Anicet Mbida 6:53 am, October 13, 2021
Every day, Anicet Mbida makes us discover an innovation that could well change the way we consume.
This Wednesday, he is interested in the possibility of further personalizing his car thanks to a robot that draws what you want on the body.
The innovation of the day should delight fans of custom cars. Today, we only have the choice of color (possibly matt or metallic). Tomorrow, we can ask to have any design on its body.
You can ask for an eagle on the front hood, the photo of the dog on the roof and a "Starsky and Hutch" strip on the back to make it even more chic.
It is already possible today, but it requires either stickers that do not last, or a craftsman who will paint, by hand, the pattern you want on the body.
Now, this can be done industrially directly on the production line.
All this thanks to a robot that will apply the paint line by line like an inkjet printer.
This will make it possible to go a little further in personalization than simple mat or metallic paint.
However, manufacturers are already using painting robots.
What is changing?
The difference is above all the precision.
When you only have one color, just sprinkle it all over.
It doesn't matter if it overflows.
But when you want to draw patterns, it's like on the wall of your house, you have to stick masking strips to prevent one color from spilling onto another.
The Germans Duerr and BMW have developed an industrial robot with several print heads to have an accuracy of half a millimeter and be able to apply different paints, edge to edge, without the need for masking.
For now, the technique is being tested on two-tone coupes, with a large "M4" lettering on the hood.
It will soon be offered to the public.
Does that mean we're going to have industrial tuning?
Yes.
Lovers of elegance and good taste therefore have something to worry about.
We could see options "Jacky" or "GTI Touch" offered directly from the factory by the manufacturers.
It promises !