Environmentally sound – compliments from Volvo Trucks for Dürr paint systems

The new topcoat paintshop at Volvo Trucks in
Umeå, Sweden, is an advanced and fully
automated facility.

“The world’s most up to date paint shop and it satisfies all our requirements” is how Volvo Trucks describe the top coat line that Dürr has installed at the company’s Umeå facility in Sweden. The fully automatic paint shop features lower energy consumption and the use of environmentally compatible water-based paints.

Production on the 28 unit per hour top coat line supplied by Dürr started officially on May 9. The plant is arranged on three floors with air supply and exhaust air handling equipment and a filter system for solvent-based lines located on the fourth floor.

The spray booths for a total of three lines – using one water-based line – form a closed loop system and this has a positive effect on the plant’s energy footprint. Energy consumption for the complete paint plant is reduced by recovering heating energy from all exhaust air streams using a loop of water/glycol media heat exchangers – in the climatic conditions prevailing in North Sweden this is proving to be an especially efficient and effective choice.

The energy saving, low temperature drying process applied throughout for the two-component, water-based paint is another outstanding feature of the plant. As a result of Volvo’s co-operation with Dürr and paint supplier DuPont this paint line for Volvo FH series trucks represents the first time, worldwide, that this kind of drying process has been introduced for truck cabs. The drying temperature of 80° C makes it possible for plastic parts and metal components to be painted and dried together.

With the help of Dürr’s state of the art systems Volvo Trucks can successfully apply its principles of committment to quality, safety and the environment.

Your contact:

Uwe Scheuer - uwe.scheuer(at)durr.com