The definition of a coil coating process according to EN 10169:2010 is a ‘process in which an (organic) coating material is applied on rolled metal strip in a continuous process which includes cleaning, if necessary, and chemical pre-treatment of the metal surface and either one-side or two-side, single or multiple application of (liquid) paints or coating powders which are subsequently cured or/and laminating with permanent plastic films’.
The metal substrate (steel or aluminum) is delivered in coil form from the rolling mills. Coil weights vary from 5-6 tons for aluminum and up to about 25 tons for steel. The coil is positioned at the beginning of the line, then unwound at a constant speed, passing through the various pre-treatment and coating processes before being recoiled. Two strip accumulators at the beginning and the end of the line enable the work to be continuous, allowing new coils to be added (and finished coils removed) by a metal stitching process without slowing down or stopping the line.