ABB's PixelPaint robotic painting technology for the automotive industry has won the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award.
ABB's PixelPaint robotic non-overspray painting solution won the 2021 edition of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation
(IERA) award for its innovative value and ecological benefits in the commercialising of innovative robotics and automation technologies.
PixelPaint, available from 2020, uses inkjet heads to apply high resolution, two-tone or personalised designs directly to a car body in a single pass. This technology allows vehicle manufacturers to meet the growing demand for customised paintings, while eliminating wasteful overspray.
“We are delighted that our PixelPaint solution has been recognized for its innovative, sustainable technology that helps our customers respond to consumer requests for more personalized design. With PixelPaint, 100 percent of the paint can now be applied in half the time compared to the previous method used for custom paint jobs, with a much better finish quality. For our customers, this provides the triple bonus of saving millions of dollars per year through reduced paint consumption, improved efficiency and improved environmental performance through reduced VOC and CO2 emissions, while meeting their customer needs,” stated Joerg Reger, Managing Director of ABB Robotics Auto OEM Business Line.
Traditionally, in order to apply a two-tone paint or a custom pattern onto a bodywork, it was necessary to put the vehicle through a painting line twice: once for the first layer and then for the second colour, after that the already painted areas had been masked. This masking job usually requires 10 to 20 operators per shift, plus two more to remove the masks once the second colour has also been applied. In addition, the process causes significant waste and high costs for the recycling and purchase of the paint, since it allows only about 75% of the paint to be applied to the surface of the bodywork.
PixelPaint offers a faster, more accurate and more sustainable solution for customised painting, thanks to a high DPI inkjet head, two IRB 5500 painting robot, dosing control package, and RobotStudio® programming software for two tone and decorative painting applications that allows you to solve the problems listed above.
The jury, composed by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), has therefore decided to reward the combination of greater efficiency, flexibility and environmental performance offered by PixelPaint.
“The jury is pleased to honor ABB’s PixelPaint technology, with the 17th IERA Award. The innovative solution for automated car painting combines more flexibility and customization with reduced wasted paint for the wellness of the environment,” said Rob Ambrose, Jury Chair.
The IERA Award highlights the innovators who generate ideas with added value and the entrepreneurs who transform them into world-class products. IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE / RAS) and IFR jointly sponsor the award, underlining their commitment to fostering greater collaboration between science and industry in robotics.
ABB's video presenting PixelPaint