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CO₂-efficient paint shop in Portugal
Dürr is building a turnkey paint shop for Volkswagen Autoeuropa’s Portuguese plant in Palmela and is simultaneously implementing a comprehensive software solution.
The turn-key paint shop project combines application and drying technology for CO₂ reduction with a system integration that brings together three separate paint shops in a single, unified operating environment.
In 2024, 955 vehicles rolled off the production line at the Palmela plant every day, totalling 236,100 units per year. The site is now gearing up for future model launches with an additional paint shop and software for process optimisation.
Resource-efficient clear coat application
The high-rotation “EcoBell4 Pro Hu” atomiser with 2x2K technology is used in the clear coat process. This variant was chosen to apply both glossy and matt clear coat with a single applicator and to reduce solvent losses during product changes. The atomiser operates according to the “High Transfer Efficiency” principle (HTE) and achieves application efficiency rates of up to 90 percent. The HTE-optimised parameters as well as the special bell cup and shaping air ring system enable a reduced rotational speed, a shorter application distance and 30 percent less shaping air. As a result, clear coat consumption per car body decreases, while the reduced overspray simultaneously lowers the energy required for air conditioning.
Paint drying with demand-based oven
Car body drying is handled by an electrically heated continuous dryer of the “EcoSmartCure” type with stop-and-go operation. The system heats electric vehicles in particular in a targeted manner and reduces energy consumption through demand-based temperature control. This results in shorter drying times and lower CO₂ emissions.
The new oven concept reduces energy consumption for paint drying.
Three paint shops in one SCADA system
In parallel with the plant technology, the plant manufacturer is implementing “DXQcontrol”, a software architecture that networks the new paint shop as well as two existing buildings – the main paint shop and the separate bicolor line for roof painting – in a common SCADA environment. The integration includes both the migration of third-party software and the upgrade of an outdated system version to the current generation of control software.
“With this cross-plant software solution, we are bringing together three independent paint shops with different technological starting points – this is highly complex,” says Felix Losch, Senior Manager Digital Products at Dürr. “But it is precisely this integration that delivers the greatest added value for the customer: one system instead of three, one user interface instead of several, full transparency across all processes. This not only saves costs but also makes production significantly more flexible and efficient.”
Coordination of all trades from a single source
The turnkey project also includes an offline measuring cell, the colour mixing room as well as work platforms and the internal conveyor technology. As general contractor, Dürr takes over the coordination of all trades. “The start-up of the paint shop is linked to the market launch of a new model. This requires precise planning and close coordination across all construction phases,” explains Marcus Treppschuh, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing at Dürr. The project will run in three phases until mid-2027.
More information: www.durr.com