Overspray free paint application
Established in 1963, the R&D 100 Awards is the only S&T (science and technology) awards competition that recognizes new commercial products, technologies and materials for their technological significance that are available for sale or license. The R&D 100 Awards have long been a benchmark of excellence for industry sectors as diverse as telecommunications, high-energy physics, software, manufacturing, and biotechnology. This 2021 R&D 100 winner is listed below, along with its respective category.
Category: Mechanical/Materials
Developers: PPG
Co-Developers: Dürr Systems AG
United States
Product Description:The EcoPaintJet overspray-free paint applicator invented by plant-engineering firm Dürr plus novel decorcoat paint from PPG (the second color applied) represents the world’s first implementation of precision application of automotive coatings. The innovative overspray-free paint application process eliminates all overspray from the paint application process, maintains crisp edges after being applied, and meets all automotive performance requirements to make precision applications for high-performance applications a reality. The process eliminates the need for masking. This saves 50 minutes per car when performing a process as simple as painting the roof a different color from the car body. While the first commercial use is in the auto industry, research is underway to bring the technology to the aerospace industry where significant manufacturing time is spent in the intricate masking required to produce the detailed and colorful livery on fleet aircraft. Other industrial applications where two colors are common can benefit, such as motorcycles, garage doors, trains and busses. One day, complete cars may be painted using this technology to eliminate energy-intensive air handling processes from automotive manufacturing.
Developers: PPG
Co-Developers: Dürr Systems AG
United States
Product Description:The EcoPaintJet overspray-free paint applicator invented by plant-engineering firm Dürr plus novel decorcoat paint from PPG (the second color applied) represents the world’s first implementation of precision application of automotive coatings. The innovative overspray-free paint application process eliminates all overspray from the paint application process, maintains crisp edges after being applied, and meets all automotive performance requirements to make precision applications for high-performance applications a reality. The process eliminates the need for masking. This saves 50 minutes per car when performing a process as simple as painting the roof a different color from the car body. While the first commercial use is in the auto industry, research is underway to bring the technology to the aerospace industry where significant manufacturing time is spent in the intricate masking required to produce the detailed and colorful livery on fleet aircraft. Other industrial applications where two colors are common can benefit, such as motorcycles, garage doors, trains and busses. One day, complete cars may be painted using this technology to eliminate energy-intensive air handling processes from automotive manufacturing.
EcoPaintJet applying decorcoat to roof