SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Dürr has installed an automatic painting line for its customer Nordex, which is based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Nordex has been producing vehicles in Uruguay since 1962 for different OEMs. The company contracted Dürr for its new Peugeot SUV and Kia Bongo line.
To achieve best results in its painting processes, Nordex Uruguay contracted with Dürr Brazil to supply a fully automated painting line – a milestone for the local industry. As this is reportedly the first automated painting line in the country, it was also supported by governmental and municipal agencies. Start of production was planned for May 2021. The Dürr team managed the project successfully despite all challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Painting Process
Dürr’s automatic painting line starts after pretreatment of the car bodies. In a cleaning cabin, the body is prepared thoroughly. This process ensures that the vehicle enters the line without any impurities. After this initial step, the inner car body is painted manually, according to the customer’s requirements. Dürr’s EcoGun spray guns are used for this process. Subsequently, four Dürr EcoRP painting robots automatically paint the exterior. This painting process, in which different coatings can be applied, is followed by a flash-off period during which the solvents can evaporate from the surface. After that, a clear coat application is utilized for protecting the paint and brightening the color. The interior is again painted manually, and two Dürr EcoRP robots paint the exterior.
While the vehicles are being transported to the oven, there is another flash-off period. The oven is 36 meters and reaches a temperature of about 180 degrees. In this stage, the applied paint hardens. Finally, the vehicles pass through a cooling tunnel to lower the temperature. This step provides more safety and ergonomics to the operator who receives the car body at the end of the painting process.
Smart Painting Technology
In both the base-coat cabin and the clear-coat cabin, Dürr’s unique painting technology allows the robots to identify each body and to configure the paint setting accordingly. In the paint supply room, eight groups of tanks — six base coats, one clear coat and one solvent — automatically provide the corresponding materials for manual as well as for automated application. A heat exchanger controls the processing temperature at any time and guarantees optimal results. With Dürr’s painting technology, the customer’s requirements on quality and precision are fully achieved.
Sustainability
In addition to the application system, Dürr provides a Wet Scrubber System. This consists of a closed water circuit, installed below the application booth, that captures surplus paint. The contaminated water goes through a separation and filtration system, where the paint is chemically separated from the water to be used again in the process.
Assembling the Painting Line
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the installation of the painting line was even more challenging. However, Dürr followed all safety and prevention protocols to meet Nordex’s requirements and assembled this important line in time.
“This project was challenging, mainly due to the pandemic. All areas of the company were involved; we worked together overcoming all obstacles, not only technical, but also with the permits to enter the country, due to all additional restrictions imposed by the pandemic. The process has been enriching and we have a very committed team doing work with extreme quality and efficiency. We are very happy to be part of this very important project for Nordex,” said Guilherme Custódio, Dürr Project Manager.
Learn more about Dürr at https://www.durr.com/en/.
