The FANUC P-350iA/45 heavy duty painting robot. (Image courtesy FANUC America.)
The company recently marked the 35th anniversary of manufacturing its line of painting robots at its Rochester Hills, Mich. headquarters. In time for the anniversary celebration, the company will be showcasing its latest heavy duty paint robot, the P-350iA/45 at Automate 2017.
Equipped with a sanding tool, the robot will simulate sanding, washing and drying an aircraft fuselage.
The P-350iA/45 paint robot’s features include:
- 360° rotation of J1 to enable multi-direction operation
- Cast aluminum outer arm to withstand harsh conditions
- 45kg payload
- 2606mm reach for operation in tight work spaces
- IP67-rated wrist allows operation in wet conditions
- Supports FANUC’s latest intelligent software tool packages, including PaintTool, HandlingTool and SpotTool
- 6-axis design and Class 1, Division 1 approved for operation in hazardous environments
In 1982, FANUC America produced its first NC Painter, a hydraulic paint robot using key components from parent company FANUC CORPORATION in Japan. Today, FANUC America remains globally responsible for all paint robots and door openers of the FANUC robot lineup, which are sold to industries including:
- Automotive
- Aerospace
- Agriculture
- Recreational vehicles and boats
- Furniture
- Appliance
- Medical devices
“Our local product development team is the industry’s largest, with hundreds of years of accumulated engineering experience located here in Michigan,” said Mike Cicco, president of FANUC America.
The company’s U.S.-based product development team designs and implements a wide range of mechanical, electrical, process and software products, including Zero Down Time (ZDT), a cloud-based application that analyzes data collected from FANUC robots, alerting customers of potential issues that need to be addressed before unexpected downtime occurs.
All of FANUC America’s new paint robots are ZDT-ready, able to monitor functions including paint canisters, spray applicators, drive health and paint process regulators. ZDT also provides maintenance reminders to notify manufacturers to inspect or replace worn items.
Manufacturing within the US offers more than just a sense of national pride, however.
“Having an extensive group of local experts to provide software, product design, assembly and integration of our paint robots allows us to react quickly to customer needs,” said Jon Karr, FANUC America’s VP of paint shop automation. “These customers also want to improve quality and throughput while minimizing their assembly workers’ exposure to hazardous environments, like what automakers looked to do back in 1982.”
For more information, visit the FANUC America website, or visit the company at the 2017 Automate Show in Chicago, booth #1625.