Can manufacturers automate industrial painting without having to invest in expensive paint lines or hire robotics experts? Hirebotics believes the answer is yes. The company has introduced the Cobot Painter, a new collaborative painting robot that combines the explosion-proof FANUC CRX-10iA/L Paint cobot with Hirebotics’ no-code Beacon platform. The new solution is designed to help manufacturers automate painting tasks quickly and affordably while working inside their existing paint booths.

This Cobot Painter is not like your conventional paint systems that require a lot of hassle, like dedicated paint cells or conveyor systems and major ventilation modifications. In fact, the Cobot Painter is lightweight and portable. It is designed to operate inside existing manual spray environments. This means manufacturers can introduce robotic painting without having to disrupt their current production setup.

Matt Bush, co-founder and CEO of Hirebotics, said the company wanted to remove the biggest barriers preventing smaller manufacturers from adopting automation.

“The Cobot Painter eliminates the need for dedicated paint cells and complex programming,” Bush said. “By combining FANUC’s world-class explosion-proof hardware with our intuitive, no-code Beacon platform, we’ve created an affordable and flexible finishing solution. Shops can now bring their coating work in-house, deploy automation in days inside their existing booths, and deliver the flawless finishes their customers expect without a single robotics specialist on staff.”

No Programming Experience Required

Wondering why this newly launched Cobot Painter is so special? Well, the main difference between the Cobot Painter and traditional industrial paint robots is the ease of use. In order to use Cobot Painter, you don’t need engineers or programmers. Why? That’s because the system uses Hirebotics’ Beacon platform. This allows operators to teach the robot through a simple “click-and-teach” process.

All the worker has to do is just guide the robot once through a painting path. And to do so, they are required to use a tablet or a smartphone. Yes, it’s that simple! The rest will be done automatically by the cobot. It will repeat the exact motion and maintain the same speed that the worker has guided it. Not only this, but it’ll also maintain the exact angle and spray distance throughout every production cycle. This helps produce consistent coating quality while reducing operator training time.

Hirebotics has already used the Beacon platform in its Cobot Welder and Cobot Cutter systems. The company says the same user-friendly interface now makes robotic painting accessible to manufacturers with little or no robotics experience.

Designed for Multiple Coating Applications

The Cobot Painter is built on FANUC’s CRX-10iA/L Paint collaborative robot and is approved for hazardous environments. It supports liquid painting and powder coating along with gel coating applications.

The explosion-proof cobot features a reach of 55.82 inches. And because of that, it can handle large and complex parts very easily. As per Hirebotics, this cobot works with repeatable precision. This means the thickness of the coating remains consistent with each use. Plus, it also proves to be super beneficial for reducing paint wastage due to overspraying. 

This no-code explosion-proof cobot can be used in a variety of industries. It is suitable for finishing metal fabrications and composite components. It also comes in handy for wood products and other manufactured parts that require high-quality surface coatings.

Manufacturers can also use the cobot for powder coating as well as liquid paint applications. Thanks to its super simple and user-friendly interface, it helps reduce manual labor and improve finish consistency.

FANUC Highlights Safety and Reliability

Dave Wagenhauser, Manager of Paint Robot Sales at FANUC America, said the collaboration combines proven robotic hardware with an easy-to-use software platform.

“Built on the CRX-10iA/L Paint cobot, the system brings the safety and precision of explosion-proof automation into standard manual coating environments,” Wagenhauser said.

He further added that the CRX Paint series offers reliable performance in terms of painting and finishing applications. And the best part is that it includes collaborative safety features as well as easy deployment. As per Wagenhauser, the setup has become even simpler and easier to use because of the integration of the robot with Hirebotics’ Beacon platform.

Expanding Hirebotics’ Automation Portfolio

Hirebotics was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The company is very well-known for developing collaborative robotic systems for the metal fabrication industry. Its growing portfolio includes the Cobot Welder, Cobot Cutter, and now the Cobot Painter. All these machines are powered by the company’s proprietary Beacon platform.

The main purpose of launching Cobot Painter is to make robot painting way more practical for those manufacturers who used to consider automation super expensive and technical. By combining explosion-proof hardware and no-code programming with fast deployment, Hirebotics expects that more and more businesses will be able to improve their coating quality and reduce paint wastage. And once the manufacturers achieve this, they’ll automatically be able to get greater control over their finishing operations.