As part of a project for automated painting in the aviation industry, 16 robots from Dürr have been installed at Turkish Aerospace’s factory.
Sixteen EcoRP E133 coating robots from Dürr
will paint more than 50 different components in the high-tech production facility of the aerospace company Turkish Aerospace in Ankara. Dürr has developed a solution that enables both water-based and solvent-based 2C and 3C paints to be metered and mixed directly in the robot in an economical and highly precise way. Although most of the components in the aircraft industry are still coated manually, Turkish Aerospace is planning to manufacture large numbers of components for Airbus and Boeing that will be automatically painted in the two new paint shops.
Meeting high requirements for aircraft coatings
Coatings used in the aviation industry need to adhere to high functional and safety requirements, because of the temperatures and weather conditions they are exposed to – negative 76 ºF to 140 ºF. Moreover, aesthetic and colour scheme play an important role in aircraft’s brand recognition. So, Dürr enhanced its water-based and solvent-based 2C paints system, previously intended for the automotive industry, to meet this new challenge: the system meters and mixes the three necessary components, so that the incompatible water-based and solvent-based paints can be processed directly in the robot without coming into contact with each other. This kind of technology has never been mounted so close to the atomizers before, but it thus minimizes paint and solvent losses when changing colour and saves time.
The system uses EcoGun spray guns, which are highly precise and particularly suitable for painting large components up to 10 meters in length. They also allow faster completion than manual coating and produces less overspray. In addition, recirculated air can be used in the fully automated paint booths in order to save energy.
The DXQ3D.onsite software will enable operators to configure the process parameters and will provide specific consumption data for paints, solvents, energy, and air, in order to allow Turkish Aerospace to match them to the individual components in the future.
The cooperation with VIG Makina
VIG Makina is the general contractor for the construction of the two paint shops. The plant manufacturer is specialised in surface treatment and painting systems as well as manufacturing of aluminium production machineries. “We’re very proud to realise this pilot project for the aviation industry with VIG Makina. With our painting robots, application technology and colour supply system, we are significantly advancing automation in the aviation industry,” states Sabine Mewis, Key Account Manager Aviation Industry at Dürr.