Coat-X

Coat-X SA operates as a specialized developer of advanced encapsulation technology, focusing on the protection of electronic circuits, sensors, and medical devices from environmental damage such as corrosion. The company was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 2015 by Andreas Hogg. The core technology originated from a decade-long research collaboration between Johnson & Johnson and the Engineering School HE-ARC in Neuchâtel, initially aimed at protecting a smart implantable brain system. This research, further advanced during Andreas Hogg's Ph.D. work, formed the basis for the company's offerings.

Dr. Hogg's background reflects a deep-seated expertise in this domain; he holds an engineering diploma in Microtechnology and earned his MSc and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Bern. His professional experience includes a significant tenure as a development engineer at Johnson & Johnson from 2009 to 2014, directly preceding his academic and entrepreneurial focus on thin-film technologies. The company leverages this specialized knowledge to provide solutions for product reliability and miniaturization. In June 2024, Coat-X was acquired by Plasmalex.

The firm's business model encompasses both job coating services and the sale of automated production machinery for various deposition processes, including Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD), and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). Clients are served across multiple high-stakes industries, including the medical, electronics, aerospace, and watchmaking sectors. The company operates within ISO 5 clean rooms and holds an ISO 13485 certification, permitting it to coat medical devices for legal manufacturers. Revenue is generated through these coating services and the sale of its customizable deposition systems, which come in standard sizes of 30L, 300L, and 600L.

Coat-X's product portfolio is centered on ultrathin, multilayer coatings that offer superior hermeticity. Its parylene thin films, such as CX PROTECT, and more advanced multilayer composites like CX ULTRA and CX ULTIMA, provide exceptional barriers against moisture and corrosion. The CX-ULTIMA product, created with a combined ALD/CVD process, is particularly effective, offering a water vapor transmission rate significantly lower than other solutions, which is critical for long-term protection of implantable medical devices and sensitive electronics in harsh environments. The technology's key benefit is its ability to create a truly 3D conformal coating, ensuring complete coverage on complex geometries and high-penetration depth into narrow crevices.

Keywords: parylene coating, atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), medical device encapsulation, hermetic sealing, thin-film encapsulation, corrosion protection, electronics packaging, biocompatible coatings, conformal coating, implantable devices, microsystems protection, sensor coating, moisture barrier, aerospace electronics, watchmaking components, multilayer coatings, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD), surface protection, miniaturization technology