MORE DURABLE CERAMIC COATING

Wilfa is developing its own ceramic non-stick coating, Produre, which will replace PFAS coatings on the company's small electrical products. Morten Hoff, owner and managing director of Wilfa, says there is little doubt that PFAS will be phased out and that today's alternatives do not provide a good enough lifespan.

– With a PFAS non-stick coating, we get around 1,000 cycles before it wears out. Regular ceramic coatings manage about 500. We cannot offer that when we provide a five-year warranty, Hoff tells the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

He says that over the past three years, Wilfa has developed Produre together with a factory in China, which specialises in non-stick coatings.

– We can bind much more silicone oil in the system and now have 2,000 cycles in the tests. We do not know when it will stop. The technology is so sensitive that we must adapt the coating to each individual product.

Hoff says heat distribution and steam development mean that the coatings must be optimised.

Five times more durable

– A single and a double waffle iron behave differently. We have to insert small beads with a secret, completely safe agent to prevent unwanted steam, he says.

He believes the trade must prepare for the PFAS ban, and that regular ceramic coatings will result in many returns.

- When the others manage one percent silicone oil, we manage five. Therefore, we last five times as long. This provides a better consumer experience, and Produre becomes a good alternative.

According to Hoff, the products become slightly more expensive, but without major impacts in the store.

- If we manage to convey that the coating lasts five times as long, we believe many will choose Wilfa. In the long run, we can also sell Produre to competitors.

Hoff says they have only recently managed to crack the code for product-specific adjustments.

- We are launching it for Waffle Day, on the double waffle iron Joy Double, with model name WM5DB200. At the same time, it will be available in an air fryer, and in other products going forward, says Hoff.