HEERHUGOWAARD, the Netherlands - EMB Technology has commissioned the world's first EMB pilot machine for powder coating for serial production of powder-coated rolls of flexible metal substrates. In this case, the coating machine is combined with a NIR (near infrared) curing unit.

Dennis Engelsma, managing director of EMB Technology, said, "We are delighted to have been able to develop the EMB concept to reality; it is the first of this kind prepared for a three-shift, seven-days-a-week production environment. "

The EMB concept is widely regarded as a promising technology for powder coating. It enables very accurate application of powder on rigid and flexible flat substrates without the historical problems of thickness variance, poor reliability, low speed and high investment levels.

The EMB machine overcomes the traditional barrier to powder coating with relatively high speeds and high-thickness accuracy in reel-to-reel situations. The coil coater now has an economical coating alternative to spray-coat lines without compromising on quality standards. The first machine runs at speeds of 20 m/min, depositing an adjustable and controllable layer thickness on a flexible metal substrate between 50 and 70 micron with a thickness variance less then 3 percent at a working width of 800 mm. Higher speeds can be reached in coil-coating applications, where powder needs to be applied with lower layer thicknesses. Due to its modular concept, units can be installed behind each other, making it potentially possible to reach speeds above 100 m/min.