The freely programmable rollers clean the horizontal and vertical exterior surfaces of different types of car bodies.
Tried and tested for many decades
Bietigheim-Bissingen, January 2018 – Soft, reliable and flexible: Dürr has been offering its technology for fully automated exterior cleaning of car bodies since the end of the 1980s. Used by customers around the world, EcoClean is more than just a successful classic. This cleaning system also has a special feature: ostrich feathers thoroughly remove loose dust and dirt particles prior to painting, significantly increasing the first-run rate.
Ostrich feathers are a by-product of ostrich farming in South Africa, as farmers mainly market the meat and leather of the flightless birds. The feathers came into fashion as hat decorations in the 18th century but lost popularity over time and were relegated to domestic purposes in the form of dusters. Until their special properties were rediscovered for industrial use: the feathers are ideal dust catchers as they are very soft and flexible.
This benefits the automotive industry, where the natural feather dusters have a special job. Used in paint shops, rotating feather rollers clean car bodies by brushing over the outer skin of the car body gently but thoroughly. This movement causes the dust on the car body surface to be caught by the rollers of the Dürr cleaning system, and extracted inside the housing of the feather rollers. With each rotation, the feathers are ionized and cleaned of dust.
This method is both simple and effective, which makes it a real favorite among Dürr's products. The principle has been used in exactly the same way for 30 years. At the end of the process, all dust particles have been removed from the car bodies, thus creating ideal conditions for paint application of the highest quality.
The method, which has been tried and tested for many decades, is still in great demand. This year alone, the cleaning systems have been installed in Germany, Poland, Argentina, Mexico, the UK, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the United States and China. Almost all carmakers use this robust and durable cleaning method. The feather rollers only need to be replaced about once a year, depending on production capacity.
This is how the method works: A freely programmable roller is fixed to an overhead machine, while two tilted and two vertical rollers form the lateral cleaning quartet. This enables cleaning of the horizontal and vertical exterior surfaces of different types of car bodies.
An ionizing station is used for neutralizing the electrostatic charge of the car bodies, which can be caused by mechanical friction produced by the feather rollers during the cleaning process. This is always the final element in the cleaning system and prevents any further soiling before paint is applied. If requested by the customer, it is possible to install a second station for pre-ionization prior to cleaning.
The benefits of the system at a glance:
- Excellent, reproducible cleaning result
- Five freely programmable feather rollers
- Integrated collision protection
- Installed in the booth wall
- Easy to maintain