Calling it a breakthrough in metallic coating technology, ArcelorMittal said the line is the culmination of years of work by its research and development team, in cooperation with others. 

“ArcelorMittal’s strength lies in its ability to innovate and push the boundaries of steelmaking.  I’m extremely proud of all the ArcelorMittal employees who have contributed to this project,” said Matthieu Jehl, chief executive of ArcelorMittal’s Gent-Liège cluster.

The EUR63 million galvanizing line utilizes a technology dubbed jet vapor deposition. The high-speed line works by depositing vaporized zinc onto steel strip in a vacuum chamber. 

According to the company, jet vapor deposition holds several advantages, including a lower environmental footprint; exceptional uniformity; excellent adhesion, regardless of steel grade; and the ability to apply differing coating thicknesses on two sides of the same sheet of steel. 

You can read ArcelorMittal’s full announcement here.