PaintExpo 2024 Highlights Coating Processes of the Future

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The industrial coating technology industry is increasingly focusing on sustainable and energy-efficient processes. This is reflected in the numerous technological developments that exhibitors will be showcasing at PaintExpo 2024, April 9-12, 2024, in Karlsruhe, Germany. These include energy-saving system concepts, applications that use fewer resources and modern software that help companies consume less energy, thus saving valuable resources in their painting and coating processes.

Afotek, a coating systems manufacturer, will be presenting its Afotek Clean biological exhaust air treatment system. "The systems dominating the market right now are thermal afterburners, which generally need to be heated with gas. Our product offers an alternative by taking very little energy to break down pollutants in air contaminated with substances such as solvents. This is possible because the AFOTEK Clean breaks down materials exclusively through biological oxidation," says Kai Sinning, a member of the company’s executive board.

The company Eisenmann, another exhibitor at PaintExpo 2024, has observed a shift from greenfield to brownfield projects. The latter refers to efforts to save materials and reduce emissions by investing in modernization and energy optimization for plants that, in some cases, are 25 to 30 years old. This is an understandable shift, given increasing prices in the energy-intensive paints and coatings industry and the desire for cost-effective value retention. Eisenmann addresses this by developing customized solutions such as conveyor technology that is skidless and therefore more energy efficient. The company developed VarioMover, a driverless transport system covering the full automotive paint shop process.

The Swiss coating systems manufacturer e. Luterbach will be at PaintExpo 2024 presenting various ideas for making coating technologies and systems more sustainable. For drying and firing ovens, CEO and co-owner Fabian Luccarini envisions a renaissance of old heating media. "There's a lot of talk about using hydrogen as a heating source but the physical parameters of existing ovens and systems make them impossible to retrofit. Thermal oil, on the other hand, can be transported at a high level from a central district heating source to the places where it is used. Currently, such projects are being driven forward."

Another exhibitor, Sehon Innovative Paint Systems offers products and services portfolio for sustainable, environmentally friendly and efficient painting processes. Customers building new systems or modernizing existing ones contract Sehon to future-proof overall operations in terms of energy use and sustainability. The company will be showcasing its innovative solutions for energy management, quality, efficacy and economic efficiency in paint shops.

Wagner will be exhibiting its array of wet coating and powder coating solutions. For wet coating applications, the company's focus is on sustainability as well as reducing the amount of solvents, materials and energy used. The company offers manual and automatic airless, AirCoat and air spray guns. The new generation of high-speed rotation atomizers for solvent- and water-based coatings plays a major role in making highly automated wet coating systems and robotic solutions a reality while at the same time focusing on using fewer resources.