Sustainability and eco-compatibility – two terms that prompted bathroom furniture manufacturer Burgbad to take 4.5 million euros and invest it in new paintshops in Bad Fredeburg and Nogent le Roi, France. The new facilities use only water-based paint so as to avoid the harmful effects of volatile organic compounds.
At the two production sites, the new fully automated continuous conveyer paintshops combine all phases of production. The actual painting process – i.e. pre-processing, conveying and handling technology, as well as drying and exhaust air purification – is integrated within a flexible complete solution. “All in all, we were able to shorten the surface processing time from as many as 15 days to 10 days. Now, a colour change only takes 4.5 minutes – just a quarter of the time the old facility needed,” explains Karl-Heinz Wennrich, CEO of Burgbad AG.
The paintshop in Bad Fredeburg also boasts an integrated UV curing unit consisting of two 3D cold light emitters. It blocks the infrared rays so that the components do not warm up as much, which for instance prevents resin leaking from the wood. UV paints harden within just a few minutes when exposed to ultraviolet light and contain less or no volatile solvents. In addition, this process dispenses with the need for drying ovens, which reduces the amount of energy required and thus helps protect the environment – an important element of Burgbad’s forward-looking production concept.
