How to Make Your Paint Mixing Room Industry 4.0 Ready

Traditional paint mix rooms are not ready for Industry 4.0, making them the Achilles heel of any smart production facility. However, with a simple and cost-effective expansion it is possible to make your paint mixing room Industry 4.0 ready.

Industry 4.0 references to the 4th industrial revolution where all parts in a factory are digitally connected to one network and share information. By integrating Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies, the so-called smart factory increases production performance and efficiency. Machines tell how much they produce, what their status is and which parts need to be replaced. The products also share information: sensors tell where they are in the production chain and if they meet all requirements.

Industry 4.0 is more than the implementation of new technologies. All production processes undergo a transformation based on four design principles:

1. Interconnection 
   In a smart factory, all parts are connected to share valuable information regarding machine and product status, maintenance issues, production demand, etc. Bridges are also built to the outside world.
   
   
2. Information transparency
   All data is collected and stored in one central network. This valuable information offers you real-time data and insights, providing a clear overview of all parts of the organisation. It enables you to react faster and make future predictions thanks to artificial intelligence.
   
   
3. Technical assistance
   Machines will not take over our jobs, but our tasks will change. A worker who used his hands to make a specific part will continue to do that, only in an augmented or virtual reality space. Current job skillsets may just need an upgrade rather than a complete turnover. New technologies provide the technical assistance to make production easier and more efficient.
   
   
4. Decentralised decisions
   Just because information is collected in one central place, does not mean machines will no longer store and process data locally. For safety, flexibility and efficiency reasons, it is important that systems can take decentralised decisions.

Paint mixing is an important step in the paint process. When not carried out properly, it can lead to a lot of issues further down the production chain: paint shear, bad finishing quality, repetitive flushing, undesired downtime, etc. By adding smart technology to closely monitor paint quality and predict machine failure, paint lines will benefit from more efficiency and better results. A smart paint room can run on its own, collecting data and adjusting its processes accordingly.

There is an easy and cost-effective way to introduce your paint line to Industry 4.0: Graco’s Intelligent Paint Kitchen. It is a smart, modular, easy, and cost-effective system for monitoring and controlling your paint mix room without the use of a PLC.

The sensors, actuators and control modules of the Intelligent Paint Kitchen communicate with each other to optimise the performance of your paint supply and circulation system. Connected via the internet and equipped with IoT-technology, the system is completely Industry 4.0 ready. All data can be visualised and stored, allowing you to analyse and trace your complete finishing process.