The Virtual Reality (VR) based system, developed with technology specialists Virtual Paint Products, was successfully trialed at AkzoNobel’s training center in Troy, Michigan in 2022, and several portable units have since been designed for use at customers’ own premises.
AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings is now partnering with American Airlines to deliver a new way of training apprentice painters, and upskilling existing teams, through the use of the VR platform, which mimics a production environment and multiple coating systems to train teams virtually. A VR headset immerses the American Airlines’ trainee in a virtual paint booth, completed with the aircraft part to be coated.
The system can be programmed with various paint specifications, such as the thickness of the coating required, and 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. Meanwhile, the operator’s core skills are measured, from setting up the spraying session to the distance, angle, and speed at which the gun is used.