Since 2004, Dürr headquarters in Germany has had a successful business partnership with Kay Automotive Graphics’ parent company Orafol Europe GmbH, a leading European manufacturer of self-adhesive films, adhesive tape systems, and reflective materials. The parent companies’ longstanding partnership and several successfully operating RTO systems for Orafol in Germany made US-based Dürr subsidiary a natural contender for the new project in Michigan.
The awarded turnkey project includes system engineering, design, manufacturing, installation and commissioning of the Oxi.X RL RTO and hot oil delivery system with interconnecting ductwork, filter houses, exhaust stacks, oil piping, pneumatics and electrical.
Kay Automotive Graphics will use Dürr’s cutting-edge air pollution control technology for their facility’s new coating lines, which will apply colors and adhesives onto films that will eventually be used in OEM automotive products as well as in other industries, including aerospace. The printing and coating process requires solvents such as toluene, heptane, and ethyl acetate, which the Oxi.X RL RTO will remove from the exhaust air stream. But the system benefits extend beyond efficiency and environmental compliance as Dürr has a demonstrated record of installing high-quality systems that deliver first-rate operational reliability. Therefore, Kay Automotive Graphics is investing in Dürr’s proven technology to consistently fulfill its production quota for years to come.
Dürr’s Oxi.X RL RTO will meet the facility’s air pollution control needs by destroying up to 98% of VOCs using thermal oxidation at a rate of 60,000 cubic meters of process exhaust per hour. The Oxi.X RL RTO’s heat recovery system utilizes clean exhaust air to heat the thermal oil for increased energy efficiency. Kay Automotive Graphics saves over 3,000 kilowatts on these new coating lines by significantly reducing the amount of natural gas typically required to maintain the system, particularly during high solvent load conditions.
In addition, Kay Automotive Graphics will optimize production and process flow thanks to the Oxi.X RL RTO’s hot oil delivery system, which will also improve overall production efficiency by serving as a supplemental heat source to dry the sheets and rolls produced in the facility.
Randall Mertz, Executive Vice President International at Orafol Group: “Our aim is to run the production of Kay Automotive Graphics as energy efficient as possible. Dürr’s state-of-the-art environmental technology and the years of experience with integration into our production infrastructure is a central building block to ensure that.”
