Mahindra selects ABB for overspray free SUV painting
ABB’s “PixelPaint” technology has been selected by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, India’s leading SUV manufacturer, for its new electric vehicle paint facility. The technology, which uses an award-winning paint head similar to an inkjet printer, will begin serial production in 2025.
“Our technology can apply large areas of uniform color as well as the tiniest details with complete accuracy, without delaying the production line or the need for manual intervention,” said Joerg Reger, Managing Director of ABB Robotics Automotive Business Line.
“By deploying robots equipped with the AAB application technology in dedicated cells, Mahindra’s paint shop will be able to apply finishes such as contrasting roof and pillar treatments on its new line of EVs in a completely automated process.”
Overspray free paint application
“PixelPaint” consists of a paint head with more than 1,000 tiny, individually controlled nozzles, mounted on an ABB robot such as the IRB 5500 paint series. Combined with ABB’s 3D vision system and coordinated by ABB’s “RobotStudio” planning and programming software, the head tracks very closely to the vehicle body to ensure that 100 % of the paint is applied to the car with no overspray or airborne misting. This overspray free technology eliminates the need for labor-intensive masking and repeat trips through the paint shop, resulting in zero waste while ensuring faithful reproduction of precise details.
The deployment, which builds on ABB and Mahindra’s existing relationship, also includes 42 robots from the “IRB 5500” family making M&M the first OEM in India to use the innovative application technology for the painting of contrasting roofs and pillars.
Complex and time-consuming operations such as interior painting and sealing are performed entirely autonomously, with the accuracy of ABB’s systems ensuring that paint is applied precisely and only where needed, eliminating the need to manually mask off areas, saving time and materials. Similarly, ABB’s RB1000i digitally-enabled paint atomizers improve transfer efficiency by 10 percent and reduce waste by more than 30 percent, ensuring less paint is lost to the air.
More information: https://global.abb/group/en