Personnel seal panel lines, rivets and any other ‘openings’ to prevent the stripping material from entering the aircraft. U.S Air Force photo by Todd Cromar, 04DEC2019.
In December 2019, a robot paint stripper at Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah, was used to strip an A-10 Thunderbolt-2 for the first time. Normally, it’s used on F-16s.
Corrosion control technicians seal up the seams and holes in the skin to prevent the blast media from entering the aircraft. USAF photo by Todd Cromar, 04DEC2019.
“There are going to be across-the-board improvements including a dramatic reduction in exposure to a Hexavalent Chromium dust environment. This is perhaps the greatest benefit to the robotic system. Savings will also be seen with reduced operating time and less power consumption, as well as reduced costs in material. We really haven’t found a downside to this system.”-Tim Randolph, 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
USAF photo by Todd Cromar.
Two robots, with four hose attachments each, move independently along both sides of the aircraft. The time to strip an A-10 is decreased from three days to 9-12 hours!
Sorry, they didn’t release any pics of the naked A-10.
This Davis-Monthan ‘Paint Barn’ video, released in January 2020, shows you how many humans are needed in order to paint an A-10:
Robot Wars:
Photo via Aerobotix.
A-I PAINTERS TO SAVE THE F-22 RAPTOR?
TEXAS TURNS TO ROBOTS TO WASH F-16
A-10 Thunderbolt-2: ANOTHER A-10C WITH INVASION STRIPES
THE OWL HAD A BLUE UMBRELLA!: HOW LANTIRN KILLED THE N/AW-10, AND, WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE TRUMPETER/HOBBY BOSS KITS?