Paint Mate 200iA, a Robot with an “Artistic” Sense

We've talked a lot about the fact that robots would replace humans at some point as far as certain “dirty” or dangerous jobs are concerned. However, that moment seems to be a lot closer than previously thought, one of the best examples being that provided by the FANUC Robotics company, namely the Paint Mate 200iA compact painting robot, a device that can actually be programmed to... paint.

Well, we're not exactly talking about painting works of arts or even walls, but rather about very small parts, that otherwise would require either multiple fixed paint guns or, even worse, manual handling by a very large number of workers. The automatic painting system is designed to meet the needs of a variety of industries including automotive component, appliance, agricultural equipment, consumer goods, plastics and many others.

The Paint Mate 200iA supports a variety of intelligent functions including an internal programmable controller (PMC), Ethernet, iRVision (built-in), the iPendant, line tracking, HandlingTool, and PaintTool. Moreover, it has been equipped with the FANUC standard purge control system for operation in hazardous environments.

It's also important to mention the fact that the device is extremely versatile. Thus, the compact size permits operation in tight work spaces, and the device can be very easily adjusted to meet pretty much any demand, since it can be mounted in a variety of positions including floor, tabletop, angle and invert. Actually, this is exactly what the company's representatives consider to be its main selling point. As Barton Faylor, paint product manager, FANUC Robotics America declares, “the Paint Mate 200iA robot is extremely flexible and can adapt to small lot sizes, new styles and other modifications, providing customers an affordable and versatile solution”.

The company has not provided any pricing information regarding this “artistic” robot, but given that, after all, we're talking about a heavy-duty industrial appliance, it won't be cheap.

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