By Choi He-suk
POSCO began mass producing steel plates coated using ultraviolet rays on Wednesday, becoming the world’s first steelmaker to use the method on commercial scale.
Named POSCOTE-UV, short for POSCO smart coating technology-ultraviolet, is more resistant to scratches and its surface is brighter and more reflective than conventional steel plates, the company said.
The company said that it plans to supply POSCOTE-UV plates to local electronics and household appliance makers.
In addition, the company said that the coating process using ultraviolet rays can also be applied to high-end construction materials.
According to POSCO, while the technique using ultraviolet rays to fix coating compounds to surfaces is used on semiconductors and mobile phones, its use on steel plates had until now been prevented by the material’s limited processability.
The technique fixes specially formulated coating liquid to the surface through a rapid chemical reaction induced by exposure to ultraviolet rays.
The coating solution, which contains coating materials designed to closely adhere to the surface to prevent peeling, has been under development at the world’s fourth largest steelmaker since 2008.
(cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)