanced advanced materials.

Adrian Potts, Chief Executive Officer of AGM