Three companies were awarded

Avoids overspray: EcoPaintJet Pro by DÜRR Systems AG. © DÜRR Systems AG

Front row – the winners (from left to right): Alexander Schmunk from ASIS GmbH (2nd place), Peter Haller from DÜRR Systems AG (1st place), and Kevin Braun from the Molecular Plasma Group S.A. (3rd place). Back row – the jury (from left to right): Michael Hilt from the Research Society for Pigments and Coatings e.V., Martin Riester from the VDMA Surface Technology Association, and Katja Feige from Fraunhofer IPA. © Fraunhofer IPA/Photo: Sina-Helena Gross

Removes defects: automatic finishing by ASIS GmbH. © ASIS GmbH

Enables surface functionalities: Nanocoating by the Molecular Plasma Group S.A. © Molecular Plasma Group S.A.

Probably, surface technology plays a crucial role in the transformation towards a hydrogen economy. The anodes of conventional electrolyzers are coated with iridium, one of the rarest elements on the planet. To reduce the iridium content to an absolute minimum in the future, researchers are currently working on innovative electrochemical deposition processes.

In fact, surface technology is often significantly involved in the level of innovation and progress in numerous industries, without this being widely known to the public. "The Stuttgart Surface Technology Award, DIE OBERFLÄCHE, aims to honor this ubiquitous yet often overlooked cross-sectional and pioneering technology and to promote new applications in this field," says Martin Metzner. He heads the Galvanic Technology Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation IPA and initiated the award in 2012. To this day, he is a member of the interdisciplinary jury that awards the prize every two years.

On June 21, 2022, it was once again time: at the SurfaceTechnology GERMANY trade forum, three companies were awarded the Stuttgart Surface Technology Prize, DIE OBERFLÄCHE.

1st Place: DÜRR Systems AG – »Overspray-Free Coating Application with EcoPaintJet Pro«

With the invention of the spray gun more than 100 years ago, efficiency in painting was significantly increased. However, its biggest disadvantage is the so-called overspray, a paint mist that is not deposited on the object being painted. For a century, engineers and technicians have repeatedly tried to eliminate overspray. With »EcoPaintJet Pro«, DÜRR Systems AG from Bietigheim-Bissingen has now succeeded. "The company, with great perseverance and in collaboration with partners from the paint and automotive industries, has realized the idea of completely overspray-free wet painting and possibly created a disruptive innovation," praises juror Michael Hilt, Managing Director of the Research Society for Pigments and Coatings e.V.

Until now, painting has been one of the largest energy consumers in automotive manufacturing. The high consumption is mainly due to paint drying and overspray. But if no paint mist is generated at all, this results in energy savings of around 30 percent across the entire painting line. Additionally, EcoPaintJet Pro makes it possible for the first time to combine customer-specific product design with automated manufacturing efficiently and environmentally friendly.

“In times when energy consumption and CO2 emissions are more than ever in focus, EcoPaintJet Pro offers much more potential than contrast colors or optical elements on car bodies – namely, the entry into an odorless and thus energy-optimized painting process. The EcoPaintJet Pro process from DÜRR Systems AG is therefore the worthy winner of OBERFLÄCHE 2022,” said Hilt in his laudation.

2nd Place: ASIS GmbH – »Automatic Finish«

Inclusion of particles during coating often results in visible defects. The affected areas must currently be manually corrected in an energy- and labor-intensive process – with varying results depending on the skill and mood of the personnel. However, ASIS GmbH from Landshut has now developed an accurate and repeatable solution for inspecting and removing defects with the automatic finish. Industrial robots evaluate each defect individually and process it precisely as required. This fully automated reworking process saves time and material and ensures consistent quality.

“The system has proven its industrial maturity through its use at an original equipment manufacturer and is now to be rolled out to other industries. We are pleased to be able to award ASIS GmbH with the SILVER prize for this development at OBERFLÄCHE 2022,” said Katja Feige from the Fraunhofer IPA in her laudation. Although Feige is not a jury member herself, she represented juror Martin Metzner at the award ceremony.

3rd Place: Molecular Plasma Group S.A. – »Molecular Plasma«

The Molecular Plasma Group S.A. from the small town of Fötz in Luxembourg has developed a technology that enables surface functionalization through covalent bonding of organic substances using cold atmospheric plasma on any substrate. The nanocoating created by the one-step, dry, solvent-free process imparts the surface with a clearly defined and durable function – ranging from improved adhesion of inert materials, to bioactive surfaces, to hydrophobic, hydrophilic, or even anti-adhesive properties.

“This innovative application of plasma surface technology significantly expands the possibilities of surface functionalization,” praises juror Martin Riester, consultant for surface technology at the German Association of Mechanical and Plant Engineering (VDMA). “This innovative strength, combined with the broad application possibilities across many target industries, was decisive for the jury to award the company the BRONZE prize at DIE OBERFLÄCHE 2022.”

Two other companies were nominated

Nominated for the Stuttgart Surface Technology Award, DIE OBERFLÄCHE, were also BMF GmbH from Chemnitz and Dörken Coatings GmbH & Co. KG from Herdecke. BMF has developed an automated blasting process that produces reproducible, homogeneous, and predefined surfaces. This avoids rework and rejects. Dörken, in collaboration with another company, has developed an automatic spray gun that, in conjunction with a robot, can partially coat components with almost no spray mist. Costly and time-consuming masking is no longer necessary.