Knowledge
Written for the person who has to specify, justify and sign for the equipment: what the certificates actually cover, how selection is done, and what belongs in a quotation. Numbers come from certificates, manufacturer datasheets and our own project records; where a figure depends on your parts and paint, we say so instead of quoting a brochure number.
Certification
Certification ATEX or GB/T 3836 — what a painting robot certificate actually covers ATEX EU type examination certificates and Chinese GB/T 3836 explosion-proof certificates are not interchangeable. What each one proves, how to read the marking, and which one your project needs.
Selection
Selection How to choose a painting robot — payload, reach and mounting A method for selecting payload and reach from your own parts: what the wrist actually carries, why reach is measured from the mounting point, and the four mounting options that change the answer.
Selection Three ways to program a painting robot when the parts keep changing How vision-based path planning, vision position correction and lead-through teaching differ, what each one actually solves, and where each one stops — for paint shops with a high part mix.
Explosion protection
Explosion protection Pressurized (px) or flameproof (d) — protection types in a paint booth Why painting robots use pressurization rather than flameproof enclosures, what the purge cycle and interlocks have to do, and how to answer a safety engineer who expected 1ExdIIC.
Paint system
Paint system Air spray, air-assisted airless or rotary bell — choosing the applicator The applicator decides finish, paint consumption and cycle time more than the robot does. How the three families differ, and which one fits car bodies, bumpers, furniture or heavy steel.
Paint system Colour-change valves — how many colours do you actually need? A colour-change stack is priced per circuit and paid for again at every change in flush solvent and lost time. How to size it honestly, and what CV3000 and CV300 mean in practice.
Paint system 2K mixing on a robot — ratio accuracy, pot life and in-arm mixers Two-component paint fails in ways one-component paint does not. What ratio accuracy means, why the mixer position decides your flush losses, and what belongs in the quotation.
Operations
Operations From manual spraying to a robot — what actually changes on the shop floor Repeatability, paint consumption, booth conditions, operator roles and the work that does not disappear. An honest account of what a painting robot changes and what it does not.
Procurement
Procurement What a turnkey painting line contains — and how to write the RFQ The robot is one line item; booths, ovens, conveyor, paint supply and integration are the rest. A scope checklist and the RFQ structure that gets comparable offers.
Procurement EXW, FOB, CIF or DAP — which term for a robot shipment Which Incoterm to ask for when importing robots from China, what each one leaves you carrying, and why the cheapest-looking term is often the most expensive.
Procurement A new painting robot or a used one? Used robots look attractive until the certificate, the spare parts and the software version are examined. What to check before buying second-hand for a paint booth.
Comparison
Comparison GR6150-2900 or GR6160-3200 — which one for large parts Two CMA models sit next to each other on the selection table: 15 kg at 2,900 mm and 16 kg at 3,240 mm. What the extra 340 mm and 1 kg actually buy, and when they do not.
Comparison CMA GR or SR series — fixed installation or a portable robot Two painting robot families with different certificates, different bases and different economics. Which one fits continuous production, and which fits a job shop.
Comparison A robot on a track, or a second robot? One robot on a seventh axis or two fixed robots — the trade is cycle time against capital and complexity. How the arithmetic actually works out.
Comparison Positioner or fixed fixture — when to turn the part Turning the part to the robot is often cheaper than teaching the robot to reach around it. Where a positioner pays for itself, and where it is dead weight.
Comparison Waterborne or solvent-borne — what changes for the robot Switching to waterborne changes the fluid path, the electrostatics, the flush regime and the booth conditions. What has to be specified differently.
Comparison 1K or 2K — what the robot cell needs differently Two-component material adds a mixer, a pot-life clock and an automatic flush to the cell. What to specify, and what it costs in equipment and waste.
Comparison Conveyor tracking or a stop station? Painting on the move needs an encoder, a tracking card and a calibrated origin. Painting at a stop needs indexing and buffer. Which suits your line.
Comparison Buying the arm only, or a complete workstation? If you have your own integration team, arm-only supply is cheaper and faster. If you do not, the missing scope reappears as unplanned work. How to decide honestly.
Comparison Robot or reciprocator for flat and panel work? A reciprocator sweeps guns up and down at a fraction of a robot's price. Where that is enough, where it is not, and how the two are combined.
Comparison Powder coating or liquid painting for enclosures? For steel enclosures and cabinets both processes are viable. The decision runs through film build, recesses, colour changes and what happens to overspray.
Body shop
Body shop Who supplies what in a body-shop project Robots, welding equipment, fixtures, conveying, fencing, control, utilities and civil works: which side of a BIW project each one belongs to, why the split moves the price more than any unit rate, and how to write it so it cannot be argued about later.
Body shop Changing a model in an existing body shop Retooling an existing welding shop for a new model: how many stands can be reused, what a jig-box conversion does, why installation should be priced per item, how to stage the shutdown, and what to agree about design changes before they arrive.
Still the fastest route to an answer
23 guides in eight groups. Send part drawings, the paint specification and the required cycle time. We return a model selection and a configuration — and if one of these articles answers the question first, better still.