Engineers designing optical systems across applications must reliably manage light while balancing mass, manufacturability, and durability. Vantablack® 310 from Surrey NanoSystems (SNS) is purpose-built for those realities, offering a practical path to ultra-black performance when ease of integration and durability are a core part of the equation. Attendees will learn how Vantablack® 310 fits within the wider Vantablack® lineup as a customer-applied, scalable ultra-black option, along with its core performance characteristics, how to evaluate it with aerosol cans, and how to scale application using production-ready dispensing systems.
Overview
Developed by Surrey NanoSystems (SNS), Vantablack® is the world's darkest material capable of absorbing nearly all light. Designed for satellite, automotive, and a range of optical and sensor applications, Vantablack® ultra-black coatings are widely trusted to suppress stray light, manage visibility, and reduce interference.
The latest addition to the SNS line, Vantablack® 310 balances ultra-black performance with ease of integration, durability, and practical handling, offering a customer-applied, cleanable space-grade solution suitable for use in precision ground-based instruments as well as satellite exteriors in low Earth orbit.
Available through Ellsworth Adhesives, this formula is ready to evaluate with easy-to-use aerosol cans and can be scaled with a production-ready robotic dispensing solution developed by Fisnar.
In this webinar, Surrey NanoSystems Application Scientist James Whitfield joins Ellsworth Adhesives Engineering Sales Representative Steve Swanson and Fisnar Global Sales & Product Manager Robert Campbell to discuss what went into Vantablack® 310, the applications where it fits best, its key performance characteristics, and how engineers can apply it in their designs.
Key Takeaways
- Explore core performance characteristics of Vantablack® 310
- Learn where Vantablack® 310 fits across optical instruments, sensor assemblies, and aerospace
- Discover what it takes to bring Vantablack® 310 into a manufacturing environment
- Examine the purpose-built dispensing robot developed between Ellsworth, Fisnar, and Surrey NanoSystems
- Forge a path to getting started from R&D evaluation through full production
Speakers
Steve Swanson brings a background in chemical engineering and over 30 years of experience working with advanced materials. He works closely with customers to help them better understand material selection and application considerations, enabling reliable, high-performance results.
With nearly 20 years of industry experience and a background in mechanical engineering, London, U.K.-based Robert Campbell was a leader in configuring the robotics and valves for a production-ready Vantablack® 310 dispensing system.
A member of the SNS research and development team, James Whitfield works on coatings for the space sector, the Vantablack 100 and 300 series. Part of this work is to understand the optical properties of the coating and how coatings affect stray light absorption across all angles of incidence.