Are current vehicles painted by hand or robot. Does the model or color make a difference.

 

They're painted by hand. Was at the factory a couple of months back and they only have two robots - one that does the bonding on the chassis and another that does the sealant on the windshield.

 

Not true
According to the recent factory tour I did
"fast track" colours are painted by robot after hand prep, some of these shells are actually held in stock
Special order colours and pearls are hand painted (including mine and it shows )

 

Admittedly I wasn't inside the paint booth to verify - but my tour guide was adamant that there were only two robots in the factory - both of which I witnessed in operation. According to their website..."Each of our cars is painted and finished by hand, receiving up to nine applications of paint — a process that takes more than 50 man-hours". Not sure where the disconnect is - Are the fast track cars painted in another location?

No complaints about the finishing I've seen. Mine was not a fast-track color and I've yet to find a defect.

 

A little more research...I stand partially corrected (particularly embarrassing because i used to work for the robot supplier). This link indicates that the base coat and clear coat are robot applied...

http://www.abb.ca/cawp/seitp202/b43147cae249e942c12579c700302090.aspx

Not sure how that squares with what i was told on the tour, however, there must be some differential interpretation about what constitutes a robot at Aston :0

 

I'd say you weren't "incorrect" in saying the painting was prepared and finished by hand. Most body prep work is very labor intensive and must be done by hand on the body. The paint and clear painted on by robot then wet sanded and polished, ie finished, by hand is accurate. Quite frankly, a robot would be able to spray much more evenly than a human expert so I don't mind that application process. I do body work, and paint and although I consider myself fairly competent, I would paint almost anything up to a Ferrari, or Aston Martin. You can expect some flaws in lessser cars, however, that level requires accuracy and precision.

 

Yep that was what was explained as the logic behind the paint robots