Nick Vet is the go-to person for UV LED as part of Tube & Profile coating

For many customers, it feels like magic. A steel pipe enters a coating line, is exposed to UV LED light for just one second, and comes out fully cured. “Go ahead, touch it,” says Selmers sales engineer Nick Vet. The reaction is almost always the same: amazement. How can something dry so quickly?

Over the past few months, Nick has seen that reaction time and again during demonstrations at the UV LED line for an American customer, temporarily set up in Beverwijk. He explained the process, demonstrated the technology, and introduced visitors to a solution that was still new to many of them.

From curiosity to expertise

Within Selmers, Nick is the go-to person when it comes to UV coating systems and complete production lines. “The product itself is obviously very cool,” he says. “But what I especially enjoy is everything around it: helping customers, developing solutions, and showing how it works. The complete process.”

When Nick joined Selmers two years ago, he knew very little about UV coating technology. He built up his knowledge step by step, not by reading thick manuals or formal training programs, but mainly through curiosity. “By listening carefully and asking a lot of questions. Talking to coating suppliers, engineers, and customers. That’s how you learn how everything connects.”

“I wouldn’t say I have the deepest technical knowledge of every individual component,” he says modestly. “But I do know the bigger picture of UV LED and how the market is developing.”

A technology gaining ground

While traditional UV coating systems were the standard for many years, UV LED is rapidly emerging as a serious alternative. With UV LED, the coating is not dried by heat or evaporation, but cured by light. As soon as the pipe passes under the UV LED lamps, a chemical reaction starts within the coating. Within seconds, the layer is hard enough to touch and continue processing.

“So technically, it’s not really drying,” Nick explains. “A chemical reaction takes place. That’s why the coating is already cured after just one second.”

According to Nick, the UV LED market is growing because the technology combines quality with efficiency and lower operational costs. “With traditional coatings, you basically have two sides of the spectrum,” he explains. “On one side, you have cheaper systems using water-based paint, but those often compromise on quality. On the other side, you have epoxy and powder coatings: very high quality, but expensive and energy-intensive.”

According to him, UV LED sits perfectly in between. The quality is higher than water-based paint, while long-term operating costs can actually be lower. “The only downside is that the machine itself requires a larger upfront investment,” says Nick. “But when you look at consumption, energy use, speed, and waste reduction, it quickly becomes very attractive.”

Applications in the steel industry

The technology is especially interesting for steel pipe manufacturers. Think of pipes for solar applications, fencing, construction, and sprinkler systems, but also galvanized pipes where UV LED coating adds extra protection and color.

“With galvanized pipes, you first apply a zinc layer to prevent corrosion,” Nick explains. “When you then add a UV coating on top, you not only create a nice color finish, but also improve the performance of that zinc layer.”

According to Nick, UV LED is about much more than simply selling a machine. “We actually sell two things,” he says. “A coating solution and the production line that comes with it.” That is why conversations rarely start with the machine itself, but with the application. What should the coating achieve? What performance is required? And what does the end customer expect?

More than just a machine

According to Nick, Selmers mainly stands out because of the combination of automation, expertise, and close cooperation with coating partners. “You notice customers have a lot of questions,” he says. “So you not only need to understand the machine, but also the coating itself and the entire process around it.”

“Our lines are highly automated,” he explains. “That reduces the risk of human error, minimizes waste, and allows coatings to be used much more efficiently. In the long run, that makes a huge difference in operational costs.”

In addition, a UV LED line only works properly when everything is perfectly aligned. “The coating, the temperature, the pressure, the airflow, the pipe transport, everything has to work together. That’s why we often sit down together with coating suppliers and customers to create the right solution.”

Planting a lot of seeds

This approach is helping Selmers increasingly establish itself as a serious player in UV coating technology, especially in UV LED. The market is growing rapidly, particularly in North America, where UV coating is already widely used in the steel pipe industry. Nick also sees strong potential emerging in Europe, India, and the Middle East. “We’re still very much in the phase of developing the market,” he says. “Many customers already know the technology, but not everyone knows Selmers in this field yet. So we’re planting a lot of seeds.”

That means having conversations, giving demonstrations, inviting customers, and showing why UV LED is the future of the industry. The ambition is clear: Selmers wants to become the name customers automatically mention when talking about UV LED coating lines.

“It doesn’t happen very often that a new solution enters the market that is better, more energy-efficient, and more cost-effective at the same time,” says Nick. “If a customer ultimately decides not to choose UV LED, then I probably didn’t explain it well enough.”