In Leipzig, the EcoPaintJet Pro provides the roof of the Mini Countryman with its characteristic contrasting color. The centerpiece of Dürr’s robot-based high-tech system is a special applicator that applies the paint with absolute precision in parallel lines rather than atomizing it in the conventional way. For this purpose, the applicator is equipped with a nozzle plate containing around 50 virtually invisible holes, each with a diameter of approximately one tenth of a millimeter. The paint is applied through these holes from a distance of 30 mm without generating any overspray at all and thus without any material loss. The technology employed in Leipzig makes it possible for each hole in the nozzle plate to be opened and closed individually. This offers even more possibilities and precision in decorative painting.
Dr. Jochen Weyrauch, CEO of Dürr AG, accepted the award in Munich: “Every good innovation needs good partners on the customer side who can see the potential. The BMW Group is such a partner. With the overspray-free process we have revolutionized series painting together.”
This is the second time Dürr has been presented with the BMW Group Supplier Innovation Award. The mechanical and plant engineering firm first received the award in 2011 for its energy-efficient EcoDryScrubber technology for the dry separation of overspray. “Now, with the EcoPaintJet Pro, we have achieved another giant leap in innovation: The first award was about better overspray separation, whereas this time we have eliminated the overspray altogether,” says Dr. Jochen Weyrauch.
