Coventry robot to take up painting
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THE FIRST paint-spraying robot to go into operation in a commercial vehicle cab plant in Europe has been commissioned at the factory of Motor Panels (Coventry) Ltd.
The installation is part of a £250,000 investment programme to provide a totally controlled atmospheric paintspray facility.
Motor Panels claim that the new painting operation will be capable of treating at least eight cabs per hour.
When the cabs leave the production line they first pass through a seven-stage electrophoretic paint dip area before proceeding to the robot.
The DeVilbiss three-piece robot is mounted adjacent to a 90 degree indexing table where the cab bodies are located.
This allows the robot access through both sides and the windscreen aperture.
The robot itself is mounted on a bogie assembly allowing it to be moved back from the cab between spraying operations.
By tackling the job in three operations a 90 per cent coverage of the interior surface is achieved, according to Motor Panels.
This leaves the remainder of the finishing coat to be done manually when the exterior is sprayed.