Posted to News on 2nd Jul 2025, 15:00
ABB PixelPaint selected by Stellantis for all-electric flagship DS8
Stellantis' plant in Melfi, Italy - recognised as one of the company's centres of excellence - will use ABB's PixelPaint technology with mono coat paint from Nippon Paint to create the elegant duo-tone paintwork of DS Automobiles' new DS8 flagship.
(See ABB at MachineBuilding.Live, 15 October 2025, on stand 193)
The cutting-edge technology will ramp up production during the second half of 2025 in a fully-automated and highly sustainable process that epitomises the charismatic French brand.
"PixelPaint is increasingly being recognised by some of the world's leading automotive designers who are seeking to create extraordinary finishes for their customers," said Joerg Reger, Managing Director of ABB Robotics Automotive Business Line.
"Traditionally, the deep-black duo-tone paintwork of DS8 - extending from the roof, down the hood, and into the front grille - would require complex manual masking and multiple trips through the paintshop, making it both labour- and energy-intensive. PixelPaint does away with that, enhancing efficiency, saving energy, and substantially reducing emissions. And with two robots working in coordination, this precision finish can be applied without delaying the line or the need for manual intervention."
PixelPaint consists of a paint head with more than 1,000 tiny, individually controlled nozzles, mounted on an ABB robot such as the IRB 5500 paint series. Combined with 3D vision system and coordinated by ABB's RobotStudio planning and programming software, the head tracks very closely to the vehicle body to ensure that 100 percent of the paint is applied to the car with no overspray or airborne misting. This eliminates waste, reduces environmental treatment requirements, and makes a significant contribution to DS Automobiles' sustainability objectives.
"DS8 redefines the French Art of Travel. Its sleek contours are an invitation to cover long distances in serene, all-electric comfort, while the extended duo-tone paintwork with its sharply-defined lines are an ultra-modern reinterpretation of historic French coachbuilding," said Silvio Licitra, Head of Paint Process Engineering at Stellantis. "ABB's PixelPaint enables this meeting of design and sustainability, an expression of technological excellence fused with the refined aesthetics synonymous with our avant-garde heritage."
ABB, Stellantis and Nippon Paint announced their collaboration in Cannes at SURCAR Europe, the international conference on automotive body finishing held biennially since 1964. They were presented with the Innovation Award at the conference.
