Beckers, leading supplier of paints and coatings has partnered with steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal, to create a new radiation curing technology for pre-painted steels for building and construction. This is the first commercial paint formulation for electron-beam (EB) curing for the coil coating industry.  
 
This coating has been created through a long-standing partnership between the two companies and builds in Beckers’ 18 years of work to improve sustainability in the paint market. This new EB curing process aims to replace solvent-borne paint systems with solvent-free coatings to create pre-painted steels for building envelopes. 
 
This process can enhance efficiency in the industry by providing up to twice the surface coverage per kilogram of paint. EB curing can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), decrease energy consumption by avoiding natural gas. 
 
The EB process occurs at room temperature to avoid the use of cooling water. In the finished product EB curing reduces waste treatment, lowers VOC emissions, and improves productivity. 
 
In early 2023, the pilot project was held in the north-eastern part of France at ArcelorMittal Construction in Contrisson. The pilot paint formulation was developed by Beckers to match performance levels and applicability of solvent-borne products. ArcelorMittal invented the curing proprietary technology and application methods to meet the high-speed strip coating requirements. 
 
First coils were produced to make sandwich panels that have already been installed on a pilot building. In the future, the new paint technology is expected to be used with a high-speed galvanizing process. 
 
The long-standing partnership between Beckers and ArcelorMittal has been crucial in overcoming challenges with scaling up technology from laboratory to industrial production.