When Skoda was about to build a new paint shop, numerous measures were implemented to conserve resources. Skoda was the first OEM ever to use a new dryer concept in which the car bodies run through the dryer and are heated mainly from the inside by large nozzles. The first-time use of the EcoInCure dryers, which are completely new in concept, was very carefully weighed up by the project managers in terms of risks and opportunities.
But on the one hand, the space conditions on the plant site were very much in favor of the shorter cross dryers, and on the other hand, the values of the dryer curves achieved on a test plant were very convincing. This is because the dryer concept significantly reduces the temperature differences between thin surface sheets and high-strength structural parts. This higher homogeneity in temperature distribution allows sufficient baking of the structural parts and at the same time avoids high temperatures on outer skin parts with a positive effect on paint adhesion and optical quality of the paint system. Particularly in the case of the in-house MEB platform, which was designed for electromobility and has correspondingly massive structures in the area of the floor assembly, the new dryer concept improves temperature distribution and heating speed quite considerably.
Read more about the use of the EcoInCure dryer and the experiences at Skoda in the September issue of mo - demMagazin für Oberflächentechnik, or with premium access soon on oberflaeche.de.