Why Graco Automation?

Once you’ve decided to automate, choosing the right partner can make all the difference.

You need dedicated people who have the experience and expertise to find solutions for your challenges, and innovative products to get the job done right. Turn to the trusted finishing experts. 

Graco has more than 90 years of experience in delivering high quality finishing products in the industrial industries, to customers just like you. Our recipe for success is based on delivering high quality, dependable equipment, with innovative technologies and products designed to meet your unique applications.
 

We invest a lot in our products and our people.

Each year, we make substantial investments in research and development of our products, to ensure you get innovative products to give you the competitive advantage. Our products help you improve customer satisfaction and enhance your brand – driving increased revenues for your business. 

Not only do we offer the products to help you automate your paint line, we have over 3,600 distributors, in over 100 countries. No matter where you are, we have resources to help design the right solution for your factory. We also have a network of authorized integrators to assist in your automation planning. 
 

No matter how large or small your project, Graco has products that will easily integrate with your robot and automation systems!

A big pitfall is biting off too much at once. You don’t have to go from zero to 100. Take baby steps.

For example, going from using pressure pots and a manual paint sprayer to using a robot with a rotary bell atomizer is a quantum leap. End users who try to move that fast usually have unrealistic expectations because they haven’t seen the varying degrees of automation.

More gradual steps, like moving a two-component paint mixing system with manual spray guns to a two-component paint mixing system with automatic applicators on a robot, are less daunting.

Your journey to automation is only as successful as what you invest in it. If I tell my automation partners, “I want turnkey robots; I don’t want to know or have to do anything,” I’ll probably fail.

You need to take ownership in the education and understanding of how everything works.

Ask – and get solid answers for – future-proofing questions like these:

• Is this going to be applicable five years from now if my parts mix changes?
• Will I need to replace equipment if I paint bigger or smaller parts?
• What if I add more colors in the future?

Any automation partner can calculate return on investment (ROI) for their products.

Graco’s Automation ROI Tool can help you factor in labor, process improvement, material, quality and equipment costs before and after automation.

This total cost of ownership (TCO) formula can help you estimate all expenses associated with buying and operating a piece of equipment:

When moving to automation, be sure to factor in material savings, more consistent finish quality, less rejects, and lower return rates. Such benefits could make your total cost of ownership go down.

Remote monitoring and control should be part of your automated paint system requirements. 

Internet of Things (IoT) services like Fanuc’s Zero Downtime connect robots to a secure network, through which each robot sends out a daily health report. That type of service may be worth the extra cost from a predictive or preventative maintenance perspective.

If your fire marshal or insurance company rate your paint spray booth a hazardous area, be sure any automated equipment meets their safety requirements before you buy it.

Light curtains and cages are also needed to ensure safety around a robotic paint booth.