For SCH Coating Solutions Pvt. Ltd’s Madhusudan Marepalli and Praveen Kumar Munipally, flooring is no longer about mats and coatings. “It is the next generation of ESD flooring,” they explain to EFY’s Akanksha Sondhi Gaur, outlining a filler-free, polymer-based innovation that makes surfaces intelligent, zero-maintenance, and future-ready for cleanrooms, smart factories, and more.
Q. What inspired the creation of ProShield ESD and its coatings technology?
A. We began with conformal coatings to protect electronics from environmental damage, but over the past eight years, our focus expanded through the development of our conductive smart technology (CST) platform. In close collaboration with manufacturers, we identified a significant gap in effective electrostatic discharge (ESD) management. Traditional solutions such as mats, resin-based flooring, and other ESD products depend on conductive fillers whose resistance degrades over time, posing significant risks in ESD-sensitive industries. Moreover, the use of carbon in ESD products shows only black colour.
Dr S. Palaniappan pioneered the development of advanced polymer-based ESD paints and related products. These innovative coatings provide a more stable, easy-to-maintain, and long-term solution, while also being available in multiple colours. Importantly, they are formulated using indigenous raw materials, thereby reducing dependency on imports. With ProShieldESD, we have successfully brought to market a truly innovative, India-manufactured solution that bridges performance, durability, and aesthetics for ESD protection.
Q. So you identified a serious and recurring industry pain point?
A. Traditional ESD solutions, whether mats, tapes, or even high-end flooring, have limited lifespans and are not suited for smart manufacturing. Their performance depends on fillers, which degrade or migrate over time. That led our team to ask a fundamental question: can we design a conductive plastic that does not rely on fillers? That question sparked the innovation behind our surface-bound, reliable, and scalable ESD solution.
Q. What did that R&D journey lead to?
A. Research and development work led to the foundation of ProShieldESD as a specialised venture in ESD protection, a versatile approach that integrates conductivity, durability, and environmental protection in coatings. As I said earlier, innovation from Dr S. Palaniappan’s pioneering work on ESD paints and materials research became the basis of a collaboration that gave rise to ProShieldESD, bringing together advanced materials science with practical, scalable solutions for electronics manufacturing, cleanrooms, and critical infrastructure.
Q. How would you sum up the vision behind ProShield?
A. The vision focuses on using advanced materials to manage static electricity, protect electronics, and improve reliability across industries. It emphasises safeguarding people, products, and infrastructure from ESD risks, while turning research in ESD coatings into practical, scalable industrial solutions. Durability and eco-conscious design are prioritised to create materials that can adapt to future needs. At the same time, the approach aims to provide manufacturers and critical facilities with dependable, tested solutions that meet established standards.
Q. So this is not just paint mixed with conductive additives; it is the polymer itself that conducts electricity?
A. ProShieldESD is based on intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs), where conductivity is built into the molecular structure rather than added through fillers. Unlike traditional conductive paints, which rely on dispersed powders and often suffer from uneven conductivity, poor adhesion, and degradation, ICPs provide uniform performance across surfaces. Thinner, lighter coatings can achieve stable ESD control, as durability and adhesion are improved due to the inherent conductivity of the polymer network. The resistivity can be precisely tuned for different applications, from conductive (10⁵–10⁶ ohms) to dissipative (10⁷–10⁹ohms) or antistatic (10⁹–10¹²ohms) behaviour, making the coatings fully adaptable without relying on external conductive materials.
Q. How does this technology translate into real-world advantages?
A. The intrinsically conductive polymer coatings offer stable, long-term conductivity, unlike filler-based paints that can degrade or shift, and achieve effective ESD control with only micron-thick layers. They provide consistent protection for sensitive electronics, cleanrooms, and manufacturing lines while minimising the risk of arcing through smooth, uniform conductivity. The formulations are versatile, allowing use as paints, primers, films, or flexible substrates, and bond well to plastics, metals, rubber, and composites. They reduce heavy-metal content, are durable, and compatible with standard coating processes, supporting scalable, low-maintenance applications across industries.
Q. What makes ProShield ESD different from conventional ESD solutions?
A. It is the world’s first permanent, filler-free conductive ESD coating in paint form. Unlike mats or films, it bonds to any surface, including walls and ceilings, and delivers long-term, maintenance-free protection. It is durable, cleanroom-compatible, cost-effective, and ideal for modern manufacturing.
Q. Your coating is polymer-based without metal fillers. Can you explain how it works?
A. Traditional ESD paints rely on metal powders, carbon, or other fillers dispersed in a resin, which can lead to uneven conductivity, brittleness, and performance degradation over time due to particle migration or oxidation. ProShieldESD instead uses intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs), where the polymer backbone itself carries charge through the chains and their junctions. Conductivity is molecular, allowing very thin layers to dissipate static safely and uniformly. These coatings offer consistent ESD performance, resist cracking even on flexible substrates, and avoid corrosion or particle-related issues. They are lightweight, thin, and can be formulated in clear or coloured variants. Conductivity is further enhanced through doping, converting insulating polymers into conductors without metallic fillers, providing stable, adaptable, and precise ESD control.
Q. How do you ensure that conductivity remains uniform and long-lasting across a surface?
A. Unlike traditional carbon- or powder-filled paints, where conductivity can vary across the surface, our polymer-based coatings are uniformly conductive. The polymer chains themselves carry charge, ensuring consistent performance across the entire surface. The formulations are also engineered to maintain their resistivity over time, whether conductive (10³–10⁶Ω), dissipative (10⁶–10⁸Ω), or antistatic (10⁸–10¹¹Ω).
Q. How does it address the wide resistivity range allowed by industry standards?
A. That is exactly what we are fixing. Many standards settle for ‘anything below 10⁹ohms’ because traditional products cannot reliably hit narrower targets. With ProShield, we are raising the bar. We offer precision resistivity ranges and guarantee that our products remain within these limits throughout their entire life cycle. This ensures both safety and compliance without compromise.
Q. How does ProShield compare with conductive polymers like PEDOT?
A. PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)) offers very high conductivity (10²–10³S/cm when doped) and is mainly used in transparent conductive films for OLEDs, solar cells, and touchscreens, but it is sensitive to moisture, UV, and oxygen and typically requires encapsulation. In contrast, ProShieldESD polymers are engineered for safe ESD dissipation with surface resistivity from 10³ to 10⁹Ω/sq, providing durable, abrasion- and chemical-resistant coatings for floors, walls, and industrial equipment. While PEDOT is applied as thin aqueous dispersions for electronics layers and is costly with limited large-area scalability, ProShieldESD comes in paint-like formulations suitable for brush, roller, or spray application, making it cost-effective and scalable for industrial surfaces.
Q. What enables your coating to bond with such a wide range of surfaces, and what is the science behind it?
A. Our coatings leverage advanced polymer engineering and deep surface chemistry expertise. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, we combine compatible polymer systems tailored to each substrate, such as cement, tiles, granite, wood, plastics, foam, or paper, taking into account factors like porosity, flexibility, and tensile strength. Each material is evaluated individually by our lead scientist, Dr S. Palaniappan, ranked among the top 0.2% globally in polymer science. For example, when working on an HDPE laptop mouse, he assesses its structure and flexibility to formulate a coating optimised for adhesion and performance on that specific surface.
Q. How do you ensure ESD-safe coating across such diverse surfaces?
A. Our innovation focuses on broad material compatibility, providing tailored ESD-safe coatings across diverse substrates. For wood, we offer a low-cost single-part coating for disposable pallets and a tougher two-part version for permanent fixtures. Hard-to-treat plastics like polypropylene and flexible EVA foam are successfully coated, and even paper can receive temporary, cleanroom-compliant coverage. Most recently, we introduced an ESD-compliant wall paint, extending protection to vertical surfaces. The science lies in the formulation: adhesion chemistry anchors the coating to all substrates, intrinsic conductivity ensures ESD safety regardless of material, and a crosslinked matrix provides durability and stability.
Q. Are you developing ESD-safe coatings for fabrics as well?
A. Yes, fabric is in development. It is a tough challenge, as our coating must be breathable, washable, and retain ESD properties after laundering. We are developing a solution that addresses these needs without compromising the fabric’s feel.
Q. You have also tailored coatings for plastics like polypropylene?
A. Absolutely. Our paint for PPCP, commonly used in industrial bins, lets users convert regular bins into ESD-safe ones at a fraction of the cost. Instead of buying ₹700–800 moulded conductive bins, they can coat standard ones for ₹200, with easy touch-ups when scratched.
Q. Can the coating be applied manually and through automation? And how easy is it to reapply or patch?
A. Yes, the application is flexible. Spray guns, rollers, or brushes work for small-scale use, while large manufacturers can integrate it into automated lines with spray or dip systems. We provide clear datasheets and support custom setups. Reapplication is easy too. If a section gets damaged, you can patch just that area without redoing the whole surface.
Q. How quickly can your team respond to requests for new material adaptations?
A. It depends on the complexity. For instance, we recently worked with a client using HDPE, which is notoriously resistant to paint adhesion. By applying surface chemistry techniques such as flame or plasma treatments, we developed a solution within a week. Implementation took longer due to equipment availability, but the core development was rapid. Our coatings can be sprayed, brushed, or integrated into automated systems. We have also made sure that repairs or reapplications are simple. You just mask and spray again. Customisation requests are usually addressed within days due to our modular chemistry framework.
Q. What key limitations of traditional ESD solutions like mats does ProShield’s coating technology overcome?
A. Traditional ESD systems like mats and tiles have inherent limitations. They degrade over time, require frequent replacement, involve complex maintenance, and often leave seams or edges that allow static buildup. ProShieldESD coatings eliminate these issues by making surfaces inherently conductive, providing seamless coverage across floors, walls, ceilings, and equipment. The chemically crosslinked polymer network is durable, easy to clean with water or mild detergent, and allows simple touch-ups if damaged. Applied like paint, it cures overnight, works on irregular or vertical surfaces, offers customisable aesthetics, and scales cost-effectively for large or complex spaces.
Q. How does ProShield ESD perform in cleanroom settings, high-load zones, and harsh environments?
A. Cleanroom-grade testing is currently underway, with early results looking promising for ISO compliance. For mechanical durability, our two-part resin coating handles heavy loads, including forklifts and cranes, without damage, even at just 50–60 micrometres (50–60 microns) thickness. The coating matches the substrate’s strength without brittleness. In harsh environments, unlike carbon-filled systems that degrade, our filler-free polymer remains stable under temperature shifts or vibrations. It also resists mild solvents like IPA, with easy recoat options for tougher chemical exposure.
ProShieldESD is not just ‘lab-safe paint’. It is:
- Industrial-tough (abrasion, traffic, and load-resistant)
- Environmentally resilient (chemicals, moisture, UV, and heat)
That is why it is suitable for electronics manufacturing, pharma cleanrooms, aerospace hangars, defence facilities, and heavy industry.
Q. Can you share how ProShield’s versatility has led to impactful and creative applications across industries?
A. One standout success is ESD-compliant carton boxes, typically hard to source in India and often imported with degraded conductivity. We developed a coating that can be directly applied to these boxes without weakening them, enabling local, on-demand production. This breakthrough has opened doors to innovative uses: coating the insides of plastic enclosures for internal EPAs, developing transparent coatings for glass, ESD fabrics for jackets or seat covers, and even rejuvenating old ESD mats. ProShield is highly customisable. We fine-tune conductivity based on application needs, whether it is dissipative coatings for PCBs or conductive layers for packaging. From walls and workbenches to wearable electronics, the possibilities are vast.
Q. Is ProShield certified under global ESD and safety standards?
A. Yes. ProShield complies with ANSI/ESD and IEC standards, with internal and third-party lab testing. It is RoHS and REACH compliant, low-VOC, and available in both water- and solvent-based eco-safe formulations.
Q. What is the business case for ProShield, and how has the market responded?
A. ProShield offers a strong return on investment. It is a permanent, low-maintenance alternative to consumables like mats and tapes that need frequent replacement. With a two-year shelf life and easy touch-ups, it cuts long-term costs in material, labour, and downtime. The market has responded well, especially in regions like Europe, the US, and the UK, where users are shifting from disposable ESD solutions to durable, substrate-agnostic coatings.
Q. Who are your target customers?
A. Anyone who needs ESD protection, such as electronics, defence, explosives, pharma, and more. We have used our solution for everything from outdoor pathways between industrial buildings to antistatic paper envelopes. Application is easy, and our product is forgiving, as any local applicator can use it successfully.
Q. Could you speak to your go-to-market strategy and quality assurance?
A. While upfront costs might seem high compared to mats, the return on investment over three to five years is significantly better. There are no replacements and no degradation. Our ideal customers are from electronics, pharmaceuticals, defence, and clean manufacturing. We rely on technical partners, certified applicators, and a tight quality assurance loop to deliver value. We certify all distributors and applicators through hands-on training in our Hyderabad facility. This ensures consistency and quality, regardless of where it is applied. Our Hyderabad lab produces up to one tonne per day and can scale up within weeks if needed.
Q. Any thoughts on Industry 4.0 readiness?
A. We are developing smart coatings that combine ESD protection with EMI shielding and sensor integration. Early results are very promising. Our goal is to support the next generation of smarter, safer, and more connected factories.
Q. What challenges did you overcome while developing ProShield?
A. Achieving consistent adhesion across highly dissimilar surfaces was the hardest. We invested heavily in research and development on adhesion and finish. Sharing this knowledge with partners and clients is now a core part of our market development. We turned conductivity from a ‘filler-based feature’ into a ‘molecular property’, then wrapped it in a rugged, universally applicable coating system. That is what makes ProShieldESD both innovative and practical.
Q. Are you open to new partnerships or academic collaborations?
A. We welcome partnerships with distributors, dynamic startups, and academic institutions. Our team is eager to collaborate with research labs and universities, offering opportunities such as internships, sample provision, and knowledge sharing to support academic growth and innovation.
Q. What broader impact do you see ProShield having on the industry?
A. We are redefining ESD protection, offering smart-factory-ready, traceable coatings that are low-maintenance, durable, and cost-effective. This enables local manufacturing, reduces dependency on imports, and boosts safety and compliance across sectors such as electronics, pharma, chemical industries, explosive industries, and defence.
