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Decospan has developed into an A-customer over the years, as Bürkle planned and built the first large veneer press lines for the supplier as early as 1993. In recent years, several new machines have been purchased or replaced.
“Due to the many years of very successful cooperation, it was of course much easier for us to respond to the customer's wishes with the new system, because everyone literally knows what makes the other person tick and what is important. This is exactly when great things can happen, as is the case with the floor roller coating system, which was built in an L-shape to match the premises and has an impressive length of 202 meters,” reports Philipp Jauch, Head of Project Planning at Bürkle.
The system, which was installed last year, is now used to coat veneered floor panels. The coating is designed as a roller coating system and consists of water-based and UV-curing lacquers. It goes without saying that the coating system is equipped with the latest technologies in the field of water-based drying and UV curing.
Drying and curing
The throughput of the system begins with a sophisticated handling concept, also developed by Bürkle, supplemented by fully automatic feeding and stacking including automatic thickness. The workpiece blanks are then sanded on a wide belt sanding machine integrated into the control system - including cleaning of the panels after the sanding process. This is followed by the application of a water-based stain, which is brushed into the surface with spreader brushes to colour the veneers. The boards are then further primed with a multi-stage water-based and UV lacquer.
The final top coat is applied using several roller coating machines. Curing takes place in a downstream UV system, optionally with conventional UV technology.
Control concept at the heart of the system
The central system control is the intelligent heart of the system. It coordinates the individual processing stations, manages the parameters required for production and records the machine data. Furthermore, extensive status and fault messages are provided for the effective operation of the system. The system is also equipped with the Bürkle Remote Service System. This system guarantees access to all relevant system elements for fault diagnosis and troubleshooting, whereby the Bürkle technicians in Freudenstadt have direct access to the system control and the operating terminals via a remote desktop. The control system has been specially adapted to Decospan's requirements to ensure smooth data exchange with Decospan's higher-level IT systems.
30 meters per minute
Designed for three-shift operation, the system achieves a production speed of 30 meters per minute. The first layout of the plant was created at the beginning of 2021, the final concept in April and the contract finally signed in July. Decospan's main objectives for the new production line were a throughput speed of 30 meters at the highest possible coating quality, coupled with maximum productivity and reliability.
Other technical highlights of the line include high-quality roller coating machines for optimum coating results and the handling concept developed by Bürkle. The UV systems are state of the art and are characterized by high performance and long lamp life. In addition, all systems are equipped with energy-efficient motors and are designed to be easy to operate and maintain. The integration of third-party components and the system integration by Bürkle project management were crowned with success.
Fully automatic adjustment of machine parameters during operation
During the project preparation phase, there was continuous and intensive cooperation between the customer, the paint supplier and Bürkle. The Bürkle specialists were able to carry out extensive preliminary tests and various samples of customer parts at the Technology Center in Freudenstadt in advance and provide the manufacturer with the appropriate material.
During the project preparation phase there was continuous and intensive cooperation between the customer, the paint supplier and Bürkle. The Bürkle specialists were able to carry out extensive preliminary tests and various trials of customer parts in the technology center in Freudenstadt and provide the manufacturer with the appropriate material.
The engineering was carried out as complete 3D planning using the latest digitization tools and simulation models as well as the use of digital twins to support planning and programming.
The central control system is equipped with recipe management for various products. Among other things, it also enables the fully automatic adjustment of machine parameters during operation. Up to three employees are scheduled per shift to ensure the operation of the system. The employees also carry out regular quality checks.
According to overall project manager Karl-Heinz Gude, Bürkle has already carried out 100% testing in the area of handling thanks to extensive test runs. At the end of November 2022, the operating personnel were finally trained in order to be able to carry out the first performance run with material on December 8. Since then, the roller coating line at Decospan has been running at full speed and ensuring the promised quality of the veneer flooring manufacturer. “The project was an important building block for the alignment and modernization of our production. With Bürkle, we have a partner at our side who has fully adapted to our needs. Today we can say that all parameters have been fully met and the system has been integrated smoothly into our production ever since. The performance requirements, the engineering and the design of the roller coating line are unique on the market and a great success for both our companies, Peter Wullepit and Robbe Vanhoof, project managers at Decospan, summarize the project with Bürkle.
