![]() The article goes on also by stating that the older livery required workers to hand spray various coat materials and this has now been replaced by robotic systems: “The idea to optimize the process by eliminating multiple masking operations and the need to manually hand spray various top coats by using robotic application during the final top coat application or “Z13” overcoat as it is more commonly known, was conceived. Despite the immense efforts amongst the F-35 Finishes organizations, the process often yielded escapes and as a result contributed towards the organizations number one driver for quality defects.” The manufacturing process to yield a complying product are extremely labor intensive and requires unique skill sets and more so concentrated attention to detail, which meant more labor and processing span in AFF. Thistle himself, at that time the Production Operations Senior Manager in Aircraft Final Finishes (AFF): “The Aircraft Finishes configuration required the preparation and applications of various materials, which aesthetically appear as jig saw panes of various shades of gray across doors, panels and control surface edges. ![]() ".Another article which is not available online anymore on official websites, but is quoted in multiple aviation forums, features some more details from Mr. The Z13 overcoat significantly reduces the need for many of the labor-intensive tasks that drove rework and repair hours up." The team used AF104 as a trial run with no issues, and James said it was worth the wait. It took five years and a lot of hard work to incorporate the new coatings. James Thistle was the first to suggest the new coatings, now referred to as the Z13 overcoat. Through a new coating system, the team was able to give the F-35 one uniform coat that saved a significant number of hours per unit in defects and rework. Here is an extract of the aforementioned update: ![]() In a weekly update by Lockheed Martin’s General Manager Jeff Babione dated April 13, 2017, the new coating system was announced as able to cut-off 128 hours in the painting process, resulting in a reduction of the costs by USD 16,000 per aircraft and 49M USD in the total life of the Joint Strike Fighter program. ".The old livery presented very evident panel lines which were painted a lighter gray than the rest of the aircraft, resulting in the characteristic saw tooth panel lines above and on the sides of the fuselage. ![]()
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