Less Paint, More Certainty: How AI Monitors the Spray Jet
In automotive body painting, more paint is often applied than necessary, because a safety buffer is meant to prevent layers that are too thin and the resulting risk of corrosion. VW, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Audi and AOM-Systems have jointly developed a patented process that can make this buffer unnecessary. The SpraySpy measuring system captures droplet size, velocity, volume flow and spray angle directly in the spray jet, while painting is still in progress. An AI-supported analysis uses this data to predict the resulting film thickness in real time, including for individual paint layers. Deviations of 2 percent or more are detected and, according to Fraunhofer IPA, can be traced to a specific cause with over 90 percent certainty, such as a worn or contaminated nozzle. The result is lower paint consumption, fewer end-of-line inspections, less rework and a higher first-run rate. The collected data also opens up opportunities for smart maintenance and digital twins. Read the full article to find out how it works in practice and what the experts at VW have to say.
Here you can read the articel (translated from the original German into English)