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For OEMs that are serious about protecting the environment, a conversion to coated metal coil can be a major step to a more environmentally-friendly manufacturing operation. Nearly 90 years ago, engineers discovered the benefits of unrolling a coil of aluminum or steel, applying a primer and/or a finish coat and then re-coiling it before shipping it to a processor.

Since those early days of prepainted metal, a myriad of industries have grown alongside the coated coil industry, finding that it makes more sense to form products from prepainted metal than to form products bare and paint them afterwards.

And for companies serious about protecting the environment, coil coated metal could be just the ticket for jump-starting a green initiative. This growth means prepainted steel and aluminum metal processors are seeing a steady increase in the number of coated coils arriving on their docks.

WHO'S USING COATED COIL?

Over 4.5 million tons of coil-coated steel and aluminum are produced and delivered to processors in North America each year. Industry leaders such as GE, Whirlpool, Trane, Mercedes Benz, Nordyne, and Steelcase depend on prepainted metal to meet their manufacturing and quality needs.

Thousands of products, including stoves and refrigerators, agricultural equipment, heating and cooling units, metal roofs, and beverage cans are produced more efficiently with prepainted metal. Throughout the manufacturing processes, prepainted products retain their flawless appearance and durability, a feat often impossible with post-painted metal.

WHY CHANGE TO PREPAINT?

Prepainting metal provides consistent color, texture, thickness and performance, proven by numerous quality control tests during and after the coil coating process. Coil coating lines unroll each coil, clean it and treat it, precisely apply a primer and/or finish coatings using a continuous rolling process.

This extremely efficient process applies high quality finishes to coil up to 72 in wide at speeds of up to 700 fpm. And the beauty of coated coil is not just one-sided: the consistent, high-quality finish is usually applied to both sides of the substrate to meet nearly every finished product specification.

Coated coil can be final slit to a customer's requirements so it can be stamped, drawn or roll formed into thousands of products, from mini-blinds to door jams. Slitting the material to the OEM's exact width requirements also means waste goes down and yield goes up.

By using prepainted metal, companies enjoy other benefits in addition to manufacturing and quality improvements. Prepaint offers advantages of reducing on-site environmental issues, saving money by-eliminating staffing and operation of in-house painting, and decreasing costs and hassles associated with adhering to environmental regulations. Prepainted metal has weathered many storms, and has outperformed post-painted metal in field tests.

Here are the most common inquiries fielded by the National Coal Coating Association (NCCA) around processing coated coil: