Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine - May/June 2023 - 35

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: AEROSPACE
Aerobrand, a UK airline brand and consultancy. Through
the paint company's Livery Lab system, this partnership
enables airline customers to work closely with designers
to create custom colours and give direct input on the
design of their livery.
AkzoNobel partnered with American Airlines to deliver
a new way of training apprentices and upskilling existing
teams through a Virtual Reality (VR) technology. This VR
platform mimics the customer's production environment
and multiple coating systems to train applicators virtually.
It can be programmed with various paint specifications,
such as the thickness of the coating required and when
the operator uses the spray gun, they can see whether
too much or too little paint is being used. The feedback is
immediate so that trainees can react quickly and change
their technique. The program shows where runs or sags
occur, or whether the wet film thickness isn't sufficient,
or the coverage is inadequate to deliver a smooth finish.
It also helps them avoid common problems such as paint
overlap.
According to Kokkinen, there are also benefits
for experienced painters that may have been using a
polyurethane paint and need to switch to a paint with
a different mix that may be heavier or lighter, and this
too can be programmed into the system to replicate the
experience in the spray booth.
" Typically, when a customer asks for training, we have
to provide significant quantities of paint, much of which
is wasted. By effectively moving the spray booth into a
virtual classroom, we completely eliminate waste, reduce
costs and unnecessary shipping, and prevent VOCs from
being released, " says Kokkinen. " There are also no costs
associated with cleaning the guns or providing panels
needed for wet paint training. "
Future Focus
Canada's aerospace industry has an ambitious
sustainability goal of reaching net zero emissions by
2050. Through innovation and investing in process
efficiencies and automation, Mueller says there will be big
opportunities and more new jobs.
Throughout the pandemic, AIAC worked hard to
secure tangible support for the industry and supply
chain. Mueller says there is $1.75 billion dedicated to
the aerospace industry through the Strategic Innovation
Fund, and an additional $250 million under the Aerospace
Regional Recovery Initiative in 2021.
" There are a lot of opportunities out there. I encourage
companies looking to invest in equipment to reach out
to AIAC or be aware of the programs that are available, "
says Mueller. " We have a small business committee that
can help with accessing funds. Talk to your regional
development agencies. And each province has a federal
government office dedicated to these initiatives. That
would be a good first step. "
Sustainability at a local and global level has been an
industry preoccupation and priority as much as it is the
government's. For the coating and finishing industry,
Mueller says that anything that improves aerodynamics,
helps with light-weighting materials, and provides less toxic
materials would be of interest to manufacturers and throughout
the supply chain.
" Make sure you're communicating that to your buyers. If there
is innovation in increased sustainability, flag those in the supply
chain and the opportunities for government to partner with you
on innovation. Incremental improvement is still improvement, "
says Mueller.
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eriepowder.com | info@eriepowder.com
1-905-957-4086 (Canada) | 1-814-725-2012 (USA)
May/June 2023
35
http://www.eriepowder.com
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine - May/June 2023

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