A complete coating and curing process for spherical objects
Not every product that needs coating is flat or can hang from a vertical line, and sometimes the geometry of those products represents an obstacle to what should be a simple process. As we have innovation in our DNA, the times we are faced with a new situation, we will always gather our best engineers and make use of our laboratory to design an efficient solution. In this case, we patented a finishing line which handles the coating and curing of helmets.
Continuous coating and curing to maximise production efficiency
One priority we gave ourselves was that of enabling a continuous flow of helmets through the line, based on a system that would be as fluid as possible. Because a helmet is a sphere, it was clear there was an advantage in making the helmet rotate instead of getting a painting robot to spin around the object while it stood still. This made the line simpler and easier to manage.
Helmets first undergo deionisation to remove any trace if dust before reaching the spray coating section, where they receive a transparent glossy coating by means of a reciprocating spray gun, whose movements are a key part of this patent. Drying is then carried out according to the type of coating applied. This can either be performed using hot air blown onto the helmets or a curing stage inside an oven using 3D UV lamps. Alternatively, hot air followed by UV curing if necessary.
What are the benefits compared to manual coating or an anthropomorphic robot?
Until we developed this solution, manual coating was a simple, yet inefficient option and never led to great consistency in the coating quality. Anthropomorphic robots have been used, but this entails setting complex trajectories. The patented vertical reciprocating coating system for spherical elements is not complex and allows process flexibility. Operators, even without any specific training or experience, can set different parameters for the movement of the spray guns as well as controlling the rotation speed of the helmets, both in order to optimise coating quality. They do not need to define special trajectories or start programming a robot. Further benefits include a lower initial investment than other robotised solutions, lower coating consumption, and the possibility of coating other spherical objects, not just helmets.
Watch this video to see exactly how this system works. Or contact us for more information.
