CUTTING ENERGY COSTS IN PAINTING LINES – PRACTICAL STRATEGIES

Painting lines are a cornerstone of many modern manufacturing facilities—ensuring not only the right finish and appearance but also contributing significantly to product quality and durability. Their role in adding value to the final product is undeniable.

However, this value comes at a cost: painting lines are also highly energy-consuming with their inherent complexity, multiple interconnected components, and diverse process steps. The good news? There are actionable strategies that can deliver substantial savings

without compromising performance.

With more than 50 years of experience in design of wet paint and power coating lines, we can offer some (hopefully) valuable insights.

Why Painting Lines Consume a Lot of Energy

Painting lines are energy-intensive due to their complexity and the number of integrated processes they require. From pre-treatment and drying to coating and curing, each stage demands precise control over temperature, airflow, and timing. This intricate coordination often leads to significant energy use – much of which goes unnoticed or unmanaged.

Identifying and addressing sources of waste is key to improving overall operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Not so surprisingly, the largest savings are achieved by not using the energy in the first place.

In our experience, these issues listed below usually contribute to the largest amount of unnecessary energy consumption:

• Inefficient or Poor Layouts: Poorly designed workflows and equipment placement.
• Overheating: Drying or curing items at unnecessary high temperatures.
• Heat Loss: Uninsulated pipes or poorly insulated ovens.
• Excessive Airflow or Exhaust: Components such as fans running at full capacity and not according to demand, or exhaust beyond what is necessary.
• Lack of Heat Recovery: Not reusing the heat from the exhausted air.
• Lack of Planning or Production Optimization: Idle time, poor scheduling, and ineffective product loading/hanging.

Smart Ways to Cut Energy Costs

To address the common inefficiencies and reduce energy consumption, there are several practical ways of doing so. Even implementing a few of these measures can result in significant cost savings and improved efficiency.

Here are our recommendations for how to achieve an energy efficient painting process:

1. Start with the Right Partner

Begin by selecting a trustworthy, experienced supplier to design your painting line in the first place. The design phase is where the biggest energy-saving opportunities often lie.

For example, in some cases, switching to a dual-track conveyor can significantly cut energy consumption. In other setups, extending the oven length may allow for lower operating temperatures, delivering the same results with less energy.

Ultimately, the optimal approach depends on your specific products, volumes, and facility layout. A well-designed painting line tailored to your needs can eliminate many common inefficiencies before they even begin … and that’s where we come in with our +50 years of experience.

2. Insulated Ovens and Ducts

Opt for low U-value ovens and insulated pipes to minimize heat loss. Ensuring the right operating temperatures further reduces energy drain.

Curing ovens designed and supplied by Moldow are built with high quality insulated panels. Numbers from a recently supplied powder coating line shows a U-value down to just 0.16 W/m2*K which ensures a highly efficient curing process.

3. Intelligent Controls and Frequency Converters

Investing in smart control systems and using e.g. frequency converters allows for dynamic energy management, tailoring power usage to real-time demand instead of running at fixed capacity.

4. Heat Recovery Systems

Recovering heat from exhaust air is a proven and highly effective way to reduce energy consumption. Failing to reuse this energy is quite literally like letting money vanish into the atmosphere. Instead, heat recovery systems capture and reuse it to heat incoming fresh air.

There are two main approaches to consider:

• Air-to-Air heat exchangers, which transfer heat directly from the exhaust air to the incoming air stream.
• Air-to-Water systems with heat pumps, which offer even greater flexibility by storing recovered heat for other uses within the facility.

5. Better Planning and Hanging Strategies

Streamlining how products are hung increases throughput. Naturally, running with as much items as possible will increase efficiency – whether due to optimized hanging or planning. Production planning is truly a key to an optimized line

6. Invest in Renewables

Finally, consider solar panel installations to offset your grid consumption with clean energy, reducing long-term operational expenses.

Final Thoughts: Efficiency Is Not Optional

As focus on environmental footprint continues to increase and energy prices continue to rise, reducing the energy use of painting lines is no longer a matter of preference—it’s a business imperative to remain competitive.

With smart investments and a thoughtful layout, manufacturers can transform energy-intensive paint operations into lean, cost-efficient lines.

At Moldow, we are always available for a discussion about your painting needs – whether it’s about optimization of an old line or design of a new.