First Graphene (ASX:FGR) has signed a three-year strategic partner agreement with UK-based Vector Companies (NYSE:VGR) as Vector launches graphene-enhanced heat flux sensors.
Under the agreement, Vector can introduce prospective end-users to First Graphene for its product range or purchase products directly under separate purchase orders.
The commercial partnership expands on the existing relationship between the two companies, providing First Graphene with access to Vector’s network across advanced materials, manufacturing, and the built environment.
The agreement comes as Vector launches its low-cost printed heat flux sensors, which contain First Graphene’s PureGRAPH, into a dedicated product line called Peltyr.
Peltyr measures the rate of heat passing through building fabric to calculate an in situ U-value, enabling building owners, retrofit assessors, and housing providers to measure thermal performance before and after energy-efficiency upgrades.
The global heat flux sensor market is anticipated to reach US$455.8 million ($645 million).
CEO Michael Bell says the agreement gives both companies a framework to identify and progress commercial opportunities.
“The launch of this PureGRAPH-enhanced heat flux sensor … [represents] an important milestone for both Vector and First Graphene and showcasing another example of our products transitioning from development into a commercial reality,” Bell says.
“Peltyr demonstrates exactly what we want to achieve with our partners. By using the unique performance characteristics of graphene to solve a real industrial problem, we can develop a product that can be manufactured at scale and commercially adopted by industry.”
Bell notes measuring actual performance is essential as construction moves towards a lower carbon future.
“A lower-cost, scalable sensor that can provide real performance data has applications well beyond a single building project, with opportunities in other sectors such as aerospace coming to light,” he says.
First Graphene develops advanced materials to help industry improve. It supplies graphitic materials and product formulations, focusing on large, high-growth global markets.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Main image: First Graphene
