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Maritime coating

Coating ships with a novel robotic solution

The coating process is a significant part of required maintenance for ships, freighters and marine vessels to protect them against the corrosion damage caused by the harsh environmental conditions they operate in. Conventional coating applications are not only time-consuming and expensive but also pose health and safety risks for painters.  
  
To make the coating process more efficient, Qlayers has developed an innovative coating application technology that increases the coating speed and precision while making the process more environmentally friendly. Our crawler-based coating solution for maritime is a fully automated solution for applying anti-corrosion coatings on ship hulls and flat surfaces of cargo ships, oil tankers, VLCCs, and Navy vessels with high safety standards and without requiring painters to work at dangerous heights. 

Core Technology Download Brochure

Speed

Consistent coating speed of up to 200 m2 per hour

Precision

Automated quality control and application consistency

Personnel Safety

Minimize working hours at dangerous heights

Environment

Coating with virtually no overspray

Paint Saving

Saving about 20% of paint thanks to the high transfer efficiency and layer thickness control

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Safety

From risky to reliable: reducing working hours at heights

Traditionally, ships were – and are still – coated by hand, using rollers or spray guns. This has not changed for over a century despite the visible downsides. Conventional methods require painters to work at dangerous heights and in close contact with paint particles.

 

Our robot is a game-changing coating solution that can be controlled remotely by operators from safe grounds, and, therefore, reducing the number of working hours at heights. Moreover, workers are in less contact with toxic chemicals that can cause long-term health issues.

 

Improving the working environment for employees not only results in less absence due to illnesses or injuries but also makes the role of workers in the coating industry safer and more appealing to younger generations

Environment

Spray coating: a major environmental concern

Spray coating generates a significant amount of paint waste because it produces a large amount of overspray and VOCs that could drift away with the wind and contaminate air or nearby water bodies. In addition to overspray, microplastic pollution stands as an increasing threat to both our environment and the intricate balance of marine life. 

 

Qlayers’ robotic technology offers a powerful solution for reducing the environmental impact of spray coating by minimizing overspray and paint waste. 

 

Qlayers’ commitment to environmentally conscious coating practices contributes to preserving our planet’s delicate ecological balance and ensures a greener tomorrow. 

Insights from maritime experts

In September 2021, our team successfully completed the first test pilot of the 10Q robot on a vessel at Damen Shipyard in Schiedam, NL.

 

Take a look at our partner’s testimonial about this project.

10Q crawler renderReady to revolutionize your coating operations?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the system's limitations?

Ship requirements

  • Large open surface, ideally mostly flat
    Max. welding seam depth: 12 mm (0.47 in)
    The possibility of covering curved sections is to be evaluated case-by-case (see respective question)

 

Operating conditions

  • No rain and dry surface
  • Ambient temperatures of 10 – 40 °C (50 – 104 °F)
  • Paint supply temperature 15 – 25 °C (59 -77 °F)
  • Max. wind 4 Bft (20 km/h, 13 MPH)
  • Onshore environment

 

Distance to obstacles

  • 2 m (6.6 ft) to the right and left side of stairs
  • 1.5 m (5 ft) to the right of obstacles
  • 0.3 m (1.0 ft) below other obstacles
  • 1 m (3.3 ft) above other obstacles

Do you do curved section?

We successfully deployed our robot on ship hulls in dry dock environments, where we also coated curved sections. Which sections can be covered for a given ship must be evaluated by Qlayers engineers on a case-by-case basis.

Can you apply anti-fouling silicone coatings?

In principle, you can use all coatings that can be applied with an airless spray system and a two-component pump. However, due to silicone’s contamination behavior, all wet fluid handling equipment (pumps, hoses, filters, paint guns, etc.) should be exclusively used for this purpose after using such a coating.

What is a realistic coating speed in practice?

The average coating speed is 200 m²/h. Primers and intermediates are usually applied at greater layer thicknesses than topcoats, potentially leading to slower driving (±180 m²/h) than for topcoats (±220 m²/h).

 

Eventually, the coating speed depends on vertical lane length. Longer lanes allow for higher coating speed and less disruption through lane switches. The lane length is influenced by the tank/vessel height and obstacles such as wind girders and stairs.

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