International. Beckers has developed the first commercial paint formulations for dual ultraviolet and electron beam curing in the coil coating market.
The technologies, which build on Beckers' 18 years of pioneering work, can significantly reduce VOC and CO2 emissions and improve efficiency in the industry by providing up to twice the surface cover per kilogram of paint.
The European Coil Coating Association (ECCA) considers ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) curing technology to be the most important game-changer in terms of decarbonising the coil coating industry.
Until now, the only available industrial application of radiation curing in coil coating has been electron beam (EB) irradiation used for packaging material.
The long-term collaboration between Beckers and one of its customers has led to the first large-scale application of advanced UV/EB dual curing technology in coil coating for the construction industry. Construction accounts for 72% percent of the global coil coatings market (source: ECCA, November 2022).
Beckers has been involved in adapting the use of UV/EB curing technology in the coil coating industry and developing the necessary paint formulations since 2005.
Today, the company is actively developing UV/EB solutions with coil coating customers worldwide, with some now in the process of preparing to go to market.
Beckers has a UV/EB coil coating development lab at its largest site in Montbrison, France. The team has shown that UV/EB curing has significant potential to reduce the CO2 footprint of coil coating, because it requires much less paint and energy in the curing process.
"UV/EB curing allows us to use up to 100% solvent-free solid formulations that are more efficient and provide up to twice the surface coverage per kilogram of paint," said Beckers CTO Gavin Bown.
Solvent-free solid UV/EB paint formulations are more sustainable, as around half the paint volume is needed and significantly reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
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