May 2, 2024
AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings has partnered with International Aerospace Coatings (IAC), a leader in aircraft painting and aviation services, to integrate its Virtual Reality (VR) paint technology into the company’s future training programs. IAC has thus become the first MRO globally to integrate AkzoNobel’s VR technology into its day-to-day operations.
The VR technology being used by IAC immerses the individual painter in a virtual paint booth, complete with the aircraft part to be coated.
The system can be programmed with various paint parameters, such as the thickness of the coating required, overcoat times and tailored spray gun set-up. As the operator uses the spray gun, they can see whether too much or too little paint is used and look for inconsistencies in the way the coating is being applied. Their skills can be measured, including the distance, angle, and speed at which the gun is used. It shows where runs and sags occur, or where the wet film thickness is not sufficient, or the coverage inadequate to deliver the desired finish.
By effectively moving the physical spray booth into a VR classroom, IAC can eliminate waste, reduce costs, and further improve safety, since no physical products are involved in the process. There are also no costs or time associated with cleaning the spray guns, or the additional VOCs released from the solvents required, or in providing the panels needed for wet paint training. With VR, customers can train more painters, more quickly, at a time that is convenient, and allow trainees to make mistakes without incurring high costs for scrap and rework.
The introduction of the new VR technology will enable IAC to refocus its training programs; in the future, up to 70 per cent of all new apprentice training can now be completed in the classroom, without a single drop of paint being sprayed.
The mobile nature of the VR technology enables IAC to train painters at all its sites around the world.
