Sept. 3, 2014—Marshall Auto Body will be among the early American pioneers in “robotic drying,” as the Waukesha, Wis., shop will be the first U.S. collision repair facility to incorporate the Robotica arch system into its painting process.
Shop owner Aaron Marshall told FenderBender that the system—which is from Robotica's Exico line—will be “operational by [the] end of November, early December.”
Jon Parker of Bodyshop Revolution, which distributes the drying system, said Marshall Auto Body is the first U.S. shop to have the technology.
The robotic drying concept relies on a gas catalytic system created through a robotic arch that passes over a vehicle in the paint booth. The exothermic chemical reaction, created by the catalytic system, hardens the paint and allows for significantly faster drying times, according to the Bodyshop Revolution website.
Marshall—known throughout the industry for his business’s forward-thinking, lean approach to production—said he and his team researched the technology for roughly two years before pulling the trigger on the purchase.
The systems have become more common in other parts of the world, but are just now being offered Stateside.
For more information on the Robotica system, visit the company’s website.
