Your contact
The debate surrounding modern coil coating processes often centres on the replacement of conventional drying ovens. Yet the transformation goes far beyond that. UV and electron beam (EB) technologies not only speed up the process – they are also changing the way coil coating lines can be designed, operated and optimised.
At the heart of this development lies the curing technology itself.
Whilst conventional coatings are dried using heat over a defined period of time, UV curing involves a different chemical mechanism. Suitable UV-reactive coatings can be cured within seconds or even fractions of a second.
This change has a direct impact on key process parameters:
Production speed
Energy consumption
Plant layout
Space requirements
Process stability
Curing thus evolves from a single process step into a key factor in the overall plant design.
This is precisely where IST METZ brings its decades of experience to bear. For more than 45 years, the company has been developing and manufacturing UV systems for industrial applications. IST METZ’s solutions are used worldwide in the printing, automotive and coatings industries, where high standards of process reliability, quality and productivity are required.
Applying this expertise to coil coating applications opens up new possibilities for the design of production processes. At the same time, it requires a deep understanding of the specific requirements of continuous coating lines.
Unlike thermal drying, UV curing UV curing is based on a photochemical reaction.
In suitable coating systems, the UV light is absorbed by photoinitiators within the coating. These form reactive species and initiate the polymerisation of the coating. This allows suitable UV-reactive coatings to be cured within a short time.
The short curing time enables more compact plant designs to be realised than is the case with many conventional thermal drying processes.
The integration of UV technology into coil coating lines is application-specific. Key design parameters include:
Coil width
Required production speed
UV lamp power and spectral output
Number and arrangement of UV modules
Accessibility for operation and maintenance
Depending on the application, additional components such as inerting systems, lifting equipment or crane technology may be required. The aim is to ensure reliable and service-friendly integration into existing production environments.
Thanks to their compact design, UV systems can often be retrofitted into existing coil coating lines. Depending on the application and plant configuration, this can enable higher production speeds without the need to extend the entire line.
IST METZ has experience gained from several hundred UV applications worldwide. These include, amongst others:
High-speed metal sheet printing
Protective coatings for metal components
Continuous industrial production environments
Processes combined with PVD technologies
Laboratory systems, pilot installations and production-scale coil coating systems have also contributed valuable experience that continues to drive technology development.
Interest in UV technology within the coil coating industry is growing. Among the factors driving this development are short curing times, compact system designs and the ability to power UV curing processes electrically.
The actual energy requirement depends on the application, the coating used, the system configuration, the production speed and the relevant process parameters.
At the same time, companies are faced with the task of carefully evaluating new technologies. Long-term performance, process reliability and dependability remain key criteria for industrial implementation.
Within the IONOMY ecosystem, IST METZ works closely with coating manufacturers and technology partners to ensure optimal interaction between:
Coating formulations
UV curing systems
Process parameters
Production equipment
In UV processes in particular, these factors influence one another to a great extent. Successful implementation therefore requires the coordinated development and alignment of the components.
UV technology opens up new possibilities for electrified curing processes. UV systems are electrically powered and, in suitable applications, can offer an alternative to conventional thermal drying processes.
The impact this has on the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions of a specific production line depends, amongst other things, on the plant configuration, the relevant reference process, the energy requirements and the electricity mix used.
Initial production plants demonstrate that the integration of UV technology into existing production environments is technically feasible. With increasing experience and further process development, this curing technology could play an important role in the design of modern coil-coating lines in the future.