MEETING THE INDUSTRY
PaintExpo: Exhibitors Optimise the Coating Processes of the Future PaintExpo, the world’s leading trade fair for industrial coating technology, will take place from 9th to 12th April 2024.
T
he industrial coating technology industry is increasingly focussing
Optimising Energy Consumption in Existing Systems
on sustainable and energy-efficient processes. This is reflected
Among its customers in Europe, the company Eisenmann has observed
in the numerous technological developments that exhibitors will
a shift from greenfield to brownfield projects. The latter refers to efforts
be showcasing at PaintExpo 2024. These include energy-saving system
to save materials and reduce emissions by investing in modernisation
concepts, applications that use fewer resources and modern software
and energy optimisation for plants that, in some cases, are 25 to 30
that all help companies consume less energy, thus saving valuable
years old. This is an understandable shift, given increasing prices in
resources in their painting and coating processes.
the energy-intensive paints and coatings industry and the desire for
At the upcoming edition of PaintExpo from 9 to 12 April 2024 in
cost-effective value retention. Eisenmann addresses this by developing
Karlsruhe, for example, application and plant manufacturers will be
customised solutions that allow clients to conserve valuable resources
showcasing innovative solutions and products for greater sustainability
through the use of innovative products in a variety of fields. One
and energy efficiency. While exhibitors at the world’s leading trade fair
example here is the company`s ongoing development of conveyor
for industrial coating technology will be taking a variety of approaches,
technology in an important step towards painting and coating processes
they will all be pursuing the same goal of optimising coating processes
that are skidless and therefore more energy efficient. Building on this
to use as little energy as possible, thereby protecting the environment.
success, the company then went on to develop VarioMover, a driverless
Energy-Efficient, Biological Exhaust Air Treatment System
transport system covering the full automotive paint shop process. Eisenmann’s E-Cube is the ideal technology for efficient, dry paintseparation processes, offering an answer to the growing demand for
AFOTEK, a coating systems manufacturer from Bad Hersfeld in Germany,
alternatives to the wet paint-separation processes widely used in the
will be presenting its “AFOTEK Clean” biological exhaust air treatment
past. The potential energy savings here are huge, in part through the
system at PaintExpo 2024. “The systems dominating the market right
conversion of paint booth ventilation systems from fresh/exhaust to
now are thermal afterburners, which generally need to be heated with
recirculated air modes of operation.
gas. Our patented product offers an alternative by taking very little
The SmartOven from Eisenmann delivers an outstanding energy balance
energy to break down pollutants in air contaminated with substances
in the drying process while maintaining excellent paint quality. The
such as solvents. This is possible because the AFOTEK Clean breaks
oven can be heated with electricity, gas, thermal oil or hydrogen, thus
down materials exclusively through biological oxidation,” says Kai
offering a great deal of economic latitude thanks to the wide selection of
Sinning, a member of AFOTEK’s Executive Board.
possible energy sources.
The key component of the biological exhaust air treatment system consists of two cylindrical reactor towers filled with a unique substrate.
Sustainable Heat Sources and Modern Software
This substrate is then moistened using an agent that has been enriched
The Swiss coating systems manufacturer e. Luterbach will be
with nutrients. The mode of action is based on aerobic microorganisms
at PaintExpo 2024 presenting various ideas for making coating
that oxidise carbon dioxide and water via a biochemical process that
technologies and systems more sustainable. For drying and firing ovens,
converts gaseous, organic pollutants to products that are harmless and
CEO and co-owner Fabian Luccarini envisions a renaissance of old
odourless. Unlike conventional solutions for treating exhaust air, this
heating media: “There’s a lot of talk about using hydrogen as a heating
purely biochemical process needs very little external thermal energy,
source but the physical parameters of existing ovens and systems
making it a cost-effective method of treating solvent-charged exhaust air
make them impossible to retrofit. Thermal oil, on the other hand, can
streams without needing to concentrate the pollutants first. In the case
be transported at a high level from a central district heating source to
of hot exhaust air flows, waste heat recovery systems can be positioned
the places where it is used. Currently, such projects are being driven
upstream from the air treatment system to make use of the excess heat
forward.”
and channel it into other processes.
Other developments promising greater sustainability and predictive maintenance can be found in the e. Luterbach software and IT portfolio.
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N. 85 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 - international PAINT&COATING magazine