Robotic technology is nothing new to the finishing industry. For decades, painting robots have been used in large automotive, aerospace and general industrial facilities. At the same time, the hefty price tags associated with introducing one or more robots to a facility, has kept many small and mid-size job shops in a modern day Dark Age.
However, here at Hi-Tec Finishing our first purchase was a Fanuc Robot. As former owners of a large painting facility we put three robots to work painting any long run or repetitive job we had. We know firsthand what type of quality can be produced using robotic finishing.
The repeatability of one good part after another, is something that a human cannot reproduce time and again for the simple fact that they are human. That is why when we started Hi-Tec Finishing we were not afraid to invest in robotics. We currently have 4 painting robots in production.
There is one small obstacle which is the relatively steep learning curve for “teaching” the robot and training its human operators. We are fortunate to have Jon Wall who is an owner and has his team extensively trained to fine tune the robot for jobs that fit the requirements of robotic painting.
With today’s demands of lean manufacturing, here at Hi-Tec Finishing we appreciate the position the molder is in to “pinch pennies” anywhere they can for their customer. We are here to help you by giving you consistency with robotics and in the end a better product for your customer.