Superior finish

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For Daniel Zampese, commercial director of Vergalle, a Belgium-based independent steel service centre, the potential for Jetskin^® was apparent from the beginning: “We were at the launch in February and immediately realised Jetskin^® was a revolutionary way to coat steel for industrial applications. We were very impressed and placed an order on the first day.”

Daniel Stolte, managing director for the independent steel service centre HFS-Hagen was also at the launch of the JVD line in Liège: “We were very impressed by the speed of the line and the vacuum coating technology – I didn’t even know this was possible. We decided then and there that it was an awesome product.”

Copyright: Philippe Vandenameele

The key benefits of Jetskin^® derive from the homogenous nature of the coating. “Unlike electro-galvanised steel, the surface of Jetskin^® has a fine crystal microstructure,” notes Daniel Monseur, technical manager for Jetskin^® at ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products. “This comes from the unique Jet Vapor Deposition (JVD) technology which deposits the Jetskin^® paint layer onto the bare steel in a vacuum. The result is an excellent flat surface aspect and aesthetic.”

Copyright: Philippe Vandenameele

Cleaner processing reduces equipment maintenance

The JVD technology ensures the Jetskin^® coating adheres very well to the steel as Joseph Morreale, Jetskin^® sales manager for ArcelorMittal, explains: “We only need a very fine layer of Jetskin^® to achieve better corrosion resistance than thicker electro-galvanised coatings. There is also less powdering in drawing and other operations which keeps tools cleaner. Manufacturing costs are lowered as the time needed for equipment maintenance and cleaning is reduced. In drawing operations, the use of oil is totally eliminated.”

Although Jetskin^® was only launched in February 2017, demand is quickly growing notes Joseph Morreale: “We are ramping-up production to meet the large-scale orders we are starting to see from customers. That process should be completed by the end of 2017. Approvals have already been completed with some customers, and we have many ongoing trials. By the time they are finalised we will be at the point where we can meet market demand for this revolutionary coating.”