A Toronto CSN location is making waves for being the first to embrace a cutting-edge approach to paint drying–one involving robotics.
CSN St. Clair Auto Repair in Sarnia, Ontario is the first Canadian facility to have installed GreenTech Dryers, Italian-designed gas catalytic dryers. What is so radical about the dryers is that they are robotic.
To overcome spacing concerns, the CSN location went to GreenTech distributor Flatline Spraybooth Specialists to get two different dryers retrofitted to an already existing space. An E6 robot was installed inside of their paint booth, and an E5 robot installed inside of their prep station.
With only one paint booth in the shop, owner Richard Bellavance searched for solutions to increase the production time. He had plans to expand the shop building and to have another paint booth installed, until he realized how much it would actually cost for his business.
Bellavance told Collision Repair that he attended a CCIF conference in Toronto a year ago and watched a presentation where he had first discovered the GreenTech Dryers.
The numbers inside of the shop are beginning to show the value of their investment. Since the installation of the Greentech Robots, sales have increased 37 percent, with a decrease in cycle time of 18 percent. Because of the increase in throughput, two more employees have been hired to compensate for the increased workload in reassembly.
Unlike their competitors, which primarily emit short wave infrared heat, Greentech uses medium wave technology. Its medium-wave system will not melt plastics or mirrors, and is more forgiving to use on clearcoats because its lower heat mitigates solvent popping and diebacks.
The E5 robot also stands out for its included technologies. It is the only dryer to offer a full arched system inside of the prep station, which allows the user to prime all sides of the vehicle with one pass of the robot or use a stall inside of the prep area as a fast lane for small damage.
The Greentech products are sold exclusively through Flatline Spraybooth Specialists.
