When I walked into the Foam & Adhesives Expo in Novi this year, I had one mission: to see just how far robotic adhesive dispensing has come and where it’s headed next.
It didn’t take long.
Right inside Hall B, a six-axis robot was laying down flawless, uniform beads of thermal adhesive onto EV battery housings. No overspray, no smudges just clean, high-speed application with surgical consistency. I caught myself saying out loud to a total stranger: “This is incredible!”
To set the record straight I’m not an engineer, I’m in marketing but I don’t impress easily. I’ve spent years working alongside manufacturers, engineers, and product teams, helping translate innovation into business impact. And what I saw in Novi wasn’t a glimpse of what’s possible someday it was what’s deployable now. These weren’t prototypes. These were production-ready systems solving real problems with precision and scalability.
Across industries from automotive to aerospace to foam fabrication, I kept hearing the same challenges:
- Adhesive waste
- Inconsistent application
- Labor constraints and operator fatigue
- Costly rework due to human error
What stood out most wasn’t just the robots it was their intelligence and intuition. Cobots with teach-and-repeat paths. Vision systems checking bead width in real time. Closed-loop controls making micro-adjustments mid-application, without stopping the line. These machines don’t just automate; they optimize.
One system that exemplifies where this technology is going is Spraybot, developed by i2i Engineering. It’s a self-contained robotic dispensing cell built specifically for adhesives, coatings, and thermal materials. Equipped with a C4 model Epson six axis arm, conveyor integration, and intuitive HMI controls, Spraybot transforms traditionally manual, messy processes into clean, repeatable, data-driven operations.
What makes it compelling isn’t just the precision, it’s the accessibility. Spraybot brings high-end automation to operations of all sizes, whether you’re bonding EV battery trays, applying foam adhesives, or managing small-batch production. No special programming required. No guesswork. Just plug-and-produce simplicity with performance to match.
It’s ideal for manufacturers looking to:
- Eliminate application inconsistencies
- Reduce material waste and labor costs
- Increase throughput without scaling headcount
- Ensure traceability and quality control across production runs
In a space where most solutions still feel custom and complex, Spraybot is built to be both sophisticated and scalable.
The expo reinforced three key takeaways:
- Customization is the new standard – Adhesive processes are unique. Off-the-shelf won’t cut it anymore.
- Feedback is fundamental – Vision, flow, and thermal sensors are no longer optional—they’re expected.
- Automation must scale both ways – High-mix, low-volume shops need solutions just as much as major OEMs.
On the final day of the Foam and Adhesives Expo, I stood watching a robot apply epoxy to a curved foam-backed panel with machine-perfect consistency. An operator nearby said, “We used to need three people for this. Now one person runs two lines.”
That really stuck with me. No pun intended.
Because at its core, automation isn’t just about speed or cost savings. It’s about freeing up human potential, allowing people to focus on quality, creativity, and continuous improvement while the robot handles the repetition.
At i2i Engineering, that’s exactly what we’re focused on.
If you’re ready to explore what smarter adhesive automation can look like for your operation, we’d love to talk. Spraybot might just be the game-changer you didn’t know you needed.