By: Derek Arrington, Florida Sales and Services – Induron Protective Coatings
Lifts, scaffolding, and workers at height. In the world of industrial coatings, these terms are almost ubiquitous with the work provided by applicators to protect our most important infrastructure.
The Collaborators
Apellix is a Jacksonville, FL based company that seeks to remove those barriers and potential dangers to workers with their Spray Painting Drone, revolutionizing coating capabilities with this semi-autonomous drone. After months of R&D and quality control, Apellix was ready to demonstrate their creation to a group of contractors from around the world, but they needed something to spray. At Induron, we’re constantly looking for new innovations, so we offered to provide our brand new Indurabond as a demo material, and this cooperation led to a potential shift in how the world works at height.
About Apellix
Apellix was founded in 2014 by Robert Dahlstrom, a software developer that saw great potential in drone technology early on. First, Bob and his team began working on the B2 Power & Soft Wash Drone. Since its inception, this easy to use technology can be found in 27 countries, with many customers stating that it has saved them thousands of dollars which would typically be used for lifts and scaffolding, not to mention the dangers of working at height. With this resounding success in surface preparation, Bob turned his attention to the next step in a coating project, applying the coating itself.
Collaborating in Innovation
When Bob reached out to Induron’s Owner and President, Davies Hood, about a potential collaboration on this demo, Davies jumped at the opportunity. He saw this as a perfect opportunity to test out Induron’s latest product release, Indurabond, a dryfall acrylic mastic with great surface tolerance for overcoat jobs.
Working closely together, the plan was to apply graffiti paint to shipping containers, which aptly said “Paint the World”, and spray Indurabond through the Apellix drone to completely cover the graffiti, showcasing a practical application for this technology. The paint was shipped, and Induron made sure to have Derek Arrington, Florida Sales Representative, and Andy Odorzynski, National Sales Manager on site to document the event and see this innovation for ourselves.
Demo Day: Putting the Spray Painting Drone to Work
The day began at 10 a.m., with a word from Bob Dahlstrom describing the technology and process it took to reach that point.
He quoted from Margaret Mead when he said “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”, which truly represents both Induron’s and Apellix’s family-owned business practices, where relationships and customer service is key.
Stepping aside for a moment to interview with a local news station, Bob returned to a group of contractors eager to see how this Spray Painting Drone would meet the challenge. Contractors as close as Jacksonville, Apellix’s backyard, and as far as Norway and Brazil were gathered to see innovation take to the skies. After giving out some gifts, the drone was ready for takeoff.
The first signs of success came quickly: When the drone was piloted towards the surface it stopped as soon as it got to its designated range. Bob has explained earlier that this semi-autonomous drone will maintain a consistent standoff distance, perpendicularity, and speed. The pilot only needed to move the drone up and down while the drone took care of the rest, even shutting off the paint sprayer automatically once it completed a pass. With only a few brief pauses to load more paint into the pump, which connected to the drone through a draw line, the Spray Painting Drone made quick work with that graffiti thanks to its automated processes and the hiding power of Indurabond. Apellix then did something unique, they brought out their B2 Power & Soft Wash Drone and some hard hats and let us fly the drones ourselves.
Personally, I’ve never flown a drone in my life, so as I approached the “piloting zone,” I was a bit apprehensive. But, with a brief bit of coaching, I found flying this drone was an absolute breeze. Thanks to the automated processes I was able to power wash very specific areas with ease, quickly becoming comfortable with the controls. I was the final pilot, and after landing the drone, Bob thanked everyone for coming, and repeated the quote from Margaret Mead.
Overall, this was a fantastic collaboration in innovation between two family-owned companies that see a future where the dangers of working at height and the cost of lifts and scaffolding can become a thing of the past.