ABB’s PixelPaint robot has 1,000 nozzles and sprays just millimeters above the car.
The world of automotive art can be a strange place. Now, it might be an automated place thanks to an impressive piece of technology from ABB Robotics. Robots painting cars is nothing new, but one that can paint extremely complex patterns in a matter of minutes? That’s worthy of some attention.
The robot in question is called PixelPaint, and in short, it works something like an inkjet printer. In this case, the print head has no less than 1,000 nozzles pumping out color. It works with fine precision, operating just millimeters above the car’s surface. It can create small patterns using multiple colors at once, and because it’s so close to the surface, there’s no overspray. That means there’s no need for masking, and anyone familiar with automotive paintwork can attest that masking is a significant time suck in the process.
