Powder coating is a useful process for manufacturers looking to create products with durable surface finishing. This new solution from RobPathRec uses RoboDK to simplify the creation of powder coating processes.
Designed for both novice and experienced robot users, the solution can coat workpieces from both sides simultaneously. It significantly saves on employee work time and helps to multiply the capabilities of the existing team.
Here’s how the team at RobPathRec used RoboDK to create their new solution for Riedel & Soelch, a Nürnberg-based company specialized in powder coating.
What is Powder Coating?
Powder Coating is a dry finishing process that has steadily gained popularity since its introduction in the 1960s. Over 15% of the industrial finishing market is powder coating, according to the Powder Coating Institute.
Powder coatings are both highly durable and decorative. They are available in a wide variety of colors and textures.
This type of coating works by electrostatic spray deposition. First, a polymer resin system is mixed with pigments and other additives to create a powder. A spray gun applies an electrostatic charge to this powder, which attracts them to the surface of the object. The parts are then cured in an oven to create durable molecular chains on the surface.
Powder coatings are known for being easy to use, environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and highly durable. They are tougher than liquid paints and offer reliable protection against impact, moisture, chemicals, ultraviolet light, and extreme weather conditions.
From an automation perspective, most small to medium manufacturers still apply powder coating using manual tools. They are less likely to be skilled in robotic integration, but could benefit from robots if they had the right solution.
Introducing… RobPathRec
RobPathRec is a company that includes a small group of industry professionals who are dedicated to helping people overcome the everyday challenges of automation.
The team offers customized hardware and software solutions for industrial and collaborative robot users. They aim to provide painless robot programming that can save up to 90% of the teaching time compared to conventional methods of industrial robot programming.
Their programming solution includes a virtual reality programming environment for path creation, path recording using a trace device, and robot code generation for a wide range of robotic systems.
RobPathRec works in partnership with RoboDK, which operates as a core software component for their robotic solutions. They sell this solution integrated with RoboDK using RobPathRec’s MakeItEasy addin.
The Project: Riedel & Soelch’s Collaboration with RobPathRec
The goal of RobPathRec’s powder coating project was to enable workpieces to be coated from both sides at the same time by a cobot-human collaborative team. The team began the project following requirements by one of their customers.
On one side of the workpiece, a collaborative robot applies the powder coating. The other side, which involves more complex coating steps, is coated by an employee.
The aim of this approach is to save the employee work time. The human’s dexterity is only required for the most complex operations, which makes the best use of their skills. This is particularly important right now as the company was finding it very tough to hire workers with a high enough manual skill to perform these complex powder coating operations.
The System: RobPathRec and RoboDK
The system involved combining of off-the-shelf hardware and software components with customized elements.
The core hardware and software components were:
- RoboDK Software — Our highly popular robot programming software. The solution uses RoboDK for simulation, visualization and offline programming.
- RobPathRec App — The company’s customized app for RoboDK for quick and easy path programming.
- HTC Vive Tracker Sensor — The system uses 6D tracking hardware provided by HTC Vive to track the motion of the coating gun (TCP).
- A Universal Robots UR10e — A Universal Robots collaborative robot with 10 kg payload and an integrated force-torque sensor.
- A GEMA powder coating gun — A gun, based on the design of manual powder guns, specifically designed to be incorporated as the end effector of a robot.
By combining these components, the team at RobPathRec created an integrated system that can achieve high-quality, consistent powder coating with minimal manual intervention. As it uses a collaborative robot, the system can operate near human workers, which allows the solution to work in a collaborative team with an employee.
Who Is It For? The System’s Many Uses
While the system was designed for powder coating, it can actually be used for many more robotic applications.
The system is suitable for any system that currently uses manual tools and wishes to add automation. It is particularly suited to users that want the benefits of automation but aren’t particularly interested in learning about the robotic technology.
One end user from Riedel & Soelch said:
“It was surprisingly easy to use. Far easier than anything else we used before.”
As well as powder coating, other example applications include spraying, welding, dispensing, gluing, polishing, and grinding. It could be used for working with wood, metal, or plastic.
The company provides both long-term and short-term subscription options, ranging from a yearly all the way down to just 7 days. This makes it a suitable solution for companies even if they only need automation support sporadically.
Unlocking the Future of Automation for SMB Workshops
This solution by RobPathRec is a perfect example of the type of system that can be made very simple by basing it around RoboDK.
By leveraging the flexibility of RoboDK‘s app interface, the team at RobPathRec could create a solution that is easy for their end users to use. The system helps their customers to reduce the struggle that comes with a lack of skilled power coating workforce, helping them to make the most from their existing employees.
This sophisticated yet user-friendly solution opens the doors to automation to many companies that might otherwise find robotics too daunting to get started with.
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