Coatings World exclusive - Driving renewable energy curing with IONOMY ecosystem

The article explores how UV and electron beam (EB) curing can replace conventional gas ovens, delivering rapid cure speeds and operational flexibility with a smaller footprint while significantly reducing energy use and emissions. It also highlights key adoption barriers (integration complexity and upfront investment) and how the IONOMY ecosystem supports customers with end-to-end guidance and design support.
 

CW: What are the key forces shaping the future of coil coating today?

Villeneuve: Coil coating is entering a period of structural change. The industry is facing a combination of volatile energy prices, tightening sustainability regulations, and ongoing demands to improve productivity. These converging pressures are forcing coaters to rethink processes that have remained unchanged for decades.

Yet these same pressures are creating an unprecedented opportunity for transformation.

Renewable energy curing offers an opportunity to cut energy consumption, lower emissions, and improve operational performance, already proven in sectors like automotive, wood coatings, and packaging. But the transition requires more than just new coating solutions; it requires a reimagining of how coating lines are designed, operated, and optimized.
 

CW: What is renewable energy curing?

Villeneuve: Renewable energy curing replaces conventional gas ovens with UV or electron beam (EB), ideally powered by renewable electricity. These systems cure coatings in seconds or even fractions of a second at the molecular level and represent a sober alternative to energy-intensive and time-consuming thermal processes.

The benefits include faster throughput, high productivity, operational flexibility, significantly lower energy use, and reduced emissions, all achieved with a much smaller footprint.

According to the European Coil Coating Association, energy curing can reduce energy use by at least 60% compared with conventional thermal curing with gas ovens – essential to meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C pathway.
 

CW: Has energy curing been commercially proven?

Villeneuve: Yes, in 2023, ArcelorMittal produced the world’s first pre-painted steel coil using electron beam technology at its Contrisson site in France, proving the viability of energy curing. The project replaced gas-fired curing ovens and solvent incinerators with EB curing, resulting in up to 31% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and the elimination of VOCs, thanks to solvent-free paints.
 

CW: What is holding back adoption?

Villeneuve: While energy curing has proven its technical viability, adoption has been slowed by concerns around perceived cost and complexity, and integration challenges.

A primary concern among customers is the high upfront cost of new lines, or substantial modification of existing lines, as well as the challenge of integration of new systems into production lines that are already optimized.

Another factor slowing adoption in some areas is a hesitance to consider new approaches when traditional methods have been long established, creating uncertainty about whether newer systems can match legacy performance and meet the demands of customers. For any business facing sector-wide disruption, this hesitation is entirely understandable, and it underlines the importance of education.

Market conditions are shifting rapidly. Rising energy prices, tightening regulations, and growing customer demand for low-carbon supply chains are strengthening the business case.

Acting now offers coil coaters clear strategic advantages. Early adopters are likely to secure efficiency gains, reputational advantages, and emissions credibility, while those who delay risk falling behind. Waiting to act carries another risk too: because energy curing reduces the capital and space required to run a line, it lowers those historic barriers to entry and opens the door for new competitors.
 

CW: What is the IONOMY™ ecosystem and how does it support manufacturers?

Villeneuve: The IONOMY ecosystem unites experts in material, curing, systems integration, hardware and software to provide impartial consultancy, guidance and design support, all free of charge. Along with AkzoNobel, our partners include PCT Ebeam and Integration, IST METZ GmbH, Globus Srl, and NOVACEL SA. This consortium of experts has been established to address every aspect of the new logic, from coating formulations, E-beam and UV systems, metal-movement strategies to system control, software development and smart integration – to deliver true customer-specific, turnkey solutions.

By bringing all partners together, the IONOMY ecosystem gives customers end-to-end support across every element of the transition, from coatings and curing systems to integration and control.

With a single aligned team, customers can gain a clear path forward with smooth decision making and confidence that solutions will function effectively in real production environments. By not following a prescribed architecture, the process is designed to support businesses in their own way and at their own pace, whether through hybrid lines, partial lines, or new full-scale investments.
 

CW: What has been the response from customers since its launch?

Villeneuve: The initial response has been very encouraging. We are working with customers’ research and development and operations teams to understand their current position and in all instances, we could confirm that they want to seize the disruptive opportunities of introducing energy curing on coil lines, rather than merely mirroring incumbent thermal technologies.

Many also appreciate that sustainability performance – such as measurable carbon emission reduction – can be increasingly linked to brand reputation. End customers can favor products from brands that better meet environmental expectations as well as regulatory requirements.

The rapid speed of energy curing associated with its on/off capability is another advantage cited by customers, supporting their need for high throughput, where minutes saved on the line can be crucial for efficiency in production.

By reducing energy use, simplifying operations, and increasing productivity, we expect most businesses to achieve a return on investment within three years. Regional incentives such as tax credits, grants, and low-interest financing for renewable energy investments can further accelerate payback, and our approach ensures these opportunities are factored into each investment scenario.
 

CW: How is energy curing set to redefine the coil coating industry?

Beyond operational efficiency and productivity, it opens new possibilities for reinventing business models, value-chain reconfigurations, and service innovation for a more competitive, sustainable future.

For steelmakers, independent coaters, and potential new entrants alike, the question is no longer if energy curing will transform the industry, but whether they are prepared to embrace the revolution and avoid the risks of inaction. For more information about the IONOMY ecosystem.