The Power of IntelliFinishing Smart Finishing System Controls

IntelliFinishing smart controls are a key feature that sets us apart, enhancing flexibility, efficiency, and customization in our powder coating and liquid paint systems. These controls are easy to use, but designed to optimize the finishing process.

Key Features
IntelliFinishing smart controls offer advanced capabilities that enhance flexibility, efficiency, and customization in finishing systems, not typically seen in traditional chain-based conveyorized finishing systems. Smart controls include per-carrier recipe control so the finishing process can be varied by type of part, individual carrier path control, variable speed control, as well as real-time and historical system and process monitoring and tracking.

Recipe-Based Control
One of the standout features of IntelliFinishing smart controls is recipe per carrier controls. This feature allows users to create specific “recipes” for different part families, dictating timing per process, temperatures, and other interactions with equipment. This level of customization ensures that each part is processed under optimal conditions, leading to consistent, high-quality results. For example, for a powder coating system, some products may require more or less steps for the ideal pretreatment, treatment, and post-treatment of the products. Options per carrier might include:

• Sending the carrier to an online shotblast or not, dictating the speed of the carrier in the shotblast or the impact settings of the blaster.
• Stage activation, temperature, and pressure settings in a pre-treatment wash.
• Dry time and temperature in the dry off oven.
• Cool down time after the dry oven.
• Routing to masking station options and display of masking instructions.
• Product color and booth selections.
• Prime coat process or bypass options.
• Product rotation within the booth or other manipulations of the product during coating.
• Selection of reciprocator and robot program options per product.
• Cure time and temperature options.
• Cool down time after curing.
• Selection of unload station options based on the product.

Recipes can be stored and recalled easily, making it simple to maintain consistency across multiple production runs or to diagnose finish issues based on the specific part and its associated carrier history during the finishing process.

Individual Carrier Control
Granular control over each carrier is another significant advantage of IntelliFinishing smart controls. While most of the time carriers proceed through their recipe-driven processes without the need for user interaction, users can also independently control each carrier’s movement on the system. Carriers can reverse direction, stop at will, or speed up if desired. Of course, this manual intervention is based on having the right system credentials, but this capability is especially helpful when testing new robotic painting programs or during maintenance.

Even without user intervention, IntelliFinishing carrier controls and system speeds allow carriers to “catch up” to downstream carriers when traveling in non-time-dictated portions of the system. This feature helps to reduce product gaps on the line – so frustratingly common on traditional chain systems – optimizing throughput. Fewer system gaps mean more throughput in less time than traditionally designed systems. Plus, our carriers can do things that are impossible on a chain system, like entering a process and backing out of it, rather than flowing through, or even oscillating a carrier back and forth in a pretreatment wash, within a blast, or during unload to get the product to sit just right on its transfer cart.

Variable Speeds and Zones
IntelliFinishing systems feature independent sections of track, each with its own variable speed settings under the control of the system software and VFDs which allow carriers to smoothly accelerate and decelerate. This control reduces energy consumption and operational costs by allowing different parts of the system to operate at varying speeds or even different carriers traveling at different speeds in the same section of track based on the requirements of the parts being processed. Additionally, conveyor motors will be off unless a carrier with products is being processed, enhancing energy savings and greatly prolonging the life of each drive motor.

Monitoring and Tracking
Real-time data monitoring and tracking are integral to IntelliFinishing smart controls. Users can monitor the system, review alarms, and track parts being processed in real-time, ensuring optimal processing conditions and to improve overall quality. The system logs parameters per carrier and to the associated products hung per carrier. The historical and reporting data is very useful for reducing finishing defects and improving operational efficiency, providing a robust quality assurance mechanism that helps maintain high standards throughout the production process.

Flexibility and Expandability
The modular design of IntelliFinishing systems allows for easier expansion as production needs change, with little or no downtime for the line. This adaptability means that the system can more quickly adjust to changes in part sizes, shapes, equipment processes, and volumes, making it a versatile solution for a wide range of manufacturing environments. Most changes to the system recipe options and process settings can be done on the system HMI without software coding. Changes to the layout or the addition of new process equipment can often be made without shutting down the operation of the system due to the modular system design.

In Summary
IntelliFinishing smart controls combined with our unique friction-tube conveyor offer an easy-to-use, yet sophisticated finishing system solution that enhances flexibility, efficiency, and customization for powder coating and liquid paint systems. By improving finish quality, lowering operational costs, and providing greater system adaptability, these systems are an invaluable asset for manufacturers looking to optimize their finishing processes. If you have any questions, drop by FABTECH Booth D40538 in Chicago, September 8-11. Contact us if you’d like to talk with us sooner!