Spray Painting Robots: Advanced paint shop automation

The increasing demand for industrial automation has finally reached the paint shops throughout the mechanical industry. The operations performed in most paint shops are stressing, i.e. monotonous ever‐repeating movements day in and day out, as conditions also can be unhealthy because the operators breathe intoxicated air. Although surface treatments call for highly skilled spraygun operators, these qualified men cannot be offered a first class environment because of the specific paint shop situation. The spray painter, therefore, does not always feel happy with his job. He notices that other work shops in the factory grow better and better with regard to equipment and working conditions, while his shop stays with the old system. He is, therefore, constantly looking for a better place, which can be dramatic to his factory because skilled spray gun operators are hard to replace, or because the training‐in of new men is a costly matter, it takes time, and quality as well as capacity may be suffering during that time.