Attractivechina Robotic Painting Line Project Successfully Completed at a Railway Wagon Depot in Hunan

In January 2025, the robotic painting line project for railway car sides and roofs, undertaken by Attractivechina Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Attractivechina”) at a railway railway car depot in Hunan Province, was successfully delivered and put into operation. This successful project marks another significant milestone for the company in the field of rail transit coating equipment and demonstrates Attractivechina’s advancement in automated spraying technology for heavy-duty workpieces.

1. Project Background

As a critical component of national economic and social development, rail transit vehicles rely heavily on high‑quality coating to ensure service life, operational safety, and appearance. With the rapid expansion of China’s railway freight network, the number of freight railway cars continues to grow, driving higher requirements for corrosion protection and surface finish. However, the coating of rail vehicle bodies has long faced challenges such as mixed‑model production, small batch sizes, and confined working spaces. Traditional manual spraying methods suffer from low efficiency and inconsistent quality, while also exposing operators to health risks.

The client, a major railway car maintenance depot in Hunan, handles a large volume of freight railway car repair and repainting tasks. Faced with increasing workloads and rising quality standards, the client urgently needed to upgrade its coating process with automated and intelligent solutions. To address these needs, Attractivechina conducted on‑site surveys and in‑depth consultations, gaining a thorough understanding of the client’s specific pain points and requirements. Based on this analysis, Attractivechina designed and delivered a turnkey robotic painting line tailored for both railway car sides and roofs.

2. Technical Solution

The project employs an advanced robotic automatic spraying system that enables fully automated painting of railway freight railway car sides and roofs. The line integrates several of Attractivechina’s core technologies, including robotic spray control and workpiece positioning, multi‑station multi‑angle spraying, and automatic spraying path generation. By combining 3D visual perception with robotic automation, the system automatically identifies the position and orientation of each workpiece and adjusts the spraying program accordingly, achieving intelligent, high‑precision, and adaptive control.

For material handling, the project utilizes the company’s self‑developed heavy‑workpiece corner transfer technology and flexible multi‑channel conveying system. Given the large size and heavy weight of rail vehicle bodies, the heavy‑workpiece corner transfer technology significantly improves the stability of moving heavy loads and enables precise 90‑degree turns within a compact footprint. The flexible multi‑channel conveying system offers exceptional production flexibility, reduces floor space requirements, and boosts efficiency by allowing multiple channels to operate simultaneously.

In addition, the line is equipped with an online non‑destructive visual inspection system that performs real‑time, multi‑point detection of surface defects, ensuring that every railway car’s coating quality is traceable and controllable. Furthermore, the project incorporates Attractivechina’s proprietary cloud‑based remote operation and maintenance software, which allows engineers to monitor and manage the line remotely without being physically present on site, greatly enhancing operational efficiency and reducing downtime.

3. Core Advantages

The introduction of robotic spraying enables fully enclosed and unmanned operation, dramatically reducing safety risks for personnel. The system delivers high automation, excellent coating uniformity, improved safety, and environmental friendliness – all essential for providing reliable, long‑lasting protection for railway freight railway cars.

Attractivechina brings deep expertise in rail transit coating equipment, backed by over 30 years of experience since its team first entered the coating industry in 1994. In the rail sector, the company has secured multiple core invention patents, including those for intelligent spraying production lines for rail vehicles, locking‑hook automatic engagement and release devices for heavy rail equipment, and intelligent conveying systems for heavy rail components. This strong patent portfolio provided a solid technological foundation for the successful execution of this project.

4. Project Outcomes

The successful implementation of this project has significantly improved the automation level and production efficiency of the client’s coating process, while greatly enhancing coating uniformity and consistency. It has also reduced manual intervention and paint waste. Since its commissioning, the line has operated stably and earned high praise from the client, further strengthening Attractivechina’s leading position in the rail transit coating equipment market.

Looking ahead, Attractivechina remains committed to its mission of “setting a new benchmark in the coating industry and making coating easier.” With 32 years of dedicated focus on the coating sector, the company will continue to drive technological innovation and product upgrades, providing even better digital and intelligent coating solutions for the rail transit industry and beyond.