AkzoNobel and IPG Photonics Collaborate on Laser Curing Technology for Powder Coatings

The breakthrough process involves calibrating the company’s Interpon powder coating formulations using IPG’s laser curing solutions for optimal results. This will provide a faster and more energy-efficient alternative to conventional curing methods. The two companies have signed a collaboration agreement to serve customers in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region exclusively.

The process uses lasers to selectively heat the applied powder coating in a “cold oven”. This means no heat is lost to the factory floor and no energy is wasted heating the air or curing chamber. High-intensity laser heating also reduces curing time to just a few minutes, compared to the 15 to 20 minutes currently required with conventional curing methods. The IPG Photonics process also enables curing to take less than half the space required for conventional ovens.

Jorrit van Rijn, Global Marketing Director for AkzoNobel’s Powder Coatings business, said: “This is an exciting collaboration that promises to deliver game-changing advantages to customers in terms of process speed, efficiency and energy savings. It is another example of our commitment to defining the future and driving innovation to help the powder coatings industry become more sustainable.”

Trevor Ness, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Strategic Business Development at IPG Photonics, added: “We are excited to be working with a leader in powder coatings in EMEA to accelerate market acceptance of our disruptive modular laser curing solutions. By combining our laser innovation with AkzoNobel’s Interpon powder coatings technology, we expect to reduce time to market and create more value for our customers. Together, we will bring greater efficiency and value to the powder coatings industry.”

Laser curing offers many advantages, including the ability to preferentially heat the coating itself rather than the underlying substrate. It is suitable for temperature-sensitive substrates and eliminates the long cooling wait times in traditional production lines. In high-volume production environments, customers can achieve more than 50% reductions in investment and operating costs, while significantly reducing carbon footprint and energy consumption.