Assembly Lines
Marelli Honored for Adhesive Wastewater Recovery System
By using a three-part chemical agent, a new process separates adhesive waste from water that’s used to clean hoses and spray guns.
TROY, MI—Altair and the Center for Automotive Research recently announced the winners of the 13th annual Altair Enlighten Award, which highlights achievements in vehicle lightweighting and sustainability. It honors advancements that successfully reduce carbon footprint, mitigate water and energy consumption, and leverage material reuse and recycling efforts.
Automakers and suppliers were honored in various categories, and one of the top winners was Marelli. The company was cited in the Sustainable Process category for an innovative wastewater recovery method used to produce interior parts.
Marelli engineers created a cleaning process for adhesive manufacturing equipment, such as robots and spray guns used in bonding topcoat skins to substrates for cut, sew and wrap parts.
By using a three-part chemical agent, the process separates adhesive waste from the cleaning water, enabling recovery and reuse of approximately 85 percent of adhesive wastewater. This process reduced the plant’s water consumption by 8,160 kilograms annually, with the recovered nonpotable water able to be reused within manufacturing operations.
After extensive testing with several suppliers to identify the most suitable chemical agents, ratios and combinations, Marelli began using its new process late last year at its plant in Kyushu, Japan.
“This innovation embodies [our] culture of aiming to use resources efficiently, drawing also from Japanese know-how, which in particular developed this solution,” says Tsukasa Fujii, president of Marelli’s interiors business. “This was also made possible by the strong leadership of our factory managers, based on our ‘plant first’ approach. We will continue to partner with automotive OEMs to contribute to a sustainable society, and we believe this technology will set new industry standards.”
According to Fujii, the system “significantly improves water recovery and reduces waste during the cleaning of machinery used for adhesive bonding, which is a process commonly used in the wrapping of vehicle interior parts. After each use, the spray gun, hose, and related components used in the bonding process must be cleaned of adhesive residue.
“The water that remains after cleaning contains organic content, which classifies it as industrial waste,” explains Fujii. “Therefore, it cannot be reused for other manufacturing operations and must be properly disposed of.”
The new method developed by Marelli engineers uses three chemical agents that are mixed at precise ratios. They separate, condense and solidify the adhesive residue within the wastewater. The remaining water can then be reused in other manufacturing operations.Looking for quick answers on assembly and manufacturing topics? Try Ask ASM, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ASM
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