Cavity protection isn’t just for our teeth – in the automotive industry, protecting internal metal parts from rust and corrosion has been a challenge for many automakers, especially with parts that have odd geometric shapes.

Manual cavity waxing procedures have been insufficient for protecting cars with regard to quality as well as process security. New automation systems and processes aim to improve coverage of corrosion protection.

One of these new processes, fogging, is an atomization technology developed by IPR Worldwide that provides corrosion protection for entire car bodies. Thomas Kollmar, managing director for IPR (Intelligente Peripherien für Roboter), will discuss the fogging process, automation applications, and other corrosion protection methods in the automotive space at the upcoming RoboBusiness event, Sept. 25-27, 2018, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Robotics Business Review produces RoboBusiness.)

Kollmar will present “New Applications & Technologies in Cavity Protection: Where Do You Start?” at 3 p.m. PST on Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Robo Supplier & Tech Forum. Kollmar discussed the session briefly with Robotics Business Review ahead of the event.

Existing processes to protect car part corrosion

Several processes exist for cavity protection of car parts, including spraying, flooding, fogging, and air-mix/airless:

• Spraying “covers the complete range of application techniques for protective wax layers on sprayable car bodies.”
• Flooding can be done hot or cold, and provides automated cavity protection for floodable car bodies.
• The fogging process helps provide cavity protection through an innovative atomization technology, giving coverage for difficult-to-access geometries, such as sills. Specific droplet sizes, velocity, and distribution allow for coating when pointing away from the fogging flow, such as for undercuts, IPR said.
• Using a robot, the air-mix/air-less processes apply a protective wax layer to attachment parts, doors and flaps. The combination head delivers targeted, smaller coverage of weld and solder seams, as well as targeted surface coverage for welding spots, laminations, and screw connections, without having to exchange nozzles or tools.

At RoboBusiness, Kollmar will delve further into the fogging process and talk about the benefits for this technology for users within the seven-axis robotics market, and how it can redefine previous benchmarks.

The session will include a discussion of the components needed for fogging. Kollmar will also describe potential uses and issues around process reliability, plant availability, and reducing production costs. In addition, he’ll explain how it can increase quality, flexibility, and energy efficiency.

IPR works with OEMs and automakers to help institute the cavity protection processes. For example, the company works with all of the major robotics suppliers, not only on corrosion protection, but also on the different steps of the automotive manufacturing chain.

Kollmar said he hopes attendees will walk away from the session with a better understanding of this complex process, and that they can be applicable to other technology areas as well.

Kollmar will present “New Applications & Technologies in Cavity Protection: Where Do You Start?” at 3 p.m. PST on Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Robo Supplier & Tech Forum. Register here to attend RoboBusiness.