Auto Assembly Line Paint Repair by Robot

3M’s Brittany Moren on automation for quality automotive finishes.

The painting of automotive bodies on assembly lines was one of the first applications of advanced process automation. The auto industry pioneered the mass production “Class A” finish and modern consumers demand a finish quality that would be available only to show cars a generation ago. Inspecting, locating and correcting paint defects on the line is a time-consuming manual process, but 3M has developed a robotic process that can wet sand clearcoat defects regardless of compound curvatures and complex shapes in body structures. 3M application engineer Brittany Moren demonstrates the equipment to Jim Anderton at Automate 2023.  

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Written by

James Anderton

Jim Anderton is the Director of Content for ENGINEERING.com. Mr. Anderton was formerly editor of Canadian Metalworking Magazine and has contributed to a wide range of print and on-line publications, including Design Engineering, Canadian Plastics, Service Station and Garage Management, Autovision, and the National Post. He also brings prior industry experience in quality and part design for a Tier One automotive supplier.