Dürr builds resource-efficient paint shop for ŠKODA

By OEM Update Editorial April 11, 2018 5:12 pm IST

World’s leading mechanical & plant engineering firm Dürr announced the launch of EcoInCure that offers best possible top-coat quality and maximum process reliability by heating the bodies from the inside in combination with the innovative transverse mode of operation. ŠKODA will use the benefits of the new Dürr oven in the future in the Mladá Boleslav main plant in the Czech Republic. Dürr is supplying all the system and application technology, including the building, for the new paint shop.

EcoInCure features nozzles with long throw distances that blow hot air into the inside of the body through the opening for the windshield. The flow velocity around the outer skin of the body during this process is minimal. This results in an undisrupted paint appearance with maximum quality. At the same time, optimum transfer of heat inside the body enables extremely homogeneous heating of both thin sheet and mass parts. The result is up to 30 per cent shorter heating times with minimized thermal component stresses, which is especially important for drying electric vehicles and multi-substrate bodies. The heating concept of EcoInCure reduces the electrical energy requirement by 25 per cent and regulates the drying temperature with previously impossible precision and speed. The exhaust air from the ovens is purified via the integrated Ecopure TAR afterburning system with heat recovery and then used for the oven heating system. The entire plant including data acquisition, data evaluation, and plant monitoring is controlled by the Dürr software solution iTAC.MES.Suite. The modular MES system provides detailed information on the production workflows and the consumption data at all times. For the first time, for example, Dürr is using the electronic quality card for the drying process, which makes it possible to track the drying quality of each body. This tried-and-tested technology from Dürr is already used to coat well over 10 million bodies worldwide each year.

The latest Dürr robotic generation is used in all process steps involved in painting. From the primer to the base coat and the clear coat line, a total of 61 EcoRP third-generation painting robots ensure efficient paint application. The exterior painting is done by the EcoRP E043i, the first painting robot where the seventh axis is integrated into the robot’s kinematics. Two or four robots are installed in each of the exterior painting cells. The stop-and-go painting process means that they do not need a rail. This enables a much better view of the booth, and eliminating the positioning axis significantly reduces the maintenance effort in the robot cell.
The interior painting stations are equipped with the six-axis robots of the type EcoRP L133i, which are mounted on a rail. The identically constructed EcoRP L033i model without rail is used for opening the hoods. The robots are assisted by Scara door openers. The latest Dürr robot generation has a modular structure. The only difference between the six- and seven-axis models is the additional axis of rotation in the main arm. The otherwise identical components simplify spare parts management, save storage costs, and make maintenance easier.

The robots are equipped with the latest Dürr application technology. The EcoBell3 atomiser series together with the associated EcoBell Cleaner D2 and the EcoLCC2 colour changer delivers low paint and solvent consumption as well as fast colour changes within the cycle time.