Materials Performance

APR 2017

Materials Performance is the world's most widely circulated magazine dedicated to corrosion prevention and control. MP provides information about the latest corrosion control technologies and practical applications for every industry and environment.

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47 NACE INTERNATIONAL: VOL. 56, NO. 4 MATERIALS PERFORMANCE APRIL 2017 Continued on page 49 to improve productivity while enhancing workplace safety. It requires only half the manpower to complete a project and can work for longer hours as compared to man- ual methods. OutoBot comprises a robotic arm, with six degrees of movement, mounted on a specially designed automated gondola. e system weighs <500 kg (1,102 lb). Powered by a conventional power outlet, the robot can scan the exterior surface of a building using a camera and automatically plot the areas to spray paint or clean while avoiding the windows. It also gives a more consistent coat of paint as compared to manual methods. The Outobot spray paints a wall. Photo courtesy of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Typically, a team of five is usually re- quired—two on the ground and roof top, with three painters or cleaners on the gon- dola—to paint or wash a building façade. e robotic system requires only two work- ers: one operator on the ground and one as a safety officer. Apart from saving up to 50% on manpower requirements, the robotic system can speed up both the cleaning and painting process by ~30% since it does not need a break. e automated system also minimizes wastage, with paint savings of up to 20%. To speed up the painting or clean- ing process on the same building, multiple systems can be deployed. Dennis Lim, managing director of ELID Technology International, says the robotic system will tackle productivity issues for painting buildings in line with Singapore's Smart Nation vision. "With Singapore's rap- idly aging workforce, we need to find ways to enable our employees to continue con- tributing despite their advanced years," he explains. "Using our new robot, we have shown that a labor-intensive job can trans- formed into one that can be easily done by an older worker, and at the same time elim- inating the risk of employees having to work at heights," he adds. Source: Nanyang Technological Univer sity, Singapore, web site: ntu.edu.sg. Researchers Use Kinetics to Make Ceramic Coatings A researcher with Sandia National Labora- tories (Albuquerque, New Mexico) explains the process for creating ultrafine-grained ceramic coatings as submicron particles

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