Combining AGVs, Software for Greater Paint Shop Efficiency

The combination of the EcoProFleet and DXQlogistics.control promotes maximized utilization of all work decks. Photo Credit: Dürr

From compact cars to pickup trucks, the EcoProFleet driverless transport system, developed by Dürr specifically for paint shops, transports bodies with flexibility. This automated guided vehicle’s (AGV) abilities are bolstered by its combination with DXQ software products from Dürr’s digital factory. Together, hardware and software enable variable production layouts, controlled material flow, and maximized efficiency and scalability in the industrial painting process.

AGVs can be a key to a smooth transition between work decks and temporary factory storage, covering most of the painting process spectrum. Dürr says it designed the EcoProFleet for this type of variety. The AGV is said to be able to pick up any model — compact cars, SUVs, pickup trucks and unique shapes such as truck cabs — place them down in work decks or keep them ready during the painting process.

Charging on the Job

Certain AGVs, including the EcoProFleet, are on the move up to 24 hours at a time, able to replace old production lines that have rigid cycle times. According to Dürr, the EcoProFleet is the only driverless transport system currently on the market that can operate around the clock. Unlike other models, it does not need to charge its energy stores overnight. Instead, EcoProFleet connects briefly to charging points along its routes. These charging points are where the AGV would be stationary anyway — for example, when transferring a body to a work deck. The short interval is enough to charge the capacitors so the AGV has enough energy after placing the body down to return immediately to the production area and start the next job.

Flexible Route Changes

DXQlogistics.control is Dürr’s tailored software solution for the driverless transport system’s control logic. It controls the material flow digitally according to work deck utilization, equipment and availability.

The software can decide autonomously about the next job step and work deck based on the body type and defined process steps. To optimize logistics, it can also take in destinations outside the route chart, such as outward transfer stations or temporary storage locations. This means it can respond flexibly, for example, if a malfunction occurs at a work deck or rework to a body surface necessitates changing the original route.

“The main advantage of combining the EcoProFleet with DXQlogistics is that the system is not limited by the longest vehicle processing time,” says Mark Murray, sales director, paint and final assembly systems. “The intelligent AGV and associated logistics system manages the fleet much more effectively than traditional conveyance by directing the product optimally through critical process areas in the paint shop, saving both time and floor space.”

The combination of the EcoProFleet driverless transport system and the DXQ software solution is intended to provide an optimized utilization of all work decks. The company says workers no longer need to wait for the next body because the software plans all the tasks in advance and even factors in transport time. Unproductive downtimes and cycle time losses become minimal, replaced by production efficiency.

Because Dürr’s hardware and DXQ software are coordinated and individually combinable thanks to their modular design, they can play an instrumental role in making the paint shops of the future more flexible and scalable than was previously possible.

Dürr | durr.com