AkzoNobel and IPG Photonics are partnering on technology to cure powder coatings with lasers.
Jorrit van RijnThe agreement involves calibrating AkzoNobel’s Interpon powder coating formulations for optimal results with laser curing solutions from IPG. The company says this will offer a faster and more energy-efficient alternative to conventional curing methods.
The two companies have signed an agreement for the partnership to exclusively serve customers in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.
The process involves lasers selectively heating the applied powder coating in a “cold oven,” where no heat escapes onto the factory floor, and no energy is wasted heating the atmosphere or the curing enclosure. High-intensity laser heating also reduces curing times to just a few minutes, compared with the 15 to 20 minutes currently required using traditional curing methods.
The IPG Photonics process also enables curing in less than half the space required by a traditional oven.
“This is a hugely exciting partnership that has the potential to offer customers game-changing benefits in terms of process speed, efficiency, and energy savings,” says Jorrit van Rijn, Global Marketing Director of AkzoNobel’s Powder Coatings business. “It’s yet another example of how our commitment to painting the future is driving our innovation so we can help make the powder coatings industry even more sustainable.”
Trevor NessTrevor Ness, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Strategic Business Development at IPG Photonics, says the company is delighted to partner with AkzoNobel to accelerate market acceptance of modular laser curing solutions.
“By aligning our laser innovations with AkzoNobel’s Interpon powder coatings capabilities, we anticipate a shorter time to market and added value for our customers,” Ness says. “Together, our companies will realize a new level of efficiency and value for the powder coatings industry.”
The two companies say laser curing offers several benefits, including the ability to heat the actual coating preferentially, as opposed to the underlying substrate. They say it suits temperature-sensitive substrates and eliminates the long cool-down waiting times in typical production lines. In a high-volume manufacturing environment, customers could realize more than 50% reductions in both investment and operational costs while drastically reducing their carbon footprint and energy consumption.
Visit www.Interpon.com and www.IPGPhotonics.com.
