Levels of Automation in Finishing Systems

Automated finishing systems enhance the quality of the finished products by consistently providing the same finishing touches to each component of your product line. These systems are used by all major coating technologies, including liquid, powder, electrocoat, anodizing, and plating. Increasingly, finishing systems are being built with expanded automation capabilities. This automation creates greater efficiency, flexibility, and scalability, making operations smoother and more cost effective. There are basically 5 levels of automation with regards to Automated Finishing Systems: Most conveyorized finishing systems are at the hardwired control level. This level provides very little automation, and these systems tend to be older models. They are notoriously built to be very robust and durable but offer very little flexibility due to the lack of automation. The first level of automation begins at the Mimic Pane level. This level provides a small level of automation and most of the troubleshooting can be performed by most electricians. It still requires a great deal of operator intervention. This type of automated finishing system is uncommon due to the cost to design and build it. At [...]