Global steelmaker ArcelorMittal has announced that it is investing €7.2 million in a new galvanizing line at ArcelorMittal Florange in Sainte-Agathe, France. Test runs have recently commenced on the new line that will produce a press-hardened steel with an aluminum-silicon (AlSi) coating used in automotive applications.
According to ArcelorMittal, between 2012 and 2016 demand for AlSi is expected to grow by 250 percent. Given the rapid increase in demand from carmakers worldwide, ArcelorMittal is facing the urgent need to increase its production capacity for AlSi coating.
Aluminum-silicon coating provides high hot formability, excellent corrosion resistance, substantial thickness and weight reduction, and ensure a significant decrease in the manufacturing cost of car bodies.