evico GmbH

evico GmbH was established in 2004 as a spin-off from the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden). From the very beginning, the field of superconductivity has been at the heart of the company’s business activities. The impetus for its foundation was the increasingly evident global demand for textured substrate tapes as a carrier material for the manufacture of high-temperature superconducting tapes, known as coated conductors.

The technology for manufacturing these tapes from a nickel-tungsten alloy was developed by the IFW Dresden on a laboratory scale and a patent application was filed. The transfer of the laboratory technology to continuous production processes and the introduction by evico of comprehensive process documentation for quality assurance formed the basis for the ongoing expansion of production.
 

Work began in 2009 on the installation of a production line for NiW substrate strips with a total capacity of more than 1,000 km of textured strip per year. It is now nearing completion. The project is supported by ERDF funding from the ‘Europa fördert Sachsen’ programme.

In 2006, evico initiated a further spin-off from the IFW Dresden with the establishment of evico magnetics GmbH. The research equipment developed by scientists for the preparation and analysis of magnetic materials has since proven itself excellently in numerous international research laboratories. In 2008, evico sold its entire stake in evico magnetics GmbH in order to refocus on superconductivity.

Superconducting magnetic bearings were established as a new business area after the magnetic levitation models distributed by evico had raised awareness of the technology.

An 80-metre-long test facility for transport systems based on superconducting magnetic bearings was constructed by evico between 2009 and 2011. With this research investment on behalf of the IFW Dresden, evico has demonstrated its expertise in implementing technologically challenging and time-critical projects.

evico and the industrial automation specialist Festo AG & Co. KG are currently jointly testing application scenarios under the name SupraMotion for the use of superconducting magnetic bearings in the resource-efficient industrial automation of the future.