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State of Technology: Cleaning and Coating UAV Systems

Cleaning, coating, and the nondestructive testing (NDT) of corrosion-susceptible surfaces requires extensive manual labor, often at vertical heights that create a dangerous occupational environment. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV) can be leveraged to perform some of these tasks, including cleaning and coating, while keeping workers safely on the ground. 

Product Number: 51220-262-SG
Author: Jeff McCutcheon, Robert (Bob) Dahlstrom
Publication Date: 2020
Industry: Coatings
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Cleaning, coating, and the nondestructive testing (NDT) of corrosion-susceptible surfaces requires extensive manual labor, often at vertical heights that create a dangerous occupational environment. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV) can be leveraged to perform some of these tasks, including cleaning and coating, while keeping workers safely on the ground. Drone capabilities have significantly evolved over the past decade, and it is expected that the ubiquity of such systems will continue to increase in the years to come. While no coating or cleaning drone is commercially available at the time of this publication, one company has an existing prototype currently being developed for this application. This prototype is a custom-manufactured drone with a tether to the aircraft from the ground that delivers power and cleaning or coating material. An on-board computer manages flight navigation along with intelligent spraying. While the utilization of this new technology faces many challenges, it is important to recognize the potential and projected growth of such systems. An introduction to the current state of coating and cleaning drones will be discussed, along with limitations and benefits the system can provide to the coatings industry.

Cleaning, coating, and the nondestructive testing (NDT) of corrosion-susceptible surfaces requires extensive manual labor, often at vertical heights that create a dangerous occupational environment. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV) can be leveraged to perform some of these tasks, including cleaning and coating, while keeping workers safely on the ground. Drone capabilities have significantly evolved over the past decade, and it is expected that the ubiquity of such systems will continue to increase in the years to come. While no coating or cleaning drone is commercially available at the time of this publication, one company has an existing prototype currently being developed for this application. This prototype is a custom-manufactured drone with a tether to the aircraft from the ground that delivers power and cleaning or coating material. An on-board computer manages flight navigation along with intelligent spraying. While the utilization of this new technology faces many challenges, it is important to recognize the potential and projected growth of such systems. An introduction to the current state of coating and cleaning drones will be discussed, along with limitations and benefits the system can provide to the coatings industry.

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