Fast realization of Paint Shop at SERES
The new energy vehicle manufacturer SERES has equipped a new paint shop in China with the help of German based supplier Dürr. The Liangjiang plant in Chongqing in southwestern China is built to optimize the production process for energy and resource efficiency.
Just nine months after receiving the contract, Dürr installed the plant and exhaust air purification technology as well as the software. SERES electric cars have been on the market since 2018, and the company has already shipped vehicles to over 70 markets since then. The new paint shop in the Liangjiang plant in Chongqing can complete 60 jobs per hour. “To meet the requirements of a production process that saves both resources and energy, we used especially sustainable products from plant and environmental engineering and installed our DXQ energy management solution,” explains Yu Lin, Vice President of the paint and final assembly business at Dürr China.
Savings with smaller pre-treatment tanks
The facility makes use of the “RoDip M” mechanical rotational process, which is known for conserving energy and resources during the pretreatment and cathodic electrocoating of vehicle bodies. Its 360° rotational movement, which spins the bodies around their own axes, eliminates the need for an inclined exit section in the immersion tanks. This innovation saves up to six meters in length per tank compared to pendulum conveyor technology, reducing water, chemical, and energy usage.
In the future, SERES will also use the “EcoDry X” dry separation system for overspray removal, a solution that saves energy. This cost-effective system relies on easily replaceable disposable cardboard filters, eliminating the need for water and chemicals. Dry separation minimizes fresh air requirements by recirculating nearly 90 percent of the air. This substantial reduction in energy consumption within the paint booth sets it apart from traditional wet scrubbing methods.
Heating ovens with exhaust air
To eliminate VOCs from exhaust air, paint booths at the new paint shop are equipped with a compact air pollution control system from Dürr. Exhaust air from the paint booths, which has already undergone adsorptive concentration through the recirculation process, undergoes further purification using an efficient VOC concentration system in combination with a downstream recuperative thermal oxidizer. This results in up to 15 % reduction in energy consumption. Additionally, exhaust air from the ovens is purified via the integrated afterburning system with heat recovery and then reintroduced into the oven heating system.
Also Dürr’s “DXQ” software products play a significant role in enhancing sustainability within SERES’ new paint shop. For instance, a software tool is employed for higher-level plant control, seamlessly tracking each body’s life cycle. An energy management tool provides a transparent overview of energy and media consumption across the entire production plant or for specific areas, like individual process lines. In this way, Dürr’s energy management solution makes it possible to quickly identify primary energy consumers at the plant level.Additionally. Also software from Dürr is used to monitor when individual components like pumps, valves, or filters need to be maintained.
Modular paint-shop design offers advantages
Thanks to the modular structure of Dürrs systems the new paint shop was completed in just nine months – from receipt of the contract to the start of production. In response to SERES’ request, Dürr also factored in space for a future primer line within the layout. “We’re very happy that we were able to impress SERES with our modular equipment and fast completion time, and look forward to a long-term partnership,” says Yu Lin.