AkzoNobel Signs Cooperation with coatingAI

Recently, revolutionary software jointly developed by AkzoNobel’s powder coatings business and coatingAI is using artificial intelligence to help customers improve their application processes and reduce their carbon footprint.

This industry-first technology, called Flightpath, optimizes equipment setup, reduces defects and overspray, and improves powder consumption, helping to reduce costs, avoid rework, and save time and energy.

The AI-based software has been in development for two years and the two parties have just signed an exclusivity agreement. The two parties joined forces after meeting for the first time at AkzoNobel's Painting the Future Entrepreneurship Challenge 2021.

Remco Maassen van den Brink, marketing director of AkzoNobel’s powder coatings business, said: “We are delighted to partner with coatingAI to strengthen our technical service capabilities. We actively look for ways to support our customers to become more sustainable in their operations, which will significantly improve our ability to help them achieve better outcomes, while also contributing to our goal of halving carbon emissions across the entire value chain by 2030. "

Marlon Boldrini, CEO of coatingAI, added: “Partnering with AkzoNobel will help accelerate our vision from day one. Our solution, based on the power of artificial intelligence and AkzoNobel’s technical expertise, not only can it improve customer efficiency, but it can also promote the sustainable development of the powder coating industry. "

The software enables customers to optimize equipment settings such as gun movement and achieve more even, consistent coverage with fewer defects – all thanks to AI recommendations. The software requires no complex integration, and it continuously adjusts its recommended parameters as conditions change.

Maassen van den Brink added: “Partnering with startups like coatingAI who are driving change in the coatings industry, means we can accelerate our own powder revolution and provide an unparalleled service. This is the latest example of how we continue to innovate and find new ways to deliver state-of-the-art and sustainable solutions to our customers.”

Earlier this year, AkzoNobel’s powder coatings business became the first in the industry to launch a publicly accessible online energy savings calculator for all powder coatings users. It helps customers better understand that making even small changes in the coating process can have a significant impact on improving energy efficiency.