I have managed an automotive OEM paint shop, have selected paint shop automation, and have been a supplier of painting robots, robotic atomizers, and atomizer cleaning systems.
May we agree at the outset that your goal is to achieve world class paint results by selecting the right equipment (spray booths, application, flash off zones, ovens) to coat the vehicle in a clean area from start to finish, with restricted human intervention inside the process areas.
One common thread is recognizing the versatility of the combination of the right robot and atomizer systems to provide a quality paint finish while minimizing paint usage.
As a paint shop manager, you have a system installed, and maybe have personally selected the system. Now the challenge is to optimize your painting system while finding additional areas that need painting, discovering difficult positions to paint and some even creating singularity errors, fixtures that need an excessive amount of TLC to perform as expected, and you still are getting “dirt in paint”.
My mission is to help you to make your job easier while achieving improved painting results. You are already working with your paint supplier, and perhaps your automation supplier, to achieve the performance criteria on which these purchase decisions were based.
You are up to you’re a** in fighting alligators and my mission is to help you drain the swamp.
I have focused in areas that you probably have insufficient time to consider.
“Dirt in paint” from robots:
Normal painting results in paint buildup on the robot arm and the exterior of the wrist and atomizer. If left uncontrolled, over time it will flake, shed, drip, or grind off onto the painted surface. You have recognized the need for protecting the equipment and protecting the product, and you may even have selected a cover supplier. You are still seeing defects on your painted surfaces.
I have selected a supplier of robot covers (BWI – www.butterworthindustries.com) who have done their homework. With 20 years experience, they have developed internal controls including (a) a class 1, ISO 3 clean room laundry (b) developed lint-free material solutions to (c) deliver the product to the plant in a pristine condition and can (d) support plant recycling of the covers by laundering back to original specification condition.
We have observed plants reducing maintenance costs by using their paint suit service to launder robot covers. These covers often have observable foreign material right out of the bag and this translates into an increase of “dirt in paint” right out of the chute. Why not only use clean covers as these “savings” generally result in multiplied costs in vehicle reprocess and frustrations for polish deck personnel.
I will be pleased to discuss your particular situation.
“Dirt in Paint” from atomizers:
You have selected the atomizer and determined the right bell cup size, shaping air, and turbine speed (or the right gun configuration and operating parameters) and are continuing to optimize. You are still noticing unexplained defects.
Your robot supplier may have offered you a “gun box” to keep the atomizer clean and we all appreciate “one size fits all” solutions. I have even promoted this scenario in the past.
I have found what looked to be another “gun box” but actually was a “cap cleaner” with an engineered solution to clean the important parts of the atomizer. The company (Crystal Cap Cleaners – www.crystalcap.com) customize the operating parameters to match your requirements – your atomizers. They approach the problem by identifying the areas to be cleaned (behind the bell cap, the air cap passages, etc) and design and manufacture your cleaner for your equipment. An extensive installed base in North America and Europe is testimony to this philosophy.
“Dirt in Paint” from the spray booth:
Yes, paint buildup will occur on the booth walls and grating. As the automotive business improves, there will be less time available to clean these areas to protect the production process. It’s time to get creative and more efficient.
I recommend technologies to protect these areas, such as
1. Multi-mask products from Butterworth Industries
2. Aquastrip, as zero-VOC neutral pH paint stripper (from Butterworth Industries)
3. A unique maintenance product Surfcoat 8000 from Advanced Surface Technologies (www.advancedsurfacetech.com) which is a non-stick coating, especially in hard to clean areas such as 2K clear coat. This also works wonders to significantly reduce paint buildup on exhaust fans.
Paint Buildup on Fixtures:
Painting fascias and other add-on parts present their own challenges; here are a couple of ideas:
1, Butterworth Industries are already masking some fascia carriers to protect against paint buildup while leaving specific areas of contact open to support the painting process.
2, Advanced Surface Technologies have successfully coated some parts carriers to protect them and facilitate cleaning
E-Coat:
You may want to consider the Advance Surface Technologies product to coat carriers and improve operation of latching mechanisms etc in your E-coat system. If this would prevent one “job off in E-coat”, it would be a winner in my books.
Please contact me today for a complimentary consultation.
Ron
Winsoar Inc—Fletcher NC— Ron McLean 864-404-6696 or 1-877-WINSOAR
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronmclean
Twitter: @IamRonMcLean
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