Dürr wins German Innovation Award with EcoPaintJet

By OEM Update Editorial April 17, 2020 6:07 pm IST

Dürr Systems AG has been presented with the German Innovation Award in the ‘Large Enterprises’ category for its EcoPaintJet robot painting system. EcoPaintJet is a groundbreaking innovation for the razor-sharp painting of cars and other products. The benefits of the process also impressed the jury of the German Innovation Award: 100 percent of the paint lands on the surface without any waste, with two-tone painting also made easy – and all this in a faster, more energy-efficient and resource-friendly way than before.

The EcoPaintJet combines know-how and high-tech components from the fields of paint application, robotics and software. Its core element is an innovative applicator mounted on a robot. Unlike a conventional rotating atomiser, it applies paint using an intricate nozzle plate. This has around 50 hardly visible holes with a diameter of approx. one tenth of a millimetre. The paint is applied through these holes in parallel jets from a distance of 30 millimetres – similar to an ink-jet printer. Prior to this, a measuring system measures the surface using a camera. Based on the measuring data, a software program calculates the paint paths along which the applicator hovers over the surface. The speed and tilt angle of the applicator are controlled such that the paint is applied evenly at all times. The contours of the surface are also taken into account, which is important when painting car roofs, for example.

The innovation makes product customisation in automotive production significantly easier. If requested, it is possible, for instance, to apply decorative strips or contrasting colours to the car body roof fully automatically. “The EcoPaintJet enables us to support automakers in an important trend: An increasing number of car buyers want a customised vehicle. Our innovation offers completely new possibilities here – cost-efficient and fully integrated into series production”, says Dr. Lars Friedrich, member of the Dürr Systems AG Board of Management and CEO of the Application Technology division.