A state-of-the-art procedure for examining, processing, and labeling painted vehicle surfaces is being implemented at the BMW Group Plant in Regensburg. The first of its kind globally, the German plant has developed an end-to-end digitalized and automated procedure. Each car is processed separately using AI-controlled robots to meet strict quality standards, resulting in a consistently high-quality vehicle surface. Since the data is maintained in the cloud, causality analysis can be done to its fullest potential.
Unlike conventional techniques, the robots do as-needed maintenance on each vehicle’s surface. To make sure that any specks or bumps are removed, the process entails sanding, polishing, and switching out attachments and sandpapers. Every car undergoes specific processing thanks to this customized method, producing a high-quality finish. This cutting-edge method processes up to 1,000 automobiles each day, ensuring reliable operations and shortened lead times.
AI-based Processes
The BMW Group facility in Regensburg is the first automobile facility to deploy such an AI-based process, and it has been in operation since March 2022. Automated Surface Inspection, the first step in the procedure, finds and documents the features that need to be processed once the topcoat has been applied. This stage makes sure that everything goes smoothly and that every vehicle has the same high-quality finish.
Deflectometry, which detects changes in projected black-and-white striped patterns, is used by the Automated Surface Inspection system to locate any variations in reflective paintwork. The information is subsequently saved to a linked computer system, which builds a digital 3D representation of the surface and categorizes it in accordance with predetermined standards. In order to ensure customer quality assurance, this guarantees that all vehicle surfaces are inspected and adjusted as necessary.
Robots are utilized in the process, although they have restrictions and can’t process some parts, including the body’s edges or the very last millimeters adjacent to the door and other joints. As a result, skilled workers apply the finishing touches and carry out the last body inspection. A laser projector is utilized to mark important portions of the body surface so that nothing is missed as they use the recorded data to assist their work.
With ambitions to expand its use to additional facilities in the future, the BMW Group Plant in Regensburg is the first to utilise this three-stage automated process in normal production. [Source: BMW]
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