The new paint formulations technology for electron-beam curing developed by Beckers and ArcelorMittal can reduce carbon emissions and boost efficiency in the coil coating industry.
Beckers and ArcelorMittal
have announced a partnership to develop a radiation curing technology for pre-painted steels to be used in the coil coating industry.
The main objective of this innovative technology
is to replace solvent-based paints with solvent-free solutions, in order to produce pre-painted steels for building envelopes. The regular thermal polymerisation is replaced by EB polymerisation, in order to achieve the following results:
- Reduce CO2 and VOC emissions;
- Lower energy consumption - thus avoiding natural gas and the use of cooling water, given that the process takes place at room temperature;
- Limit waste treatment;
- Improves productivity.
The Coil Coating line n. 3 at ArcelorMittal Construction in Contrisson (France), was converted in early 2023 as part of a major project. The paint formulation for this project was developed by Beckers to match the performance and applicability of solvent-based products. Proprietary application and curing technology were developed by ArcelorMittal to meet high-speed strip coating requirements.
The long-term partnership between ArcelorMittal and Beckers has been crucial to overcoming challenges with scaling up the technology from laboratory to industrial production in a very short timeframe. The first coils produced were processed to make sandwich panels that have already been installed on a pilot building. The new paint technology is expected to be used together with a high-speed galvanizing process in the future.