During the automobile production process, the coating quality of automobile interior parts has a significant impact on the overall quality and aesthetic appeal of the vehicle. The robot spraying line for automobile interior parts, as an advanced coating solution, is gradually becoming the mainstream choice in the industry.
Robot Spraying Unit: This is the core part of the spraying line, usually using multi-joint industrial robots. These robots have a high degree of freedom, enabling them to flexibly adjust the position and angle of the spray gun and accurately spray various automobile interior parts with complex shapes. For example, for automobile dashboards with irregular curved surfaces and uniquely shaped door interior panels, the robots can, with their precise motion control capabilities, ensure uniform coating coverage. Some advanced robots are also equipped with intelligent vision systems that can identify the shape and position of the interior parts in real time, automatically optimize the spraying trajectory, and further improve the spraying accuracy.
Paint Supply System: Stable and precise paint supply is crucial for ensuring the spraying quality. The paint supply system includes paint storage tanks, conveying pipelines, pumps, and flow control systems. It can accurately control the supply volume and pressure of the paint according to the spraying process requirements, ensuring that the amount of paint sprayed from the spray gun is stable and uniform. For instance, by using high-precision gear pumps or diaphragm pumps, in conjunction with advanced flow sensors and control systems, it is possible to achieve precise delivery of paints with different colors and viscosities, meeting the diverse coating needs of interior parts.
Spraying Chamber: To create a favorable spraying environment and reduce the dispersion of paint mist and the mixing of impurities, the spraying chamber is designed to be sealed and is equipped with efficient ventilation and purification devices. The ventilation system can promptly remove the paint mist and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) generated during the spraying process, keeping the indoor air fresh and avoiding harm to the health of operators. The purification device treats the exhausted waste gas through methods such as filtration and adsorption to make it meet environmental protection emission standards. In addition, lighting equipment is installed in the spraying chamber to ensure that operators can clearly observe the spraying process.
Conveying System: It is responsible for accurately transporting the automobile interior parts to be sprayed into the spraying area and, after the spraying is completed, conveying them to the subsequent processes. The conveying system generally uses automated chain or belt conveyors, which can achieve continuous and stable conveying. At the same time, the conveying speed can be adjusted according to the production rhythm to ensure that it matches the spraying speed of the robot. For example, in some large-scale automobile interior parts spraying lines, the conveying system also has the functions of automatic identification and positioning, which can quickly and accurately transport different types of interior parts to the corresponding spraying stations.
Control System: The operation of the entire robot spraying line is coordinated and managed uniformly by the control system. Based on advanced programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or industrial computers, the control system, by writing specific control programs, can achieve precise control of various aspects such as the movement of the robot, the flow rate of the paint supply system, and the speed of the conveying system. Operators can monitor and adjust the system parameters through the human-machine interface (HMI), such as setting the spraying thickness, selecting the spraying mode, and checking the equipment operation status. In addition, the control system also has the functions of fault diagnosis and alarm. Once the equipment has an abnormal situation, it can promptly issue an alarm and indicate the cause of the fault, facilitating maintenance personnel to quickly troubleshoot and repair it.
Workpiece Pretreatment: Before spraying, automobile interior parts need to be pretreated. First, the surface of the workpiece is cleaned manually or by automated equipment to remove oil stains, dust, impurities, etc., to ensure good adhesion between the coating and the workpiece surface. Then, for some parts that require special treatment, such as interior parts made of plastic materials, flame treatment or chemical treatment may be required to improve the surface activity.
Workpiece Loading: The pretreated automobile interior parts are placed on the tooling fixtures of the conveying system. The tooling fixtures can ensure that the position of the workpiece remains fixed during the conveying and spraying processes. The conveying system slowly transports the workpiece to the robot spraying area.
Robot Spraying: When the workpiece reaches the designated position, the robot is activated according to the preset program. Under the control of the robot, the spray gun sprays the surface of the workpiece according to a precise trajectory. During the spraying process, the robot can flexibly adjust the moving speed, angle of the spray gun, and the amount of paint sprayed according to the shape of the workpiece and the spraying requirements. For example, for large flat areas, the spray gun can spray quickly and uniformly; while for complex parts such as corners and gaps, by adjusting the angle and flow rate of the spray gun, it is ensured that the coating thickness is uniform and there is no missed spraying.
Leveling and Drying: After the spraying is completed, the workpiece enters the leveling area. Within a certain period of time, the paint naturally levels on the surface of the workpiece, eliminating defects such as orange peel and runs generated during the spraying of the spray gun, making the coating more flat and smooth. After the leveling is completed, the workpiece is transported to the drying chamber for drying and curing. The drying chamber uses appropriate heating methods, such as hot air circulation and infrared radiation, to heat the workpiece to the temperature required for the paint to cure and maintain it for a certain period of time, so that the solvents in the paint volatilize and the resin crosslinks and cures to form a hard and wear-resistant coating. The drying temperature and time are precisely controlled according to the type and performance of the paint.
Quality Inspection: After drying, the workpiece reaches the quality inspection area through the conveying system. Inspectors use methods such as visual inspection, coating thickness measurement, and adhesion testing to conduct a comprehensive quality inspection of the sprayed interior parts. Workpieces with quality problems such as uneven coating thickness, bubbles, runs, and insufficient adhesion will be selected for rework.
Workpiece Unloading: The qualified automobile interior parts after quality inspection are removed from the conveying system, completing the entire spraying process, and then are transported to the next production link for assembly or packaging.
High-precision Spraying: Robots can precisely control the movement trajectory of the spray gun and the amount of paint sprayed. Compared with manual spraying, it can greatly improve the uniformity and consistency of the coating, effectively reducing defects such as runs and missed spraying, and bringing the surface quality of automobile interior parts to a higher level. For example, when spraying the armrests of automobile seats, the robot can ensure that the error in the coating thickness at each place is controlled within a very small range, thereby enhancing the aesthetic appeal and durability of the product.
High Production Efficiency: Robots can operate continuously for 24 hours, and their spraying speed is fast and the production rhythm is stable. By optimizing the robot's movement path and spraying program, a large number of automobile interior parts can be sprayed within a short period of time to meet the large-scale production needs of the automotive manufacturing industry. Compared with traditional manual spraying, the production efficiency of the robot spraying line can be increased several times or even dozens of times.
High Flexibility: Through simple program adjustment, the robot spraying line can quickly adapt to the spraying requirements of different types, sizes, and shapes of automobile interior parts. Without the need for large-scale equipment modification, the production of multiple products can be switched, providing strong support for automobile manufacturers to meet the diverse needs of the market. For example, when an automobile manufacturer launches a new style of interior parts, it only needs to modify the robot spraying program to quickly put it into production.
Paint Saving: The robot spraying system can accurately control the amount of paint used according to the actual shape of the workpiece and the spraying requirements, avoiding the paint waste caused by unskilled operation or excessive spraying during manual spraying. Compared with manual spraying, it can save about 30% of the paint, reducing the production cost.
Improved Working Environment and Safety: The paint mist and volatile organic compounds generated during the spraying process are harmful to human health. The robot spraying line effectively isolates the operators from the spraying area, reducing the chance of operators coming into contact with harmful substances and improving the working environment. At the same time, the equipment is equipped with multiple safety protection measures, such as light curtain protection and emergency braking systems, which can effectively prevent accidents to operators and improve the safety of the production process.
A well-known automobile manufacturing enterprise introduced a set of advanced robot spraying lines in its interior parts production workshop. The spraying line uses multiple six-axis industrial robots, equipped with an intelligent paint supply system and an automated conveying system. In actual production, the spraying line can efficiently and accurately spray a variety of interior parts such as automobile dashboards, door interior panels, and seat armrests. By using the robot spraying line, the coating quality of the interior parts of this enterprise has been significantly improved, and the product qualification rate has increased from the original 85% to over 98%. At the same time, the production efficiency has been greatly improved, and the production capacity has increased by 2 times compared with the previous level, effectively meeting the growing market demand of the enterprise. In addition, due to the reduction in paint consumption and labor costs, the enterprise has achieved considerable savings in production costs and obtained good economic and social benefits.
With the continuous improvement of the requirements for product quality and production efficiency in the automotive industry, the robot spraying line for automobile interior parts, with its advantages of high precision, high efficiency, and high flexibility, will play an increasingly important role in the future of the automotive manufacturing field, helping automobile manufacturers to enhance their product competitiveness and achieve sustainable development.
