Dürr supplies the complete paint shop, from pre-treatment (VHB) to cathodic dip painting (KTL) and the spray booths with application technology through to the dryers. Dürr's scope of services also includes the waste water system, the installations for demineralizing the water (VE system) and the hall ventilation. Smart solutions are integrated into the respective processes throughout.

The paint shop will initially be designed for a capacity of 30 vehicles per hour, with the option of increasing throughput to twice this capacity at a later date. Only the base coat area will be designed from the outset for 60 vehicles per hour. BMW will also work with its fully automatic IPP (Integrated Paint Process) in this plant, which dispenses with the filler and thus a drying phase.

With regard to the plant layout, Dürr has opted for a simple industrial building without intermediate levels in combination with multifunctional body storage units with high-bay warehouse technology. This concept offers the advantage of sorting the vehicles with random access, which makes an additional color sorting store of the conventional type superfluous.

Sustainability is already a priority in the base coat area. The Rodip rotational dip coating process is used in VBH and KTL. Due to the complete rotation of the body in the tank, Rodip does not require any inlet and outlet slopes. The smaller volume of these shortened dip tanks reduces the need for water and chemicals and consequently also the energy consumption for bath conditioning. The use of membrane technology for VBH, KTL and in the waste water system further reduces water consumption and the volume of waste water.

Painting robot with cloud-enabled control system

A total of 30 EcoRP-E/L133i robots of the third and therefore latest generation ensure efficient paint application in San Luis Potosi. These operate in the top coat and clear coat lines either on a top or bottom rail. They are used for both exterior and interior painting and as hood openers. The new Dürr painting robot with cloud-enabled control is being used for the first time on the American continent.

The newly developed EcoRCMP2 process and motion control system controls Dürr's third generation of robots. The integrated safety controller for workspace and speed monitoring of the robots is exemplary of the smart factory concept. A large number of sensors ensure that the robot data is networked with the higher-level maintenance software and system control.

The EcoScreen Maintenance Assistant software from the digital@Dürr portfolio, which is being used for the first time, determines the system status based on the number of switching cycles of the valves or the load profiles of the robot servomotors. This enables preventive maintenance planning and increases system availability. As a result, service can be aligned with current system data and is no longer based on predefined maintenance intervals.

In application technology, the interaction of the dosing pump, colour changer, EcoBell3 atomizer generation and the award-winning EcoBell Cleaner D2 atomizer cleaner minimizes paint loss and rinsing agent consumption during colour changes. The scope of delivery here also includes the paint and thickener supply as well as 25 sealing robots from the EcoRS series, which seal seams on the car bodies fully automatically, spray on insulation mats and underbody protection and draw filigree seam lines on the visible areas in the door area.

Energy efficiency of the spray booth

For paint mist separation in the spray booth, BMW in San Luis Potosi has once again opted for dry separation with the EcoDryScrubber. In 2010, the Bavarian car manufacturer was the first OEM to use this technology at its plant in Regensburg, which is now used in more than 75 painting lines worldwide. The secret of its success is the saving of up to 60 percent of energy in the paint booth. By completely dispensing with water and chemicals, production can be carried out with up to 90 percent recirculated air. This reduces the effort required to condition fresh air and is the decisive factor in the spray booth's outstanding energy efficiency.

The new system software V5.X is being used for the first time. It improves the performance of the EcoDryScrubber by enabling the system to regulate itself. As a direct result, the stone powder used to bind the overspray is optimally utilized - this reduces consumption.

BMW also uses a product from the digital@Dürr portfolio for its dryers. The fully automatic EcoSmart VEC fresh and exhaust air control system ensures demand-based air management - the energy consumption of the dryer is optimally adapted to its respective utilization. Instead of a constant volume flow, the fresh and exhaust air is controlled depending on the number and position of the vehicles currently in the dryer.

Another energy-saving measure is the recovery of waste heat from the thermal exhaust air purification systems (EcopureTar) of the dryers. The waste heat is made available to the production facilities as hot water with the help of a waste heat boiler. To reduce solvent emissions, the exhaust air flow from the clear coat booths is cleaned using an EcopureKPR concentration system before it leaves the plant as a further environmental protection measure.

The plant in San Luis Potosi will go into operation in August 2018. Long before the start of production, Dürr is already thinking about efficient maintenance with impressive ease of use: without having to wade through paper folders, the EcoDocu electronic documentation enables direct access to all system-relevant data via QR codes and allows spare parts to be ordered smoothly. as