Dürr: Paint supply system minimizes paint and rinsing agent losses

EcoSupply P Core can be used wherever different paint colors are applied in small quantities, such as in the construction and wood industry or at automotive suppliers. Unused paint can thus be almost completely recovered, the consumption of rinsing agent minimized and the colour change accelerated. Dürr will be demonstrating how this works at PaintExpo from April 9 to 12 in Karlsruhe. The variety of colors has not only increased in the automotive industry. Customers in other industries also like to use their colour preferences as a distinguishing and individualization feature. Manufacturers, for example in the construction or plastics industry, must therefore have a correspondingly large number of colors available and use them to meet their customers' wishes. In the painting process, however, every color change in the supply line results in a loss of paint and rinsing agent, which causes disproportionately high costs, especially for very small quantities. This is because standard paint supply systems clean the hoses with solvent and compressed air, removing all paint and rinsing residue before the next paint cycle can be prepared. This is a costly and time-consuming process in which the longer and thicker the hoses used, the more paint is lost.

With pigging technology, Dürr uses a fitting body, known as a pig, which is precisely matched to the inner diameter of the hoses in order to make the process more efficient and reduce the consumption of paint and flushing agent. The paint flowing through the pig hose pushes the pig from the source module to the target module. This removes detergent residues in the hose. Distribution stations, of which up to four can be integrated into one pigging line, ensure the connection to the application technology. After painting, compressed air blows the pig back towards the source module. The paint remaining in the hose is transported back into the paint container. Rinsing agent then flows through the pig hose towards the target module. After cleaning, the process starts all over again. EcoSupply P Core is available in a single-pig and a circulating version and is suitable for the application of both water-based and solvent-based paints. In both cases, the reduced effort required enables significantly faster color changes. The modular design also makes maintenance easier. The individual components can be arranged flexibly, adapted to the specific requirements of the user and integrated into an existing system. EcoSupply P Core can also be combined with other Dürr systems such as the EcoSupply2 Core paint supply station. The "Starter Kit" from Dürr contains all the important components. It consists of a source and target module, a distribution station for connection to the application technology, the hoses, which are available in lengths of up to 100 meters, and the pig itself. The starter kit also includes sensors for monitoring the pig position, tools for maintenance and commissioning and the EcoDocu, a digital technical documentation with system examples.