By Hope Dollarhide
Powder coaters are constantly looking for ways to improve operations—from conveyance and part hanging to color management—but labor shortages continue to pose major challenges. Many shops are already facing a shortage of experienced coaters, and with a significant portion of the workforce nearing retirement, the skills gap is expected to widen in the coming decade. Without these skilled operators, maintaining consistent quality and production speed becomes increasingly difficult, driving the need for reliable, automated solutions.
To overcome these challenges, manufacturers are turning to smarter, safer, and more flexible automation solutions. Among the most promising are collaborative robotic applications, which combine advanced technology with the precision and adaptability required for high-quality finishing.
Formerly known as collaborative robots, or “cobots,” these robots are now defined under the ISO 10218 standard as power and force limiting (PFL) robots, reflecting their built-in ability to sense and respond to contact. The explosion-proof PFL paint robot is a breakthrough for the industry. It combines user-friendly automation and PFL technology with a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) seal of approval required for hazardous environments. If a plant manager is looking to introduce a PFL robot (or any new technology) it is important that there is a NRTL approval.
Unlike traditional industrial robots that operate in zones that are isolated from humans, these robots are designed with built-in safeguarding. They are equipped with advanced safety features such as force sensing, speed monitoring, and are a scanning. If a PFL robot comes into contact with a human, it will perform a contact stop. This enables workspaces such as spray booths to be shared. PFL robots can assist in tasks ranging from simple material handling to complex operations, including all types of coating.
Finishing and coating tasks typically require a balance of consistency, adaptability, and safety. Traditional robots offer high acceleration/deceleration, consistent speed, and positional repeatability but demand higher programming expertise, process knowledge, and rigid safety infrastructure. PFLs, on the other hand, offer:
• Quick program deployment: Drag-and-drop interface sand manual guidance tools make setup intuitive and create programs in minutes instead of hours.
• Shared workspaces: Operators can interact directly with the robot, reducing downtime and improving flexibility, resulting in cost savings for applications that necessitate slower robot speeds.
• Safety: Built-in sensors and force-limiting capabilities ensure safe operation, even near humans.
Explosion-proof PFL robots are designed and engineered to operate in volatile environments such as powder booths or chemical processing areas where flammable vapors or dust might be present. By combining explosion-proof housing with collaborative features, manufacturers can now automate hazardous tasks without compromising safety or compliance.
Key advantages of the explosion-proof PFL robots:
1. Safety: These robots meet stringent global safety standards, removing the risk of ignition in flammable atmospheres.
2. Improved powder coating quality: With consistent spray patterns and motion control, PFL robots deliver an even and repeatable finish quality.
3. Reduced material waste: Precision control minimizes overspray and optimizes powder usage.
4. Increased throughput: Automation speeds up cycle times while maintaining high repeatability.
5. Ease of use: Manual guided teach enables an operator to quickly generate a simple spray program from a tablet interface by physically guiding the robot from point to point, recording them by pushing a button on the end-of-arm tooling.
When selecting a robot for powder coating applications, the process should drive the decision. Manufacturers must consider:
• Workspace requirement: Is a shared collaborative space needed?
• Programming needs: Does the manufacturing team prefer manual guidance or tablet-based interfaces?
• Process complexity: Are detailed, repeatable motions required?
• Production parts: Is the job high mix/low volume?
• Safety considerations: What level of additional safeguarding is necessary and risk is acceptable?
PFL robots offer a compelling solution for those seeking flexibility, safety, and ease of use. For hazardous environments, explosion-proof models provide the added assurance needed to confidently automate. As it is with integrating new technology, it is necessary to perform a risk assessment to evaluate speed, applicator/bracketing, and soon, to guarantee a successful project.
System integrators can be a huge asset to starting a new project that includes automation and/or robotics. Because PFL robots are so new to the coating industry, leaning on an expert to assist with your product evaluation and perform a risk assessment with a manufacturer can make all the difference. PFL robots can be used in collaborative or industrial mode. This means that if a manufacturer needs quick program deployment but also needs to increase throughput and decrease cycle time, it can use the collaborative mode for the programming/teaching, then run the robot at full industrial speed.
If a manufacturer’s only driving factor is cycle time and they are doing the same parts at high volume, often a PFL robot is not necessary and an industrial robot is the best solution.
A system integrator is a great resource to assist with risk assessment. This person can evaluate the overall booth setup and consider crucial areas such as safety grounding and booth airflow. All of these factors are just as critical to the quality of the process as robot selection. Evaluating part presentation can be important, too; conveyance and turntables can be additional useful automation tools.
From custom coaters to OEMs, PFL robots can prove their value within several areas of the powder coating process. Not only can they be used for applying powder to parts, they also can be beneficial to the quality control department.
In addition, they can perform many types of quality measurement practices. This can be as simple as introducing the PFL robots into the manual process. They can be equipped with any sensor to measure color or thickness and can assess finish quality in real time, ensuring consistent results. These areas of the powder operation often are not categorized, and a NRTL certification for the robot is not needed.
As industries continue to embrace automation, the explosion-proof PFL robot stands out as a symbol of innovation. It bridges the gap between safety and productivity, empowering manufacturers to reimagine what processes are now possible to automate in powder coating.
While the market is constantly demanding manufacturers climb toward sustainable practices, this is a great area to “go green.” PFL robots often use less power voltage. In fact, many models can even plug into standard 120V outlets. Large power source installations are no longer required, bridging the gap for small job shops. Applications that were once out of reach are now possible throughout industry, bringing
automation to all types of powder coaters.
Whether you’re an OEM custom coater, powder coating metal parts, or heating sensitive components, PFL robots are not only tools—they are partners in progress.
Hope Dollarhide is a sales engineer with First Choice Robotics.