Companies Partner to Develop Sustainable Coil Coatings
Beckers has joined forces with ArcelorMittal to develop the first commercial paint formulations for electron-beam curing for the coil coating industry.
Edited by Lori Beckman
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Beckers, a coil coatings manufacturer, has joined forces with steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal to develop the first commercial paint formulations for electron-beam (EB) curing for the coil coating industry.
The technologies, which build on Beckers’ 18 years of pioneering work, can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and enhance efficiency in the industry by providing up to twice the surface coverage per kilogram of paint. The European Coil Coating Association (ECCA) considers Radcure technology to be the most significant gamechanger in terms of decarbonization of the coil coating industry.
Beckers and ArcelorMittal have collaborated to implement this technology for pre-painted steels for the building and construction segment. This innovation in the coil coating industry has been achieved following a long-term partnership between the companies.
The ambition is for EB curing technology to replace solvent-borne paint systems with solvent-free coatings to produce pre-painted steels for the building envelopes.
Coil coating line No. 3 at ArcelorMittal Construction in Contrisson, located in the north-eastern part of France, was converted in early 2023 as part of a pilot project. The paint formulation for the pilot was specially developed by Beckers to match the performance levels and applicability of solvent-borne products while the application and curing technology were invented by ArcelorMittal to meet the 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 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.
Beckers has conducted a peer-reviewed life cycle analysis (LCA) study showing that a full switch from current solvent-borne coil coating technology to full ultraviolet (UV)/EB-cured systems can reduce the carbon footprint of the coil coating process by up to 50%. The company is making substantial investments in advancing UV/EB curing technology to promote a widespread adoption within the industry to further drive decarbonization.
Beckers is also building a 300 m2 Sustainable Innovation Center in Liverpool, England, which will house the UV/EB development center and long-term sustainable R&D technologies.
