40 cubic centimetres: that's about the volume of paint lost on a car line with each colour change. PaintSave by Sames Kremlin reduces it to 18 cc and allows to save tens of thousands of euros per year.
Every time a robot applicator of a car line changes its colour and cleans its tools, it loses 40 cubic centimetres of paint, or about € 0,48. However, colour changes are very frequent on an industrial line, because car manufacturers prefer to manufacture in order of order rather than in colour batches, so as to reduce lead times and limit stocks. They change colour every 5 cars on average, or even every 2 or 3 cars. After a year, the paint lost amounts to tens of thousands of euros.
In order to solve this issue, Sames Kremlin developed an innovative device called PaintSave, which has already been installed in a car factory in the United States. It allows to reduce losses from 40 to 18 cc.
How it works
PaintSave is based on the pig system: a cylindrical part pushed by compressed air that circulates between the colour changer and the sprayer. It scrapes the inner edges of the hose and thus recovers the majority of the paint.
However, since the pig rubs and its seals wear out, gradually losing its effectiveness, and can also pick up particles from the inner coating, increasing the risk of stopping during the application and even arresting the manufacturing line, Sames Kremlin has developed a new solution that replaces the pig with a "shuttle". Being cylindrical, with a diameter slightly smaller than the hose, it runs without friction or risk of blockage. It recovers a little less paint, but with an inestimable gain in reliability.
Endurance tested over 600,000 cycles
According to laboratory endurance tests, the PaintSave’s shuttle can withstand 600,000 cycles without damage, the equivalent of 7 to 12 years of industrial operation.
PaintSave ensures a return on the investment within 6 to 12 months, depending on the frequency of colour changes and the cost of the paint.
It can be installed as a retrofit to existing equipment or as a complete system, and it is available immediately.