Dürr’s EcoPaintJet Pro application technology won the innovation award "DIE OBERFLÄCHE" organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation.
EcoPaintJet Pro by Dürr, which can automatically paint complex car body surfaces without overspray and applying individual design elements without the need for masking, won the innovation award "DIE OBERFLÄCHE" organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation since 2012, which was presented at SurfaceTechnology GERMANY trade fair.
EcoPaintJet Pro can also lower production costs while improving the sustainability of individual paint shops. An initial measurement of the DXQ3D.onsite software detects and compensates for any inaccuracies in the conveyor system or the body shop. A second sensor mounted on the robot measures the deviation of the car body to be painted from the reference pattern. The robot controller adjusts the painting paths in real time.
The speed and tilt angle of the applicator are also controlled so that the paint is always applied evenly and there is no overspray and no need for masking. In a standard production line that paints 110,000 car bodies per year, this saves more than 1.5 million square meters of film and 2.2 million meters of masking tape every year plus a lot of manual work. Another advantage is that the new process requires up to 30% less energy than the conventional method.
“We at Dürr are very proud of the almost 20-strong team, which has been putting great effort and dedication into this invention since 2008. The innovative strength of our employees is the basis for our company’s success,” says Dr. Jochen Weyrauch, CEO of Dürr AG. “The EcoPaintJet Pro reflects a key focus in our development work: sustainability.”
The EcoPaintJet Pro has already won the German Innovation Award and was recently a finalist for the European Inventor Award, which is organized by the European Patent Office.