Over 35 years, the Malaysian company has operated as a specialist provider of industrial painting systems, while recent projects in Vietnam, Indonesia and India have reinforced its status as a major presence in Asia.
Combat was selected by Malaysian motorcycle manufacturer Boon Siew Honda to install a new paintshop, following a decision in 2011 to expand and relocate to a more spacious, advanced facility. The paintshop fulfils all painting requirements for the production operation and involves painting both metal and plastic materials, as well as electro-deposition processes. Engineering teams from Honda and Combat collaborated closely to ensure that the technological requirements were achieved.
The primary requirement was the automation of the metal and plastic painting processes. Electrostatic painting via high-speed rotary atomiser has been implemented to improve paint transfer efficiency. The quality and consistency achieved via robotic painting represent a significant improvement over the previous manual spraying system, reducing the need for rework.
Moreover, all painting systems operate seamlessly in a continuous conveyor system. A power and free conveyor track measuring over 2,000 metres was installed to transport motorcycle frames and fuel tanks. This continuous conveyor starts at the welding station and continues through the electro-deposition and painting processes before delivering the finished parts to the assembly line.
The whole installation, which became operational in March this year, represents one of the first implementations of the concept by Honda outside Japan.