Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • ELECTRONICS • ELECTRICAL
    • Fastening • joining
    • FLUID POWER
    • LINEAR MOTION
    • MOTION CONTROL
    • SENSORS
    • TEST & MEASUREMENT
    • Factory automation
    • Warehouse automation
    • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
  • Learn
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Learning center
    • eBooks • Tech Tips
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars • general engineering
    • Webinars • Automated warehousing
    • Voices
  • LEAP Awards
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guides
  • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Educational Assets
    • Engineering diversity
    • Trends
  • Supplier Listings
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Autonomous Painting Robot Mitigates Employee Exposure to Paint and Solvents

By Tierney King | January 25, 2019

Kässbohrer PistenBully snow groomers are now being painted by Dürr robots to save labor and cut the process time in half. The manufacturer of specialized vehicles for slope preparation has automated the process to gain better efficiency in production and expose workers to less paint fumes and solvents.

The surfaces of the PistenBully cabs are exposed to extreme conditions and harsh environments, such as sharp ice crystals to temps below freezing, and even strong UV radiation. In order to provide protection against these environments, two primer coats and a base coat are applied by the EcoRP L033 painting robot. The bot coats the metal frames from the outside and inside.

“The most time the robot needs to paint a cab is an hour. Compared to previous painting by hand, this saves us so much time that we’ve been able to significantly increase our output to 600 cabs per year,” says Uwe Thierer, Plant Manager at Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG’s Laupheim site.

Speed and quality ignite the autonomous process, ensuring all results are uniform.

The paint layers are applied in a combination booth, where EcoRP L033 first applies two primer layers as a bonding agent and corrosion protection wet-in-wet without drying in between. The color changing and dosing technology integrated within the front robot arm allows minimal paint loss when changing color, as well as short rinsing times with less solvent consumption. Following this process is the intermediate drying stage, and finally the base coat color application stage.

Dürr’s scope of delivery also includes the skid conveyor technology with turntable and tilt function. This ensures reproducible cab adjustment and correct positioning of the cab for the painting process. The robot then paints the cab body with the two primer layers, which looks after the corrosion protection and takes place in the tank. Five pressure pots for main color, hardener, and thinner are provided for the paint supply.

This automated process mitigates the harsh environments that workers are exposed to and has allowed the company to increase their rate of work exponentially. In addition to automating this process, Kässbohrer has also switched to chromate-free paint for the PistenBully manufacturing process. Check out the painting robot in action.

You Might Also Like


Filed Under: Product design, Robotics • robotic grippers • end effectors

 

LEARNING CENTER

Design World Learning Center
“dw
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for Design Engineering Professionals.
Motor University

Design World Digital Edition

cover

Browse the most current issue of Design World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading design engineering magazine today.

EDABoard the Forum for Electronics

Top global problem solving EE forum covering Microcontrollers, DSP, Networking, Analog and Digital Design, RF, Power Electronics, PCB Routing and much more

EDABoard: Forum for electronics

Sponsored Content

  • Widening the scope for machine tool designers with FORTiS™ enclosed encoder
  • Sustainability, Innovation and Safety, Central to Our Approach
  • Why off-highway is the sweet spot for AC electrification technology
  • Looking to 2025: Past Success Guides Future Achievements
  • North American Companies Seek Stronger Ties with Italian OEMs
  • Adapt and Evolve
View More >>
Engineering Exchange

The Engineering Exchange is a global educational networking community for engineers.

Connect, share, and learn today »

Design World
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Manage your Design World Subscription
  • Subscribe
  • Design World Digital Network
  • Control Engineering
  • Consulting-Specifying Engineer
  • Plant Engineering
  • Engineering White Papers
  • Leap Awards

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • ELECTRONICS • ELECTRICAL
    • Fastening • joining
    • FLUID POWER
    • LINEAR MOTION
    • MOTION CONTROL
    • SENSORS
    • TEST & MEASUREMENT
    • Factory automation
    • Warehouse automation
    • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
  • Learn
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Learning center
    • eBooks • Tech Tips
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars • general engineering
    • Webinars • Automated warehousing
    • Voices
  • LEAP Awards
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guides
  • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Educational Assets
    • Engineering diversity
    • Trends
  • Supplier Listings
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. We share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners who may combine it with other information you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use this website.