Even for the IP69-protected KR Quantec nano cleaning robot by KUKA, it’s not easy being subjected to powerful jets of water, chemical cleaning agents, and extreme humidity. That’s why this model was designed with its mechanics completely enclosed, its interior under compressed air, and the entire cabling inside its body. The Quantec nano’s job is to precisely guide individual components of already-molded auto bodies past the spray nozzles so that their interiors can be cleaned, too. The entire process takes just 45 seconds; the robot is even able to handle components of different sizes. Two companies headquartered in Lower Bavaria were responsible for implementing the project at BMW: Schnupp Hydraulik and WK Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG .

In general, (collaborative) robotic systems will be taking on more and more of the most strenuous cleaning work in the near future. In its current three-year plan , China explicitly mentioned employing industrial robots for cleaning, spray-painting, and similar activities. In Germany, for example, MTM GmbH (a company based in Marienheide) specializes in plumbing-unit robots for component cleaning in the automotive industry.