Dürr's EcoInCure dryer system wins Pace Award 2024
For the second time in a row, a Dürr innovation has impressed an independent jury of experts and won the Automotive News Pace Award. The EcoInCure dries complex car bodies with outstanding paint quality faster and more effectively than conventional dryers.
"We are very pleased that our technology has been recognized as a groundbreaking innovation for the automotive industry," said Mark Murray, Head of Sales and Marketing at Dürr in North America. "Dürr's EcoInCure represents a new generation of car body drying and not only ensures the best surface quality, but is also by far the most sustainable drying system on the market thanks to the dryer design and the potential use of renewable energy." EcoInCure is an enabler for the Dürr paint shop of the future, changing the production approach from line-oriented to flexible and modular production. It is an ideal solution for drying all vehicles, especially electric vehicles, and meets specified process requirements for drying and curing paints, adhesives, steel and aluminum to the highest quality standards. High air speeds on the freshly painted surface are avoided, resulting in low permanent waviness in the paint surface and improving the surface quality of the paint by 50 percent. By transporting the car bodies crosswise through the line, the length of the dryer can be reduced by almost half. The amount of connecting conveyor technology is reduced, resulting in a smaller overall footprint and a smaller building footprint of at least five percent.
Dürr's EcoInCure was developed to meet the requirements of both conventional vehicles with combustion engines and electric vehicles. Key customer requirements such as topcoat quality and an optimal curing process are met better than with any other type of dryer. The electrically heated EcoInCure saves 50 percent energy compared to a conventional gas-heated dryer. When using renewable energy, this enables the dryer to operate completely CO2 neutral. This makes EcoInCure by far the most sustainable drying system on the market. Dürr's technology is already in use in various plants around the world, for example at Skoda and BMW. The 29th annual Pace Awards were presented by Automotive News. Suppliers whose products, processes, materials or services contribute directly to the manufacture of vehicles were eligible to enter. The Automotive News Pace Awards are recognized worldwide as the benchmark for innovation in the industry.