Dürr is a traditional brand that has stood for technological progress and quality since its foundation in 1896. Alongside the balancing specialists of Schenck and the woodworking machinery manufacturers of Homag, Dürr is the third major brand in the Dürr Group, headquartered in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Swabia. As an international market leader, Dürr plans and implements turnkey paint and final assembly systems as well as machine and robot technology from a single source for the automotive industry. Dürr also offers high-performance systems for exhaust air purification and paint finishing technology for a wide range of industries. In addition to technologically leading products, Dürr knows how to convince through process know-how, successful project management and worldwide service. In addition to all this, Dürr has been researching in the field of digital networking for 20 years and in doing so has set significant impulses for the digitalization of plants, machines and processes.

And the Winner is...

And if there had been any further proof of Dürr's innovative strength, it was recently provided by winning the Automotive News PACE Award 2022, presented by an independent jury for the innovative solution of overspray-free application technology. Or as the laudation puts it: "Highest precision paired with outstanding energy efficiency in automotive painting - the EcoPaintJet Pro is able to paint complex body surfaces without overspray and to apply individual design elements fully automatically and in a resource-saving manner without masking.

The competition, which is already in its 28th year, is organised by the US automotive magazine Automotive News and is aimed at suppliers whose products, processes, materials or services contribute directly to the production of cars or trucks. The Automotive News PACE Award is now considered the global industry benchmark for innovation.

For more sustainability in the automotive industry

"We are very pleased that our technology is considered a breakthrough innovation and look forward to building on our successes in application technology with more forward-thinking solutions," said Alex Weiten, Dürr's Vice President of Application Technology in North America. "Sustainability is at a pivotal point in the automotive industry and the EcoPaintJet Pro will enable our customers to meet their environmental goals today and in the years to come."

Saves up to 30 per cent energy

As briefly alluded to above, the EcoPaintJet Pro's overspray-free process plays to its strengths not only in terms of possible design variety and lower production costs, but also in improving the sustainability of individual paint lines. A key factor here is the DXQ3D.onsite software: Even before the painting work begins, an initial measurement detects and takes into account any previous inaccuracies in the conveyor system or in the body shop. A second sensor mounted on the robot detects the deviation of the car body to be painted from the reference sample. If such a deviation is detected, the robot controller adjusts the painting paths in real time. Furthermore, the control system ensures that the speed and tilt angle of the applicator are always optimal, so that the paint is always applied evenly and no overspray or masking is required. On a standard production line painting 110,000 bodies per year, this process is said to save more than 1.5 million square metres of film and 2.2 million metres of masking tape, as well as countless hours of manual labour. And that's not all: according to Dürr, the new process requires up to 30 percent less energy than the conventional procedure. It is obvious that these advantages are arousing great interest among automobile manufacturers. Dürr recently received the first order for the EcoPaintJet Pro from a major American car manufacturer.

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