Beal was an early American adopter of robotic paint drying, which made it’s way into the U.S. in late 2014. Yet, while all three major companies specializing in robotic paint drying—Symach, Greentech, Ionitec—have obtained their UL certifications and are readily available in the U.S. market, adoption hasn’t exactly been widespread.
Beal says that’s largely due to the costliness of the systems (one can expect to spend, at the very least, $50,000 to $100,000, says Steve Trapp, North American services manager for Axalta Coating Systems) and the lack of American-based service centers whenever the equipment malfunctions.
While Beal's Auto Body experienced vastly improved cycle times and had its best sales month ever upon implementing robotic paint drying equipment, Beal says mechanical issues, space restraints and service frustrations kept his shop from reaching its full potential, and oftentimes impeded production.
Thus, his partnership with area engineers began 13 months ago. Within 4-6 weeks, Beal says the equipment will be finished and ready to market. He says the system will be “completely modular” (meaning it can adapt to a vehicle of any size) and operable with a smartphone or tablet.
FenderBender will follow up in the next couple months with more information once the Phoenix1000 is complete.