Chinese start-up features state-of-the-art manufacturing technology

Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany - June 20, 2018 - Electric, fully networked and highly automated: the new automotive brand Byton is designed for the mobility of the future. The Chinese start-up insists on state-of-the-art standards for manufacturing and commissioned Dürr to construct a complete paint shop. Distinguishing features are a 20 percent reduction in the facilitys physical footprint and the use of pioneering technologies. An example of this is the EcoInCure oven, which is ideal for electric vehicles.

In October 2019, the Chinese OEM Future Mobility Corporation (FMC) will produce electric vehicles under the Byton brand at its company site in Nanjing. The new paint shop is designed to initially handle 150,000 vehicles per year - equivalent to 30 units per hour. Growth has been factored in and the capacity can easily be doubled when demand requires.

Electric mobility goes hand-in-hand with modified body concepts that use new materials or combine materials in new ways. Conventional ovens reach their limits when steel, aluminum and composite materials are used together. This is because it is vital that all body parts are heated uniformly, otherwise thermal stresses occur. To meet this challenge, Dürr developed a fundamentally new concept in vehicle drying with EcoInCure: bodies are heated from the inside out by two jet nozzles through the opening for the windshield and two nozzles directed into the engine compartment opening. This enables unprecedented uniformity of heating. Compared with conventional ovens, there is also a significant improvement in top-coat quality and process performance because heating from the inside out reduces the risk of pinholing. In addition, minimized flow velocities along the freshly painted surfaces ensure a completely undisrupted top coat appearance.

Dürrs scope of delivery for the new paint shop for Byton FMC includes the RoDip® rotational dip process for pretreatment and electrocoating - already equipped for 60 units per hour - as well as all the robotic and application technology for the sealing and painting processes. The electrocoating stage uses the energy-saving and fail-safe system EcoDC MACS. This technology uses its modular anode control to create a voltage profile in the tank that moves with the body. The robots in the spray booths are equipped with the latest EcoBell 3 atomizer generation. The semi-automatic EcoDryX dry separation system, which separates the overspray in the paint booths for primer and top coat, requires no water or chemicals. This simple and robust technology works on the basis of cardboard filters.

In addition, Dürr is designing a downstream exhaust air purification system made up of the highly efficient Ecopure® KPR VOC adsorptive concentration system with combined thermal exhaust air purification using the Ecopure® RTO.

The scope of delivery of the order placed at the beginning of 2018 includes material feeding for PVC and paint, shop ventilation, fire protection for the process systems and a reverse-osmosis plant to reduce the water hardness. The exhaust air from the ovens is purified via the Ecopure® TAR recuperative thermal process, which also provides all the heat for the oven in an energy-efficient way.

Despite the extensive equipment, the design of the plant will be compact and space saving - due in large part to EcoInCure. This is because the oven transports bodies transversely, halving its required length compared to conventional systems. In addition, a central high-bay warehouse saves the space required for multiple intermediate buffers and enables intelligent material flow control. All in all, this Eco+Layout from Dürr reduces the paint shops footprint by 20 percent.

About the Dürr Group
The Dürr Group was established in the United States in 1970 and currently employs around 880 people. From the new Campus with a state-of-the-art validation, testing, and training center in Southfield, Mich., Dürr USA represents four of the five divisions. Paint and Final Assembly Systems offers equipment for painting and assembly processes, while Application Technology provides paint application systems. Dürrs Clean Technology System is the global leader in air pollution abatement and energy efficient technologies. The subsidiary Schenck Trebel Corporation, based in Deer Park, New York, offers balancing machines, vibration and condition monitoring systems and services for the general industry. The customers of Dürr USA include automotive and commercial vehicle manufacturers as well as their suppliers, and a diverse group of other industries. HOMAG Machinery North America operates the production facilities for HOMAG Group in Grand Rapids, MI, which is also the base for sales and service company Stiles Machinery Inc.

The Dürr Group is one of the world's leading mechanical and plant engineering firms with extensive expertise in automation and digitization/Industry 4.0. Products, systems and services offered by the Group enable highly efficient manufacturing processes in different industries. Dürr supplies sectors like the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, chemical, pharmaceutical and woodworking industries. The company has 92 business locations in 31 countries. The Group generated sales of € 3.71 billion in 2017. Dürr has around 15,000 employees and operates in the market with five divisions:

• Paint and Final Assembly Systems: paint shops and final assembly systems for the automotive industry
• Application Technology: robot technologies for the automated application of paint, sealants and adhesives
• Clean Technology Systems: exhaust-air purification systems and energy efficiency technology
• Measuring and Process Systems: balancing equipment as well as assembly, testing and filling technology
• Woodworking Machinery and Systems: machinery and equipment for the woodworking industry