Durr Systems expands products range to serve various industries
The Germany-based mechanical and plant engineering firm, Durr Systems AG, a leading supplier for complete paint shops for the automotive industry, for tier - I and II suppliers and for the non-automotive industry, has launched EcoRP 10 R1100, a six-axis robot. It has a maximum reach of 1,100 mm and a total payload of up to 10 kg. Equipped with paint application technology for 1K and 2K applications, high- and low pressure as well as waterand solvent-borne paint, the EcoRP 10 R1100 is the perfect choice for electrostatic and other paint applications, that serve the needs of various industries.
Robin Kaufmann, Head of Sales Industrial Products, Durr Systems AG, said, ”It is a new small-sized industrial painting robot, that consists of the mechanics and robotic controls of Kuka and application components of Durr that comes from the automotive industry and application control from Durr. It can be used in various applications that include for water-borne or solvent-borne applications, 1 component - 2 component systems, from high to low viscosity covers all application, LS gun, air spray gun etc.”
Kuka AG is one of the world’s leading suppliers of intelligent automation solutions. Speaking about the partnership, he said, “We looked into the market potential for industrial robotic painting and it is high and it made sense to create a new product that fits the demand. We partnered with Kuka, and it was a 100% joint co-operation, to create one product that we both market individually. Around 12 months of manpower has gone in from both the firms and our R&D department has worked harder to bring the new product.”
The new product has the interaction of robot and the high-speed rotating atomizer that convinces through maximum repeatability and continuous precision. The paint can be charged by a high voltage which achieves an improved transfer efficiency of up to 90%. The maintenance requirements are minimal due to the modular design and lifetime lubrication. “Durr has installed more than 15,000 robots in the automotive industry across countries making us the market leader in automotive robot painting. The average growth rate of the robotics industry is 13% globally with Asia being the main driver in the market. The main growth is in the general industry where automation is becoming the state-of-the-art. The world is changing and is changing constantly. When we do not react to the changes, we will be overtaken,” Kaufmann said. Durr’s activities in India began when the company built a galvanising line for Tata at Jamshedpur. Today, its divisions are active and offer high-quality balancing and diagnostic machines, application, paint and final assembly systems as well as clean technology systems, industrial cleaning and consulting activities. The company has expanded its capacities in India as an engineering centre for the local and export markets.
Sharing his insights on how the product will be used in the Indian market, Prashanth Alevoor, Head, Application Technology, Durr India, said that they see this product to be used in general industries. “We see the product in the Indian market to be more towards the general industry. This could be anything from tier-I, II, specifically wheels industry, small components and also wood sector, and wherever there are small components. As the Indian industry is moving towards automation and moving away from human skill process, this will help. These requirements will be met by the new product as it is easy to use and easy to integrate. It is something like plug and play. This brings the investment cost low for the customer,” he said.
Alevoor said this product comes directly from Germany. “There, we have all the facilities and benefits of large volume for this particular product. So, we do not enter into localisation. It is a straight product sale. The customer takes it and puts it in the shop and integrates
it locally. All the other things around the robot can be local,” he said.
“This is for the first time that an integrator across the globe has the possibility to get his hands on the Durr application equipment. Until now, it was exclusively for the automotive industry,” Kaufmann added. Alevoor said that the Durr products come enabled for IoT and Industry 4.0. He stated, “They give a choice to the customer that they can ramp up in a modular fashion. Our IoT suite also gives the customer the flexibility to choose and go as per the investment strategy.”