Jim Molnar, Chairman of the Mechanical Association of Railcar Tank Services (MARTS) and industry-expert, Ed Zaharias quickly preview Sponge-Jet Robotic tank car cleaning technology along with other industry updates in the latest issue of JPCL. The article notes “encapsulated media blasting” aka Sponge Blasting technology as a way to increase productivity in rail coatings and lining facilities. Both Sponge Media™ abrasives and the Robotica™ tankcar robot are highlighted.
The article also stresses the importance of surface preparation before the application of lining in tank cars. Zaharias notes, “Surface prep issues are responsible for at least 75 percent of coatings failures.”
Sponge-Jet robotic technology for internal pipe, tank and tube preparation has led to some companies preparing up to six new cars every 24 hours. For new cars, the Robotica can achieve NACE-1 / Sa3 / SP-5 White Metal Blast Cleaning in 1.5 hours. While preparing cars for change of service, Robotica can remove rust or preexisting coatings from cars without steaming or baking.
From the article:
“Encapsulated media blasting coupled with an automated blast unit can be assembled inside the car in 17 minutes can allow coating removal to be completed in as little as one shift’s time. Even rubber lining can be stripped by this method.”
The digital version of the JPCL article can be found here. Or a pdf file here.
To learn more about Robotica applications for tankcar surface preparation and cleaning, visit RoboticTankCarCleaning.com - a special site dedicated to Sponge-Jet technology in the railcar industry.