I am working with a steel fabrication company which wants to install a painting robot in its manufacturing plant where steel storage tanks and pressure vessels are fabricated. The robot would be something similar to an IRB 5400. I have just basic knowledge of robotic painting solutions and would request your guidance on the following. Some of the questions might seem really whacky,- all apologies for the same.
1. Our tanks will be blasted and then sent to the paint booth where the robot will then do the painting. Now, do the robots come with optic sensors to determine the change of profile or surface edge of the tank since all our tanks will be of different sizes? We can load STL files of the tanks, but beyond that, what kind of input will be needed for the robot to 'visualize' the shape of the object to be painted?
2. What kind of integration software is needed for the functioning of the robot in addition to something like RobView5? Please clarify if STL or cad files of the job can be uploaded to the software and there will be no further intervention required from operator's side?
3. Our plan is to have the robot rail-mounted so that larger objects within the working envelope of the robot can be painted. My question is whether floor/wall mounted rails are the only options available or we can use an elevated overslung rail system that will essentially be gantry-type with the robot above the job?
Thanks in advance for your time.