Corus develops chromium free adhesive-coated metal for use in automotive applications

16 Sep 2005

 

• New Envirobond^TM  adhesive-coated metal meets ELV directive
• Dangerous carcinogen removed

Corus, the international steel company, has developed a unique hexavalent chromium free adhesive-coated metal, Envirobond^TM , for use in a wide range of automotive applications that will help carmakers remove the presence of this harmful material and importantly meet the requirements of the ELV (End of Life Vehicle) directive.

An industry first for ferrous and non-ferrous substrates, Envirobond, is the result of several years’ research and development work and investments of over £150,000 in new machinery and production processes by Corus Firsteel Coated Strip, specialist manufacturing centre for pre-finished metals, based in Walsall, West Midlands. 

Hexavalent chromium is commonly used in the production of adhesive-coated metals and has long been recognised as a dangerous carcinogen.  Corus Firsteel believe that as carmakers work towards meeting the ELV directive, which includes the removal of this harmful substance as well as lead, mercury and cadmium, Envirobond will offer an alternative to manufactures’ of components where pre-applied reactivatable adhesives are required, such as weather strips for the linings of doors, sunroofs, bonnets, boots, body side mouldings, brake shims and interior trim. 

Commenting on this major breakthrough by Corus, Dr Dale Thomas, business development manager, Corus Firsteel Coated Strip said:  “For over twenty years we have been supplying the automotive industry with our products which are today found in almost all makes and models across Europe.  As part of our commitment to work closely with our customers to continually offer innovative material solutions, we are delighted to launch Envirobond to the market which will help the industry meet the environmental requirements of the ELV directive.” 

Dr Thomas continues:  “Importantly, following rigorous testing both in-house and with customers, Envirobond has shown that it is more than capable of meeting the stringent quality requirements the industry demands without any loss in corrosion and adhesion performance.  Critically, Envirobond can also be used on a full range of metal substrates for bonding to an extensive number of plastics and rubbers for use in many automotive applications.”

Envirobond consists of one or two layers of specially developed resins applied to the metal substrate in a continuous coil-coating operation.  As the product is non-tacky, Envirobond can be transported in coil form and can be easily ‘reactivated’ after being supplied to the customer using either heat treatment or a combination of heat and pressure following which the rubber or plastic can then be added.

In conjunction with the development of Envirobond, Firsteel has also invested in new equipment offering additional benefits to its customers.  Central to this has been the commissioning of a state of the art traverse coil winding operation, which allows increased running length of coils helping to improve customers’ productivity by removing the need to weld coils in-house.  The unit has been designed to spool an extensive range of metal grades and gauges. 

Specialists in metal bonding technology, Corus Firsteel have been supplying products to the automotive industry for use in a wide range of applications for over 20 years. Unlike many competitors, Firsteel manufactures across a full range of substrates including cold rolled, cold reduced, hot dipped galvanised, aluminium alloys and stainless steel.

Ends

Corus Automotive media enquiries:

Marco Ferrari +44 (0)20 7494 8050                 mferrari@automotivepr.com

Belle Wilson +44 (0)20 7494 8050                 bwilson@automotivepr.com

Trademarks

Envirobond and Firsteel are trademarks of Corus Group plc.