"Japanese Monopoly, Unavoidable So We Broke Through"... Patent Film Challenger

Interview with Aemt CEO Namhoon Kim on Functional Film Development
Japan's Film Market with Over 70% Patent Monopoly, Developing Alternative Materials to Prevent Technology Dependence

Namhoon Kim, CEO of Amt, who developed a ceramic composite coating material film with infrared and ultraviolet blocking functions, succeeded in material independence through technology in a market where Japanese companies almost monopolize patents. CEO Namhoon Kim holding the self-developed film. Photo by Jin-geun Yoon, PD

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "Among the 103 elements in the periodic table, 75 elements are included in the patent of Japanese Company A for heat-blocking films. It has become an almost unavoidable structure."

In the 2 trillion won heat-blocking film market, which is gaining attention as an advanced material, Japanese companies boast monopolistic technological prowess. Additionally, American and German companies that entered the market earlier have also secured dense patent holdings. There is a domestic company that has challenged this global patent network with independent technology. Namhoon Kim, CEO of 'Amt,' who developed a ceramic composite coating film in the chalcogenide family, explained that they focused on developing new technology to avoid Japanese companies' restrictions.

Heat-blocking films, mainly used for automobile glass, mixed-use complex and office building exterior glass, rely almost entirely on imports to meet domestic demand. Although new material development was required due to material supply and price instability caused by the patent monopolies of Japanese, American, and German companies, the technological barriers were high. Since last year, with the implementation of the building energy efficiency rating system and the promotion of rational energy use in public institutions, buildings over five stories are required to install heat-blocking films. CEO Kim stated, "Existing market-leading companies' films are oxide-based, so to avoid patents, we focused on ceramic materials," adding, "We saw chalcogenides used in solar cells and wondered if we could make films from them, which led to the development."

Ceramic composite coating material film production scene. Photo by Amteu

Commercially available heat-blocking films and special glass add organic substances like dyes to enhance functionality. However, organic materials themselves have low stability, insufficient performance, and high costs, making commercialization difficult. CEO Kim explained, "Existing heat-blocking films used expensive metals like indium and tungsten, as well as many rare earth elements, so prices inevitably rose," adding, "We combined copper and chalcogenide elements to reduce material costs by nearly half." Previously, full installation had to be done with Japanese-made films, but with the release of the new material film developed by CEO Kim, domestic products can now replace them. He noted that inquiries for installation are currently coming mainly from public institutions.

CEO Kim, who majored in the doctoral program in Materials Science and Engineering at Hanyang University, experienced the monopoly of Japanese technology during his time as a researcher. "In the late 1990s, when domestic demand for functional coatings increased, most Japanese materials had already become the standard, especially for semiconductor transparent antistatic films, antibacterial, and optical coating materials, all of which were Japanese standards, so technology partnerships were unavoidable," he recalled. "After the IMF crisis, even when products were imported through technology partnerships with Japanese companies, only the mixing ratios of substances were disclosed, and it was difficult to obtain proper information about the principles and materials."

Amt Company Information. Graphic by Designer Jin-kyung Lee

Turning his attention to materials, CEO Kim focused on film development after working with microcapsules. Although the initial composition for heat-blocking films was discovered following automotive (PPF) and display films, development costs hindered commercialization. He said, "Research was fun above all, but from a business perspective, development costs were a hurdle," adding, "Fortunately, we were selected for a national research project by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and through cooperation with academic professors and research institutes, we were able to complete the new technology."

As much as heat-blocking technology, CEO Kim also strived to create a more transparent film. "To increase film transparency, nanomaterials need to be smaller, but there are limits depending on the properties of the raw materials," he said, emphasizing, "Chalcogenides can be reduced to one-third to one-fifth the size of metal oxides, from 80 nm (one-billionth of a meter) down to 30 nm." Moreover, unlike existing metal oxide-based films that only block infrared rays, chalcogenide-based films block both infrared and ultraviolet rays, significantly enhancing functionality.

Amt, which filed a patent for this technology last year, planned to commercialize it through overseas exhibitions but was hindered by COVID-19. Still, CEO Kim smiled and continued, "Even during last year's Japanese export restrictions, it became an opportunity for independent development and business expansion. A major Japanese glass company has requested our film samples three times, and we are on the verge of export," expressing his ambition, "In the future, we want to become a company that supplies products based on our new technology to replace foreign products in upstream industries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.