CAREER DEVELOPMENT
drastically reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated and lessen the environmental impact. The findings not only relate to automotive, but all industries that conduct spray painting operations. From the STAR program, the
IWRC then developed Spray Technique Analysis and Research for Defense (STAR4D) in 2003 aimed at the same guiding principles but targeting military finishing. Technicians from paint facilities all over the country and as far away as Japan have gone through STAR4D certification to learn advanced spray techniques and gain the necessary knowledge and skills to improve quality. While the STAR4D program has primarily focused on military facilities, the recent development of the Aerospace Coatings
Technician Certification has opened up the program to other nondefense coating facilities.
The certifi cation program The three-day training
certification focuses on a mix of classroom, virtual training, and hands-on practice in the spray booth. In the classroom, technicians are introduced to topics such as surface preparation, coatings knowledge, and equipment setup. Aside from classroom, technicians also go through training using the VirtualPaint. Training requirements such
as a paint booth, PPE, safety equipment, and coatings are no longer necessary using this virtual reality system. Spray technicians are able to use a real spray gun which has
been instrumented to allow technicians to control flow rate and fan size as though they were in the spray booth. Software on the computer tracks the spray pattern which is shown on the screen. The software tracks many variables such as transfer efficiency, thicknesses, and amount of paint sprayed. Once the technician has sprayed the part, they can switch the system to accumulation mode which visually shows them the thickness of the paint they sprayed — green is within the target mil thickness, blue is too light, and red is too heavy. “The benefit of using
VirtualPaint in training is that we are able to show immediate results that you wouldn’t see in the spray booth. Factors like transfer efficiency and film
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