AkzoNobel Coil & Extrusion Coatings has unveiled IONOMY™ — a global not-for-profit ecosystem designed to support coil coaters and steel producers in adopting renewable energy curing technologies. The initiative brings together leading specialists in UV, LED, and electron beam systems to simplify what AkzoNobel calls “a complete reimagining” of coating line design and operation.
The coalition includes PCT Ebeam and Integration, IST METZ, Globus srl, and NOVACEL SA — each contributing expertise across curing systems, coating machinery, and protective materials. AkzoNobel leads the partnership, positioning IONOMY as both a consultancy and collaborative platform to help manufacturers evaluate, redesign, and optimise their processes for low-energy curing.
“Energy-curing is a complete reimagining and transformation of how coating lines are designed, operated, and optimized,” said Sebastien Villeneuve, Transformation Manager, Coil Coatings, AkzoNobel Coil & Extrusion Coatings. “We see the enormity of the challenge through our customers’ eyes, and this is why we have created the IONOMY ecosystem.”
Energy-curable products already exist in the coil coating market, but uptake has been slow. AkzoNobel attributes this to the technical and operational complexity of the transition — a shift that requires not just new materials but new systems integration, control software, and process logic. The IONOMY initiative aims to close that knowledge gap through shared expertise and structured roadmaps for transition.
The name ‘IONOMY’ reflects this dual focus: ionization refers to the physical trigger of cold curing, while economy highlights the efficiency and business case behind energy curing — from reduced energy costs and faster throughput to improved sustainability performance. The approach aligns with AkzoNobel’s broader sustainability commitments, designed to cut energy consumption and carbon intensity across industrial coating lines.
According to the company, IONOMY will offer diagnostic assessments, roadmap development, and collaborative engineering to help manufacturers tailor solutions to their own scale and constraints. The model rejects a “one-size-fits-all” architecture in favour of modular integration, allowing both existing coil lines and new entrants to adapt incrementally to energy-curing processes.
“Collaboration, innovation, and sustainability have guided us to help our customers unlock change,” said Chris Bradford, Market Director, Coil & Packaging Coatings, AkzoNobel. “No one company can deliver this transformation alone, which is why the IONOMY ecosystem is built on collaboration to guide the industry into its next chapter.”
The move marks a strategic broadening of AkzoNobel’s energy-curing expertise from sectors like automotive and wood coatings into the more demanding, high-throughput coil coating environment. As energy volatility and sustainability regulations tighten, the company expects increasing demand for technologies that can reduce both cost and carbon intensity in continuous manufacturing.
IONOMY’s first phase will focus on building awareness and understanding across the coil coating community, supported by pilot projects and consultancy-led trials. Over time, the ecosystem is intended to serve as a blueprint for how energy curing can be scaled reliably across global metal coating operations.
