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The two companies Mafac – E. Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG and LPW Reinigungssysteme GmbH have reached an agreement on the coexisting use of a patent in the field of vacuum-based pressure change cleaning. This brings an end to a previous patent dispute between the two sides and recognizes their respective development achievements in recent years.
The subject of the agreement is a patent for sensor-based monitoring of cleaning progress in vacuum-based pressure change processes. The technology is used for process control in cleaning and rinsing processes and enables the controlled extraction of contaminants from component surfaces. The joint use of the patent will allow both companies to further develop their respective technologies without legal restrictions.
Parallel developments in the field of parts cleaning
In recent years, LPW has acquired patents and patent applications for the cyclic nucleation process and developed them into a stable washing mechanism. In addition, the company filed a patent application in 2019 for the provision of a medium using cyclic nucleation, which was granted in 2022.
Mafac has been working on cleaning processes in a vacuum environment since the mid-1990s. An international patent for a vacuum-based pressure change process was applied for and granted as early as 1997. On this basis, Mafac further developed the VAP technology used today.
Significance for future cleaning processes
Both companies see the agreement as a basis for focusing development resources more strongly on new technologies. In view of increasing requirements for process monitoring, quality, and documentation in industrial parts cleaning, sensor-based process control is becoming increasingly important.
The agreement allows Mafac and LPW to continue their respective innovation projects and further develop their solutions independently of each other, while competition in the market remains.