The Dürr Wolfsburg location has organized its first expert forum on the topic of gluing body in white. On 20 and 21 October 2015, experts from Germany and neighboring countries met to discuss trends in the industry and to present solution approaches. It was reflected by the great response that Dürr had addressed a highly topical subject for the customers with its program. Numerous suppliers also accepted the invitation to Wolfsburg, along with OEM´s from Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and France.
In descriptive presentations, Managing Director Ralf Ludwig and his Wolfsburg team introduced the contribution Dürr is able to make to gluing application. The latest innovations and products from the field of gluing technology for body in white were demonstrated live. The expert discussions revolved around the entire Wolfsburg product portfolio, with pumps of between 30 and 200 liters volume capacity, electric and pneumatic application heads, robust individual and double dosing systems, as well as user-friendly control systems.
Thinking outside of the box
The focus of the live presentations in the test center was the stitch-bead procedure as well as the electrical swirl application procedure (E-Swirl). The stitch-bead procedure is already used in many areas of body in white, in connection with spot welding. This combination requires opening and closing the applicator head quickly and exactly, allowing the glue bead to be interrupted in exactly defined distances and the weld spots to be produced at glue-free spaces. This prevents “burning” of the glue. The electrical swirl application procedure, for which Dürr Wolfsburg plans its market launch in the second half of 2016, is used for hem flange gluing of attachment parts. Both procedures were discussed and evaluated by the experts in terms of economic efficiency and reproducibility. The OEMs and suppliers already see concrete areas of application in their manufacturing processes. In the diversified program, practical demonstrations in the Wolfsburg test center were alternated with specialist presentations on gluing practice. In these presentations, representatives of Sika and Audi, among others, granted exclusive insights into the gluing processes of the industry.
That went down (well)
A participant put the consistently positive statements on the event in a nutshell: “The symposium was organized perfectly, and the products and technology presented by Dürr have shown us new solutions in the body in white connection technology for the future. During the expert discussions on the product, we were not only able to talk about the functionalities, but also the future areas of application.”
What’s next?
Ralf Ludwig was able to confirm the positive mood from the participants: “It has been shown that the industry is still searching for new, economical solutions in the area of gluing body in white. We will gladly continue the dialog and repeat the expert forum regularly.”
