Automatic Guided Vehicles for the Paint Shop of the Future
Automobile production of the future is moving away from the production line and toward modular workstations. An important feature is flexible Automatic Guided Vehicles, or AGVs for short. Dürr presented, for the first time, an AGV specifically designed for paint shops as a new solution for more intelligent production. EcoProFleet combines tried-and-tested industrial components with innovative designs, like a new energy storage concept. This means that the AGV is ready for operation around the clock – without breaks for charging at the power outlet
Whether it’s small cars or SUVs, electric motors or combustion engines, the range of vehicle models painted in a plant is ever-increasing. Manufacturers want to be able to easily integrate new vehicle types into the production process. This desire for flexibility and scalability is pushing linear production to its limits. The necessary migration to modular production is requiring manufacturers to rethink production logistics. In rigid painting lines, the process time for car bodies depends on the model that requires the longest time in the individual stations; this results in waiting times for other bodies, which can be avoided with a modular process. Instead of transporting bodies using conveyor technology laid inflexibly in the ground, they are moved independently and in parallel formation between work decks; as in spot repair, polishing, or intermediate storage. EcoProFleet enables a modular painting process in which different processing times for the car bodies no longer cause waiting times. The resulting cost benefits are all the greater the more varied and individual the bodies are that are being constructed and painted. Downtimes caused by sudden malfunctions are also reduced to a minimum since AGVs can be redirected to a different workstation or a different painting booth.