20180903_tf_2_2018_BeilegerImHeft_enGB_RZ_Einzelseiten_epaper

ENERGY MANAGEMENT
PERFECTION
The new Coating Centre saves a lot of energy in the coating process of a trailer chassis, as innovative technologies are being used to
avoid waste heat and to utilise what has been created. It has already received an award from the German Energy Agency prior to
commissioning for this, as well as further efficiency measures in all processes.
The German Energy Agency (Dena) has
awarded the new Coating Centre from Krone
as a pioneering project for the reduction
of waste heat. Krone uses state-of-the-art
production technologies to significantly reduce CO 2
emissions: by around 40 percent. “We’ve achieved
this outstanding result primarily through the intelligent
combination of various efficiency measures in
this design,” explained Mathias Schrigten, the industrial
engineer at Krone responsible for the waste heat
concept of the Coating Centre.
Where possible, heat loss within the Coating Centre
is avoided or recycled for use elsewhere within the
plant. The new building enables the responsible use
of resources and sustainable operation of the entire
industrial plant.
HEAT USE FROM PASSIVE COOLING
In order to achieve the desired results when blasting
the surfaces, the workpieces must be supplied to
the blasting system dry and heated to room temperature.
For this purpose, the heat emitted to the ambient
air by the chassis during cathodic dip painting
(CDP) and powder cooling is fed to the raw chassis
buffer. The blasting system is also designed so that
the exhaust air, which is heated and filtered during the
process, flows back through the building. Highly efficient
drives and turbines, as well as high-performance
filters, are used to reduce pressure loss.
A heat exchanger installed at the thermal oxidiser
(TO) ensures that the heat generated during the
cleaning process of the CDP furnace exhaust air
heats the process tanks in the bath station. The powder
furnace also produces waste heat, for example,
The Dena award is a testimony to the outstanding efficiency of the
new Coating Centre. This is made possible by state-of-the-art production
technology.
when the doors are opened. Each furnace chamber
now has its own burner: This means that the output
can be individually regulated and adjusted during entry
and exit as well as during empty runs. The retention
time of the workpieces and the temperature can
be adapted exactly to the requirements of the respective
workpiece for each furnace chamber.
The Coating Centre also saves energy during
transport, thanks to lighter goods carriers: The chassis
are moved through the complete system on such
carriers. For transport through the bath station, a
separate main product carrier circuit was also implemented,
which cycles the chassis with the light goods
carrier from tank to tank. The main product carrier
does not have to enter the furnaces. The weight-saving
also has significant advantages in the furnace processes:
The lighter the product carrier, the less mass
needs to be heated or cooled. After the processes in
the furnace, the waste heat from the cooling process
is fed through a sophisticated ventilation system into
the raw chassis buffer to heat up the chassis.
All these measures add up to a considerable
amount of savings. By honouring lighthouse projects,
Dena wants to make the considerable energy efficiency
potential through waste heat avoidance and utilisation
more visible – and motivate companies in all
industries to tap this potential.
PRECISE CONTROL OF NUMEROUS PROCESSES
In addition to the measures for waste heat utilisation,
Krone has implemented many other optimisations
for energy efficiency in its new Coating Centre:
For example, the heated tanks for pre-treatment and
their pipes were more heavily insulated in the new
building, so that heat requirement can be reduced,
among other things. When the system is not coating,
the heated tanks are automatically covered.
The circulation of the processing substance can
also be controlled more precisely in each bath station.
All circulation pumps are operated with frequency
converters which reduce the process to a minimum if
there is no workpiece in the tank. The new CDP furnace
system saves additional energy thanks to new
technology that hardly lets any residual heat escape
when new chassis are inserted. Among other things,
airlock blowers were installed for this purpose. And
because there are ten CDP furnaces, the furnace
chambers are only heated when they are needed for
the process.

ANDREAS SCHEUER AND
BERNARD KRONE PULL
THE LEVER
The new coating centre in Werlte was officially opened in August.
As part of the "Krone Future Lab", Bernard Krone, Managing Partner
of the Krone Commercial Vehicle Group, and Federal Minister of
Transport Andreas Scheuer, symbolically pull the lever for the start
of the system. Among the guests were more than 400 customers of
Krone, who have trusted the quality of the company for a long time.
This video shows
some aspects
of the opening
event.

SPECIAL EDITION
SURFACE COATING
IN A NEW DIMENSION
State-of-the-art, tried-and tested coating technology coupled with a fully automatic chassis warehouse.
Perfect surface coating for maximum protection
against corrosion: The Krone
Commercial Vehicle Group offers its customers
state-of-the-art, tried-and-tested
coating in combination with innovative automation
technology at the new Coating Centre in Werlte.
The goal: Highest quality in order for customers
to have the best vehicles to meet the challenges of
their business.
The new coating plant, which took 13 months
to construct, is located in a facility measuring 120
by 130 metres and up to 20.5 meters high. An area
of 16,500 square metres provides ample space for
the Coating Centre to include an integrated, fullyautomated
chassis warehouse. The chassis are coated
in the plant using a tried-and-tested coating concept:
The cathodic dip painting (CDP) with final
»We are bringing the
Werlte site up to the
highest technical level
of industrialisation
currently possible.«
Bernard Krone
powder coating makes the vehicle highly wear-resistant.
The plant is designed for a maximum
weight capacity of four tons and accepts raw parts
of all types.
“The new coating plant brings the Werlte site
up to the highest technical level of industrialisation
currently possible,” explained Bernard Krone,
Managing Partner of the Krone Commercial Vehicle
Group.
At 40 million euros, this is the greatest
single investment in the company’s history. This is a
clear commitment to the site, to sustainable quality
– and to protection of the environment: The Coating
Centre meets the latest requirements, and CO 2
emissions
per coated chassis are reduced. The exhaust gas
from the baking furnaces is also thermally treated,
which greatly reduces odour emissions.

»WE HAVE SET OURSELVES HIGH GOALS
AND HAVE ACHIEVED THEM TOGETHER«
Volker Perk, Head of Industrial Engineering of the Krone Commercial Vehicle Group, described the philosophy and
technical masterpiece that is anchored in the heart of the new Coating Centre at the Werlte site.
Since the beginning of July, the first chassis have
already been manufactured in trial operation at
the new Coating Centre. What does this mean to
you personally?
I'm really glad that we were able to do so much together
as a team. Together, we have set ourselves high goals and
achieved them consistently ahead of schedule! All those
involved have invested a great deal of energy over the
past year and a half and have ensured that all our ideas
have been implemented and all requirements met. The
construction was also completed without impairing
further production processes. This was a really special
achievement. We were also able to smoothly inte grate
the new processes with the corresponding interfaces.
And the topics, 'quality' and 'sustainability' were always
of utmost importance in all of this. For me, the new
Coating Centre perfectly embodies the quality concept
for which the Krone company stands.
Why did Krone invest in such a modern Coating
Centre?
We wanted to set new standards for coating our chassis
in terms of quality, corrosion protection and sustainability
in regard to environmental protection and energy
efficiency. The centre allows state-of-the-art automatic
control of the entire coating process. Colouring and
assembly are decoupled: This ensures the optimum sequence
of coating and assembly.
What distinguishes the systems, especially in the
light of future challenges?
The high level of automation! It enables maximum reliability
and also takes the pressure out of the shortage of
skilled workers – high quality production is assured. A
dynamic, fully automatic warehouse is integrated into
the coating system with the sequencer, via which the
products can be appropriately introduced into each processing
stage up to delivery to the assembly department.
»The topics Quality
and Sustainability
are always at the top of
the planning and
implementation agenda.«
Volker Perk
Modern conveyor technology in combination with central
process automation ensures that all processes are
optimally controlled and implements all movements of
the chassis within the Coating Centre. All programs are
generated and processed automatically using object dependencies.
Each processing step is digitally monitored
accordingly and logged.
In what way is perfect corrosion protection guaranteed?
We prepare the workpieces optimally so that the paint
adheres seamlessly and firmly. The complete chassis is
first cleaned and descaled by 3D blasting. The combination
of splash, spray and immersion degreasing also
contributes to this, as well as zinc phosphating with subsequent
passivation. The CDP dip coating belongs to a
series that has been optimally designed for corrosion
protection. It has a special edge protection additive that
provides better protection for every edge of the chassis
through thicker layers. After thermal crosslinking
at around 190 degrees Celsius, a homogeneous, diffusion-tight
film coating is produced that reliably keeps
environmental influences away from the substrate. The
system is immersed in water and contains less than two
percent residual solvent. In addition, the powder coating
process is highly automated, thus we can meet all
the customers' colour requirements. Last but not least,
state-of-the-art furnace technology plays its part in ensuring
that we can provide the best protection against
corrosion.
How do you deal with the areas of the chassis are
particularly difficult to reach?
In complex simulation runs, we have designed the blasting
machine so that the steel blasting material reaches
the workpiece right to the last corner. It is optimally
prepared for the coating: The combination of splash,
spray and immersion degreasing ensures a completely
clean and dust-free chassis – the optimum basis for the
further coating process. Zinc phosphate reacts directly
with the chassis material, and the CDP ensures that the
chassis is coated uniformly, even in cavities and on intricate
parts of the structure.
What role has environmental protection played in
the design of the centre?
It was very important to us to protect the environment
as much as possible and to use all resources responsibly.
We were able to achieve this through intensive planning,
and we have reached a new level of efficiency with
these systems.
Are there already next steps or goals?
First of all, we are pleased to be able to offer our customers
future-proof surface protection for their vehicles. Of
course, we are constantly improving, and there will certainly
be more exciting projects in the coming months
and years – both small and large.

1
reach almost all surfaces of the chassis construction. During
the blasting process, about 25 tons of the steel blasting
material is fired at the chassis at a speed of up to 300 kilometres
per hour. Falling blasting material is fed back to the
process via screw conveyors.
3
RAW CHASSIS BUFFER
The raw chassis are delivered in packages of four to the
Coating Centre. The vehicles can pass through the delivery
hatch with no need for difficult manoeuvres.
The buffer zone offers storage space – here, the individual
chassis wait to be guided through the system. One step
follows another like a string of pearls: A precisely planned,
timed and automated process. The conveyor system takes
over the raw chassis at a binding station with two overhead
cranes.
The plant uses the warm air from the cooling areas in the
coating process to ensure that the supplied chassis are heated
to room temperature and transferred dry into the further
process steps. A ventilation system directs this air directly to
the raw chassis buffer.
2
BLASTING SYSTEM WITH
DE-SANDING STATION
The first station that each chassis must pass through involves
blasting and de-sanding: Because the chassis are delivered
raw, the metal is precision shot-blasted using steel
balls. This removes mill scale, cinder and impurities, resulting
in a clean, bright, metallic surface with the pre-treatment
and the CPD coating can optimally adhere to later.
The blast system is equipped with 22 turbines – more than
twice as many as in the previous system. This enables an
optimal blasting result to be achieved. The intelligent arrangement
supports this goal: The turbines are arranged
three-dimensionally in the blasting chamber so that they
After the treatment, many steel balls remain on the chassis
and in cavities. The chassis is cleared of these at the desanding
station: To do this, it is fixed to a device that moves
it around its own axis several times with turning and tilting
movements. What remains is a cleaned chassis with a clean,
bare metallic surface.
4
DIPPING LINE
The chassis is pre-treated in the tank stations and then
CDP-coated. After a testing period, during which more than
1,000 metal sheets and test pieces were used, KRONE has
opted for tri-cationic zinc phosphating – the best-proven
technology currently available.
The system can be operated in three shifts: In the pre-treatment,
the chassis is immersed in different tanks one after
the other. The baths are circulated around the clock to keep
bath parameters such as pH constant. The parameters are
continuously checked. Each chassis passes through the following
stations within approximately 90 minutes:
A) Splash and spray degreasing: The chassis is mechanically
cleaned. As it enters the spray degreasing tank, it
is rinsed off and then sprayed with a large number of
nozzles while moving continuously.
B) Immersion degreasing baths and rinsing: In this
station, the chassis is carefully cleaned and degreased
again. Baths with special liquids are used for this purpose.
The metal is dipped twice in the immersion
degreasing baths and the rinsing tanks.
C) Preparation of the surface for a flawless CDP coating:
Zinc phosphating is carried out before the actual
coating by cathodic dip painting. This is a chemical process
that prepares the material optimally for absorption
of the paint. It is immersed in an acidic solution
which triggers the desired reaction with the metal.
Zinc phosphating increases the adhesion of the coating
and protects against corrosion. The chassis is then
rinsed twice more before a passivation bath completes
the zinc phosphating process to perfection: As a result,
the surface is completely and evenly sealed again. This
is followed by a further rinse in demineralised water.
D) CDP coating: The final seal of the chassis takes place
in a tank containing the CDP-coating. When immersed,
the CDP coating preparation reaches even the smallest
cavities to ensure an even and effective coating of the
metal. The CDP coating is applied to the surface of the
chassis at over 300 volts DC and around 2,300 amps.
The components are then rinsed twice more, removing
any excess paint.

9
Buffer zones
1st Floor
9
8
8
Powder furnaces
Delivery
A BRILLIANT
PERFORMANCE
ALL ALONG THE LINE
1
Raw chassis buffer
1
The raw chassis undergo a highly automated coating process for
optimum sealing in the Krone Coating Centre, where energy efficiency,
durability and the highest quality are combined.
2
Blasting system

7
Powder chambers
6
Buffer zones
5
CDP furnaces
Ground Floor
6
Transfer
to assembly
Pre-assembly
7
5
10
4
3
2
4
Dipping Line
3
Desanding

5
CDP FURNACES
The coating must be dried. For this purpose, the plant has
ten large CDP furnaces, which are heated to a defined
temperature of around 190 degrees Celsius. In this process,
the CDP coating is firmly bonded to the surface of
the chassis. Depending on the type of chassis, this takes
about 40 to 60 minutes. The coating crosslinks to form a
homogeneous, closed film that will effectively protect the
component in future applications. Outdoor air is used to
cool it down. A thermal oxidiser is used to clean the exhaust
air from the furnaces.
6
9
BUFFER ZONES
Here, the chassis cool down passively and are then stored
until they continue into the powder coating. In this step,
the customer can choose their own colour scheme: All RAL
colours are available. The desired colour is applied in one
of the two powder chambers in the system – the powder
system is changed accordingly for each new colour. Since
process automation determines the coating sequence, the
system automatically detects when a colour change is due
and initiates the changeover in the powder chambers. The
chassis can be stored dynamically via transfer bridges. This
makes it possible to optimise colour changes – for maximum
efficiency and to create as little waste as possible.
The sequencer installed by Krone allows for a dynamic and
100 percent automatic storage system: The components
can be temporarily stored between all process steps using a
push & pull conveyor system. Tractors push or pull the goods
carriers in the direction of travel, and transverse movements
are carried out via transfer bridges. This requires relatively
little effort and enables the use of a light and energy-saving
goods carrier. The sequencer holds around 200 chassis.
The task of this dynamic storage is to decouple the coating
system from the assembly. As a sequence controller, it also
takes on the task of creating an optimum sequence with the
aid of process automation prior to powder coating before
the chassis enter the corresponding sequence for assembly
and are passed on to the next finishing stage.
7
POWDER CHAMBERS
Powder is applied to the chassis in this station: The system
sprays the smallest particles in powder form as a cloud onto
the statically charged workpiece. The vehicle is completely
measured via a 3D scanning grid as it enters the powder
chamber, and the 47 automatic spray heads arrange themselves
at the optimum coating distance around the chassis
in order to apply a uniform powder layer. After this step, the
chassis is moved to the second level of the Coating Centre.
8
POWDER FURNACES
The powder coating must also be treated in the furnace. The
powder furnaces ensure that the particles slightly liquefy
and then harden – in this way, they bond optimally to the
CDP coating and firmly adhere to create a tough, impact-resistant
surface.
BUFFER ZONES AND
TRANSFER TO ASSEMBLY
The complete coating is finished, and the chassis is ready
for installation. Thanks to process automation, it remains in
the sequencer until it is requested. The assembly sequence
for the chassis is already determined upon entry into the
raw chassis buffer. When the assembly is requested, the
finished coated chassis is placed in the specified sequence
and sent for assembly.
AT A GLANCE
16,500
13 months
construction period
40 mil. euros
invested
200 chassis
storage capacity
4
tons
square metres
of facility space
maximum
weight capacity
6.8 minute
throughput frequency
40 percent
energy conservation