# BMW how robots paint in factory.



## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

Don't know if any members have seen this. But this is how they are painted at the factory.


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## e32chris (Sep 21, 2011)

so that's how bmw manage to get a crappy orange peel finish, interesting !!!


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

I like the way the robots open the doors boot etc.

And I notice that the bumpers are nowhere to be seen.


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## DOBE (May 4, 2012)

squiggs said:


> And I notice that the bumpers are nowhere to be seen.


That's why they are always a different colour to the body. 

I need one of those seam sealing robots for work.


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## brettblade (Jul 23, 2012)

squiggs said:


> I like the way the robots open the doors boot etc.
> 
> And I notice that the bumpers are nowhere to be seen.


Presumably to do with the baths that the metal went through.


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## -AndyH- (Oct 11, 2012)

This site was quite cool also - https://www.bmwusfactory.com/manufacturing/production-process/paint-shop/

Tells you about the paint process/paint thickness (120 microns)

Edit: Do any bodyshops in the UK have these - 



 (assuming this is video is a robot in a bodyshop rather than factory)


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## Buckweed (Aug 27, 2012)

Thanks for sharing :thumb:


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## Aaran (Sep 18, 2007)

not joking about the amount of sealer that go/s on a bmw

my motorsports garages personal bmw cup car went into an acid bath and came out 50kg's lighter, just in underseal +seam sealer and paint lol.


wish i had a robot for crx's lol. nm will stick by doing it by hand hehe. only thing i really want is the E coat tank! (if you have ever tried to get paint into every nook and cranny on an acid dipped shell you will know my pain far to well!) lol


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## Focusaddict (May 31, 2010)

I remember going to a tour of Dagenham Ford some time in the later 80's with school and seeing cars moving on a conveyor belt through various baths.


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## neilb62 (Jul 30, 2007)

I love the way the fuel filler door is clipped into a window frame during paint. At least I know my orange peel finish cost a bloody fortune! :wave:


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## organisys (Jan 3, 2012)

You can even see the peel in the last few seconds of the vid!!


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## stookay (Aug 31, 2007)

Just out of curiosity for those of us not in the car painting trade. What is it that causes the orange peel? type of paint, too much/too little air pressure, paint to thick/thin???



Stookay


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

stookay said:


> Just out of curiosity for those of us not in the car painting trade. What is it that causes the orange peel? type of paint, too much/too little air pressure, paint to thick/thin???
> 
> 
> 
> Stookay


Any combination of too much/too little air pressure, paint too thick/thin or gun too close/far away.


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## lofty (Jun 19, 2007)

Its crazy how they haven't managed to sort out the orange peel problem, my wife's MINI has excellent paint, if they can get it right in one factory why not another.


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## Aaran (Sep 18, 2007)

temperature also effects the amount of peel as does the type of clear and the hardener (slow/fast/medium etc but thats more to do with how long it gets to settle before starting to cure off)).

a UHS 3-1 clear has really high film thickness, that lechler elite i got lays down with peel all the time, it does self level a fair bit but its thick as gloop even thinned a fair way.

most 2-1 high solids paint lays down alot flatter as its alot more fluid, and standard clears i can always get out of the gun like glass, downside is its more time spent laying coats of clear to get a good build ready for some wet flatting.

i also find that waterbase coat compared to solvent lays down with peel, its coverage is excellent but you can make out some sort of peel unlike thinned down solvent probably jsut me though lol


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

I don't know what spraying pressure these robots use. But when I worked in a bmw bodyshop, we used bmw's own make of paint which is bmw white label basically glasurit 90 line labeled up as bmw's own make. We used to run sata jet sprayguns base was applied as you would solvent one coat dry it, another dry it and so on followed by last coat being a drop coat spraying pressure was two bar laquer was bmw hs pro-clear mixed 2:1 and ten percent thinner all done on mixing scales no mixing stick as it was wieghed by volume. Application was one three quarter coat followed by one full wet coat using a sata jet rp with a 1.2 set up spraying pressure was 2.5 bar, but this pro-clear was a very thick laquer and would always lay down with a slight peel to it never really flowed out really flat. Alot of the bmw's you see with really bad orange peel are painted in there ceramic laquer with for some reason really does have a terrible finish to it. Considering Mercedes use a ceramic clear and there's lays down alot flatter.


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## andystevens (Dec 12, 2011)

e32chris said:


> so that's how bmw manage to get a crappy orange peel finish, interesting !!!


All the money is spent on advertising & not in the paint shop lol.


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

Focusaddict said:


> I remember going to a tour of Dagenham Ford some time in the later 80's with school and seeing cars moving on a conveyor belt through various baths.


That was to add the rust!


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

Aaran said:


> i also find that waterbase coat compared to solvent lays down with peel, its coverage is excellent but you can make out some sort of peel unlike thinned down solvent probably jsut me though lol


You shouldn't be getting peel with w/b ..... sounds like you've been putting it on too wet


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## mr paint (Jul 11, 2009)

squiggs said:


> You shouldn't be getting peel with w/b ..... sounds like you've been putting it on too wet


Yup same as above ... I use water and and its a check coat then full coat back to back ...looks slightly peely as its wet but as soon as it flashes it looks like silk.

T


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## alphaj12 (Feb 17, 2011)

Wondered what was in the rear passenger door window, quite clever way to paint the fuel filler flap


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