Dürr has launched a new paint shop at Volkswagen Group’s production site in Puebla, Mexico, to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
The turnkey project features two paint lines equipped with advanced electrified technology, including an electric drying system.
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The identical painting lines have 170 robots dedicated to sealing and painting and are equipped with the latest application technology to handle a variety of Volkswagen models.
The project, which was awarded in 2022 to Dürr, incorporates its visionary “Paint Shop of the Future” concept, integrating a high-bay warehouse and autonomous transportation systems.
The paint shop allows for the integration of new models and upcoming technologies. This flexibility is facilitated by the central high-bay warehouse and the EcoProFleet, an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system developed by Dürr for paint shop operations.
The DXQ software suite manages the AGV, ensuring sorting and transportation of vehicle bodies.
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By GlobalDataThe project scope also includes a comprehensive supply of paint and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as well as software solutions featuring AI from the DXQ range of products.
According to Dürr, a critical aspect of the CO2 emission reduction strategy is the drying of car bodies, which typically uses the most energy during painting.
By powering the ovens with renewable energy sources such as green electricity, the paint shop’s CO2 emissions can be reduced by approximately 40% compared to those leveraging natural gas.
Additionally, the electric oven is connected to an electric air pollution control system, an offering from Dürr that merges the EcoInCure with the Oxi.X.RV.
This system treats polluted exhaust air through regenerative thermal oxidation (RTO) without the need for an open flame.
Furthermore, Dürr said that it has implemented an energy-efficient and eco-friendly overspray separation system.
The EcoDryScrubber uses limestone powder to capture paint overspray, and the air is then purified by high-efficiency HEPA12 filters.
Dürr Automotive COO Bruno Welsch stated: “This was one of the reasons why Volkswagen opted for the EcoInCure electric drying system.
“Another is its special air duct system that heats the bodies from the inside out. This technology results in more uniform heating and cooling behaviour and reaches solid body components like the rocker panels more directly than conventional systems, cutting the body heating times by 30 percent.”
Volkswagen’s Mexico site was opened in January this year and has the capacity to paint 90 car bodies per hour across various models.
