In late 2019, Qlayers started with the concept development of the 10Q painting robot which aims to automate the process of coating storage tanks. The 10Q crawler is currently the only robotic solution in the market that can execute this process with high precision, better transfer efficiency and without any overspray.

The idea of designing a coating robot was shaped in 2017 when Josefien Groot (CEO) and Ruben Geutjens (CTO) were looking into various industries for business development opportunities to print sharkskin microstructures. As it turned out, the application methods in the coating industry have not changed for over 100 years and in most cases are still being done by hand. Hence, Qlayers did extensive research about major pain points associated with the manual coating methods and started to work on a solution to tackle them.

The manual coating is time-consuming and risky, as the process is highly influenced by the weather conditions and the coating crew has to work on dangerous heights due to the large size of industrial infrastructures. Moreover, achieving accurate layer thickness is not possible while using traditional coating application methods.

The uniqueness of Qlayers’ technology is highlighted in two parts: the print head and the controller module. By controlling all the parameters influencing the coating process, our technology is able to deliver a high-quality result based on clients’ requirements.

Development and test pilots

The first field test of the robot was done at the Vopak terminal in May 2020. It was a big step for the company as we tested the robot for the first time outside of our paint booth and on a real storage tank. This experience taught us valuable lessons to improve the first version of 10Q further.

In 2019, Qlayers team of engineers started to design the first prototype of the 10Q painting robot. Within the same year, the company established a partnership with Van Der Ende Steel protectors’ group and signed a contract for deployment of the robot in two field test assignments.

In July and October 2020, our partner and coating contractor, Van der Ende, deployed our robot in two commercial assignments at two terminals near the port of Rotterdam. Learning from the challenges and obstacles we faced during these assignments helped us optimize our robot even further, enhancing the features and making it more robust.

We are very proud of what we have achieved so far. Our team of expert engineers will continue to invest in the concept development and optimization of our robots to ensure good product performance, bringing us one step closer to reaching our goal of having a positive impact on the coating industry.