BlueScope Steel has revealed how the addition of magnesium to the aluminium, zinc and silicon coating – combined with new manufacturing processes and technologies – gives next generation Zincalume steel a unique protection barrier.
A video explanation of the patented technology behind a breakthrough innovation in the Australian steel industry is available to view online.
The newly uploaded video describes the self-sealing Activate coating technology intrinsic to BlueScope Steel's next generation Zincalume steel.
Activate technology self-seals exposed surfaces to make the product more resilient when drilled, cut or scratched during construction.
The coating better protects the base metal layer, ensuring Zincalume steel has greater resistance to corrosion and weathering, and is more durable in a wider range of environments.
BlueScope Steel has invested more than $100 million to develop the manufacturing technology for its next-generation steel coating.
A second video on the site demonstrates how the product was developed over almost 20 years and contains examples of its rigorous testing in both accelerated laboratory and real world environments.
In another video, Australian architects explain why innovation in building materials is becoming increasingly important, particularly in response to growing environmental concerns.
"As a profession we are thinking more and more about how responsible we need to be in making buildings," says prominent architect Ken Maher of Hassell Studio in the video. "That pressure is changing our way of thinking but also changing the way materials are made and thought of."
The website also contains information about the smaller environmental footprint of Zincalume steel (AM125) compared with its predecessor.
Manufactured under a range of Australian and international patents, Zincalume steel featuring Activate technology will be available nationally from August 2013.