Controls, automation move forward in automatic finishing

Global Presents Logic Control Panels

Asked if Global Finishing Solutions’ Logic control panels represent the pinnacle in paint booth automation, Karen Winter, says “absolutely.”

Finishers can use the Logic panels “to manage their paint booth,” explains Winter, who is based in Barrie, Ontario and works as Canadian sales manager for GFS.

The self-described “global leader in paint booth technology,” Global is headquartered in Osseo, Wisconsin.

Popular with the refinish market, particularly body-shops, the Logic control panels boast Smart Panel Technology that allows users to select from a series of ‘flash and cure’ profiles already programmed into the panel for any kind of coating.

“Once programmed, at the touch of a button, the control panel knows what temperature that specific coating requires at what time during the cycle and for exactly how long,” reads GFS literature.

The Logic 4 version of the control panel lets painters switch from a waterborne user interface to a solvent base interface. The Logic 4 panel boasts a 10-inch colour user interface while the Logic 3 panel has a six inch monochrome interface and fewer functions.

The system also contains an interesting self-diagnostic function, whereby at the touch of a button, the panel will display all PLC inputs and outputs with displayed values so technicians can “easily monitor parameters of speed, temperature, pressure and other pertinent information regarding the operation of the booth,” states GFS literature.

Should a failure occur, the Logic control panel shuts the paint booth down, while a screen displays a rundown of all the errors that are occurring. Another automatic function involves the close monitoring of the booth’s filters. When a filter needs to be changed, the Logic panel displays a warning message.

The Logic panels also have an intriguing “Economy Mode” which GFS promises can lead to 60 percent savings in electricity and 75 percent savings in fuel. When a finisher stops spraying, the Logic controls automatically switch the system to “Economy Mode” which cuts overall airflow in the booth by up to half while keeping the same temperature in the paint environment.

The Logic Panels can be used in tandem with AdvanceCure, a GFS accessory added to paint booths to accelerate curing and drying. According to Global, the AdvanceCure system turns a paint booth into the equivalent of “a convection oven.”

For more information visit: http://globalfinishing.com/auto/auto_control_panel.html

Fanuc’s Mini-Paint Robot Continues to Impress

Fanuc Robotics of Rochester Hills, Michigan showed off their compact and highly versatile Paint Mate 200iA at the Automate 2011 trade show in Chicago earlier this year.

Originally launched in late 2008, the electric-servo driven, mini-robot 200iA is still a star attraction for finishers who like robotics but lack the workspace for a large system. The Paint Mate 200iA is designed to paint small parts or serve as an alternative to applications that require several fixed paint guns.

At the Automate show, an inverted (and extremely flexible) Paint Mate 200iA was put through its paces, simulating the painting of small parts on a moving chain-on-edge conveyor.

The table-top size Paint Mate 200iA can be wall, floor, or invert mounted, which is handy for finishers with cramped workspaces. The robot painter has an extended arm, six axes, a wrist payload of five kilograms, and a reach of 704 mm. It weighs only 35 kilos and stands less than 900 cm tall.

The system comes with optional one or four pneumatic, three-way solenoid valves which are situated in the purge cavity to enhance gun triggering capability. The Paint Mate 200iA also boasts “absolute serial encoders” which “eliminate the need for calibration at power up,” according to Fanuc literature.

Based on the previous LR Mate series, the Paint Mate 200iA is also ideal for what Fanuc calls “hazardous duty applications.”

For more information, visit http://www.robots.com/fanuc.php?robot=paint+mate+200ia

Nordson Presents New Encore Modular Control System for Automatic Guns

Fanuc wasn’t the only high tech/finishing equipment manufacturer showing off their wares at trade shows this year.

Nordson Corporation, a leader in powder and liquid coating application technology, demonstrated their new Encore Modular Control System for Automatic Guns at the North American Industrial Coatings show held early October 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nordson is based in Amherst, Ohio.

The Modular Control System is designed to be used with automatic spray guns from the company’s Encore series. The System is all-digital, energy-efficient and “provides precision pneumatic and electrostatic operating parameters for repeatable and reliable performance of automatic powder coating operations ... the modular cabinet style design accommodates up to eight automatic gun controllers and an optional axis controller for easy operation of both reciprocators and in/out positioners,” states Nordson literature.

The Encore Automatic Powder Spray Gun, meanwhile, offers high transfer efficiency, automatic feedback current control, an air-purge cleanable design, aerodynamic shape and compact size with a width of 4.9 cm (1.93 inches), height of 6.60 cm (2.60 inches) and length varying between 165.9 cm (65.31 inches) to 195.9 cm (77.12 inches).

For more information, visit: http://www.nordson.com/

Binks Adds New Refinements to a Popular Spray Gun

The popular Model 21 automatic spray gun from Binks of Glendale, Illinois, now features new, high-performance set-ups.

The heavy-duty, pneumatically operated gun has a one-piece, forged brass body and is designed for working in harsh environments. It sprays all conventional coatings, is remotely controlled with a three-way valve and is recommended for use in rotary, reciprocating and spindle machines. Spray patterns can be adjusted with controls at the side of the gun head.

The Model 21 version of the gun has brass/electroless nickel-plated fluid passages, can exert a maximum pressure of 100 PSI/6.8 bar and weighs 41 ounces (1213 grams). The Model 21V, meanwhile, is also made of drop-forged brass and weighs 41 ounces and is capable of a maximum pressure of 100 PSI/6.8 bar and can be used in a harsh working environment. This version, however, boasts a tungsten fluid nozzle and needle, which is designed for use with abrasive fluids. All Model 21 spray guns boast nickel-plated brass air caps.

Binks also offer an automatic gun called the Rhino HVLP, which can be used in extreme conditions as well. The Rhino boasts patented stainless steel angled fluid inlet, large air atomizing air passages, a removable gun mounting bracket, a maximum atomizing air pressure capacity of 120 PSI/8.3 bar and weight of 2.6 pounds (1.2 kilos). Coloured black, the Rhino is made from drop-forged aluminum and is designed for use with conventional or HVLP technologies.

For more information visit: www.binks.com CM

Nate Hendley is a regular contributor and freelance writer based in Toronto.