Automated painting technology to combat the shortage of skilled workers

In order to avoid capacity bottlenecks in wet painting due to a shortage of skilled workers, a paint shop was converted from a manual to an automated painting solution and production capacity and delivery capability were increased.

With a highly automated painting system and customized planning, the first joint project between Oltrogge and Gesellschaft für Oberflächentechnik mbH (GOT) shows how an efficient painting solution was implemented under demanding conditions.

Comprehensive support for its customers from the initial idea through to series or even individual custom production - this is what the Jena-based Gesellschaft für Oberflächentechnik mbH, or GOT for short, is committed to. The medium-sized company with 100 employees, founded in 1992, specializes in high-quality surface finishing. In addition to electroplating, screen and pad printing, the range of services also includes powder coating and wet painting. Customers from the optical industry, medical technology, electrical engineering and equipment manufacturing appreciate the flexibility, quality and short response times, even for small batch sizes.

Being able to react quickly to customer requests has recently become a challenge for GOT in wet painting. With an increasing shortage of skilled workers, capacity limits were reached here. "To ensure customer satisfaction and on-time delivery, we switched from a manual to an automated painting solution," explains Chris Choitz, authorized signatory and plant manager at GOT. The aim was to achieve consistently high quality through reproducible results, expand production capacity and introduce a closed system for stable and reliable processes.

Due to its many years of experience in the field of painting, GOT turned to the surface specialists at Oltrogge GmbH & Co. KG in Bielefeld - and found in the company not only an experienced provider of modern application technology, but also a partner that sets the same standards in terms of service, advice and implementation. Thanks to the nearby branch in Altenburg, Oltrogge employees were able to provide comprehensive advice directly on site.

The first challenge was to find the optimal location for the new paint supply system. "We had originally planned to integrate the system in Hall 2," recalls Oltrogge Area Sales Manager Jens Rothe. "However, as powder coating is carried out here and, for technical reasons, this should not be operated in the same room as wet painting, we had to find another solution. Instead, an existing drying system in Hall 1 was dismantled to create the necessary space."

Within just twelve months, from receipt of the order in June 2024 to installation in February 2025 and commissioning of the new system in June 2025, Oltrogge implemented a modern, compact, state-of-the-art paint supply system.

The centerpiece is a compact, automated 2-component mixing and dispensing system from Oltrogge's own Regular 100 brand, which was developed for an application with maximum application efficiency and can be easily integrated into existing systems. At GOT, the Regular 100 was combined with a Fanuc robot and an AGMD Pro System automatic spray gun from DeVilbiss. The system also has an intelligent control unit with scanner and program management, integrated energy consumption measurement and IT-supported conveyor technology. Thanks to this networking, processes can be controlled more efficiently and monitored transparently.

Despite the limited space available, a lifting/lowering station spanning two floors was even integrated into the existing roof truss. A precisely air-conditioned painting booth with controlled humidity ensures consistently high application quality, a key factor for reproducible results with solvent-based and water-based paints.

The Jena-based company is already impressed with the new system. It reliably delivers perfect painting results and ensures a significantly increased production capacity at GOT, delivery capability and therefore long-term customer satisfaction. The "new one" has also met with approval internally: after initial reservations, the employees no longer see the highly automated system as a replacement for existing workstations, but perceive it as effective support and an opportunity to open up new areas of responsibility. Accordingly, the employees were trained on the new system, which will be a fixed part of the training plan at GOT in future.

GOT also has fond memories of the partnership with Oltrogge. "It was our first major investment project after the reconstruction following a fire in 2005," explains Chris Choitz. "Oltrogge supported us closely right from the start - always available, solution-oriented and with a realistically calculated but ambitious schedule that was adhered to exactly. Oltrogge also impressed us with the detailed planning," Choitz continues. "The idea of specifically dismantling existing technology to make room for the new system was an example of practical, intelligent planning for us." (OM-9/25)