IIT-Madras faculty and students build space-grade heat dissipating tech

The nano-engineered diamond coating technology developed by Kapindra, an IIT-Madras incubated start-up has applications in aerospace, defence, medical and electronics industries

Technical teaching institutions aren't just meant to be centres for academic pursuit. In fact, several ideas from researchers and students in such institutions have the ability to transform into successful business ventures. Kapindra Precision Engineering is one such venture that has evolved from a collaboration between faculty members and students at IIT-Madras, and has the ability to disrupt sectors such as aerospace, defence, medical and electronics industries. 

Travelling at speeds of Mach 5 generates ultra-high temperatures above 2,500°C that destroy the top layers of hypersonic missiles and cause aerodynamic instability during their re-entry of into the Earth’s atmosphere. The IIT-Madras incubated deep-tech start-up Kapindra has developed a nano-engineered diamond-coating technology that aids effective heat dissipation in such scenarios. The firm’s indigenously-developed surface coatings, which spread heat effectively and act as sealants, are resistant to erosion. They can withstand high temperatures and reduce friction due to high-surface finish. Tests and developmental work are underway with government establishments.

The start-up consists of a business team led by Padmanabh Bagaria (Founder and CEO), Deep Paldiwal (CFO), and Ramasubramanian, and a technical team led by IIT Madras faculty M S Ramachandra Rao (Physics, NFMTC and MSRC), N Arunachalam and Sathyan Subbiah (both from the Mechanical Engineering Deptartment). 

Kapindra refers to the Hindu God Hanuman, who symbolises strength, dedication and intelligence -- guiding principles on which the company is working. It was adjudged the number one start-up in the ‘DRDO Dare to Dream Innovation Contest’ for its innovative use of the patented diamond-coating technology for thermal management of hypersonic missiles. 

Kapindra's interests lie in developing applications of nano-engineered coatings for components used in strategic products that demand extreme tribological performances to reduce friction, wear and tear, and promote heat dissipation at contacting surfaces. The company has positioned itself as a customised surface coatings solutions provider on new-age materials, with focus on the aerospace and defence industries.

The product Kapindra offers enhances tribological performance of various types of substrate materials and shapes, say the founders. For example, the life of a graphite-machining tool can be improved by 50 times with diamond coatings (Graphite is widely used for fuel cell applications). The innovation lies in the process recipe used in an otherwise well-established Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) process technology, the machine for which can be commercially purchased. Conventional tools are not capable of machining Al-Si alloys, other carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) or carbon-carbon composites. So the proposed technology is not just providing an improvement, but a solution to the existing problem of machining hard composite materials and alloys.

The company deals with coatings such as micro/nano/ultra-nano-crystalline diamond and diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings on machine tools, end-mills and other moving parts (automobile, aerospace and defence) to improve wear-resistance, thermal management (heat-spreaders), and optical grade windows. In addition, the company can also deal with the supply of high-quality multi-component oxide systems. High quality thin-film coatings are required for UV and IR detection/sensing, underwater SONAR devices, surface acoustic wave devices, pressure sensors, and actuators.

Kapindra’s uniqueness lies in the deep physics-based understanding of the mechanics of the diamond coating process and using this knowledge to control the process parameters to achieve certain desired microstructures on the substrate-side and functional-sides of the coating. Moreover, the core team behind this deep tech start-up is an excellent mix of scientists, engineers and business minds working in cohesion to solve new-age materials related industrial problems.

"Such a solution is not possible with a mere surface-level understanding of the coating process. Hence, it is not simply possible to buy a commercial machine and develop such a coating technology," says the founders.

Kapindra Precision Engineering is now focussing on commercialising its indigenously developed coatings for the defence and aerospace sectors. Customised coatings are done on a regular basis for several automotive, electronics and mechanical industries. Kapindra is also developing an industrial solution (end-product) for treating wastewater generated by pharmaceutical, petrochemical, textile and biotechnology industries.

Development of a surface cleansing household device that would be used to clean and disinfect everyday surfaces without the use of chemicals, requiring no maintenance is also in the pipeline. 

The two-year-old start-up is also developing the application of smart functional coatings on various substrates that realise applications involving AI and Internet of Things (IoT). Such smart coatings are targeted for use in Industry 4.0-based data-driven scenarios in the factory and other applications such as IoT that utilise machine learning algorithms to come up with strategic decisions on health of high-value components and machines.

How Kapindra was born

Padmanabh Bagaria, (Director & CEO, Kapindra), studied Mechanical Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Keen on starting a greenfield unit and creating a business that would flourish for generations, he specialised in manufacturing and completed his final year research thesis under the supervision of Sathyan Subbiah (who is also a mentor at Kapindra).

He worked at ExxonMobil Singapore for a while, and returned home to Kolkata to join the family business of investments. He then went to London and completed his Masters in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management from Imperial College London. This is where he networked with leading academic and business minds, and chalked out a plan for his entrepreneurial venture. One day, a call from Sathyan, who had joined IIT Madras by then, led him to a potential next generation technology developed at IITM. After several meetings and face-to-face interactions with those behind the technology, led by M S Ramachandra Rao of IIT-M, Padmanabh decided to adopt this tech and commercialise it.

This is how Kapindra Precision Engineering was born, and today it’s an IIT Madras-incubated firm using patented technology with great potential. It aims to become a nano-engineered surface coatings powerhouse by providing customised coatings to the defence, aerospace, waste water treatment, mechanical, medical and electronics industries.