Robotic Car Painting Is Coming. Skilled Panel Beaters Will Be Worth More
Robotic systems that paint cars by themselves already exist. You prepare the car, roll it into the booth, the machine scans it and the robot arm paints.
Painting will be automated
Vasilis sees this as something simple and expected for our time, neither particularly difficult nor particularly expensive. His view is that within about five years a system like this will be installed somewhere in Greece too, starting with the large body shops.
What will be missing is panel beating
What is truly difficult, what will be scarce and in high demand, is panel beating and metal shaping. For the same damage there are five different ways and techniques to repair it. It is like driving to Thessaloniki: there are many roads, and it depends which one you choose and how fast you get there.
At a professional level, where time is money, you want to reach the same result by the shortest route. Knowing which route that is comes from experience and training.
What this means for the trade
Painters who also master bodywork, and shops that invest in metal skills, will be the ones in demand when robots take over the booth.
Frequently asked questions
Will robots replace car painters?
Robotic refinish painting is coming to large body shops. Skilled bodywork and metal shaping are much harder to automate.
Which body shop skills will be most in demand?
Panel beating and metal shaping, where the same damage can be repaired in several ways and experience decides the fastest correct one.
Build those skills at our bodywork and refinish seminars in Paiania, or see our coachbuilding work.
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