Color Change in Zero Seconds

CUSTOMER: Automotive manufacturer

GRACO EQUIPMENT: PD2K Manual Positive Displacement Proportioner

CHALLENGE:  An automotive manufacturer ran just-in-time production; they built vehicles based on product order. Although this was an advantage from an inventory standpoint, it caused difficulties on the paint line.

Painters had to hand mix, on-demand, varying amounts of several colors due to their ever-changing production schedule. In order to keep up, color changes needed to be no more than 23 seconds between different vehicle groupings. Such demands made hand mixing impossible.

The paint line team needed proportioning equipment that guaranteed…

• separation of electronic controls from fluid equipment
• easy-to-use controls and presets 
• as little waste possible

SOLUTION: The engineer at the automotive manufacturer thought that the Graco ProMix 2KS Electronic Proportioning System was the solution. However, his local distributor and Graco representative recommended a closer look at the ProMix PD2K Manual Positive Displacement Proportioning System. The PD2K could provide increased flexibility, simple controls and up to an 80 percent reduction in wasted material and solvent.

The paint line engineering team traveled to Graco’s headquarters in Minneapolis to see the advantages of the ProMix PD2K firsthand.

Graco software engineers took the 23-second color change requirement and responded by creating the ProMix PD product family’s first zero-second color change. Having a second gun loaded and connected to pot life tracking technology allowed painters to change colors without having to flush the system.

They also impressed by devising a way to keep all electronic controls, including pressure transducers separated from all the of the fluid handling components in a non-hazardous area. This eliminated any safety concerns associated with potential leaks.

RESULTS: After more than two years of constant use, the ProMix PD2K provides the simplicity, flexibility and precision necessary to keep up with continually changing production demands.

The customer’s needs were not only addressed, but also improved upon. The manufacturer asked for 23-second color changes, Graco engineers gave them zero, drastically reducing production downtime caused by hand mixing.

With newfound production flexibility and precision, waste is no longer generated through normal production, and painters have found it intuitive and easy-to-use.