Is there a solution for protecting a camera from oil-based ink mist?

[ionlylooklazy]

Hello,

I have a camera I am using to monitor some items, and the shield for it is exposed to a lot of mist (oil-based ink). An issue I am having is that this guard is quickly becoming covered, rendering the camera useless. It is dificult to access the camera, so cleaning it by hand becomes quite cumbersome.

I was wondering is there is a transparent non-stick film/chemical (like teflon in cookingware) that I can apply to the shield (made of glass).Thanks,

ioll

 

[brewnog]

You could try making your shield out of Pilkington Activ; this is a 'self-cleaning' glass designed for use on difficult-to-clean buildings. Normally works by allowing water to form sheets rather than droplets. May not do the same job with your oil, but it's definitely worth a try.

 

[berkeman]

Can you make a clean air knife to protect the lens? Use a sheet of clean air blowing out in front of the lens to keep the mist away from the lens?

Also, in dirtbiking and motocross, we often use a goggle accessory called a "Roll-Off" system:

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?item=STU_4051065432150

By pulling down on the little string thing, you roll the dirty strip from in front of your eyes, and are left with a clean strip in front. Maybe there is some similar automated system for cameras?

 

[chemisttree]

Since your contaminant is an oil-based pigment, you need something that will repel oil. A fluorinated silane coating is probably the best solution. Gelest may have something that you are looking for. I would look for perfluorooctyl (or perfluorodecyl) trimethoxysilane, triethoxysilane, trichlorosilane. Fluorous Technologies also offers one perfluoro compound (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane) that you could apply directly to glass to achieve a perfluorinated, clear molecular film.

If these don't work you could also try a two step process to functionalize the optical surface with a reactive silane and follow it with a perfluoro compound with appropriate chemistry to link with the active group. One example would be to apply 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (Dow Corning Z-6020, available from Aldrich Chemical, #281778-100ML) to the glass in the first step and an amino-reactive perfluoro compound in the second such as perfluoro isocyanate (Fluorous Technologies #F017032, (perfluorooctyl)ethyl isocyanate). The combinations of the two step procedure are nearly unlimited...