C&C Marine and Repair, LLC officially opened its new Robotic Paint & Blasting Facility in early November 2018.  The 83,000 square foot facility can accommodate barges up to 320’x75’ and is able to blast and paint a standard 30,000 Barrel Tank Barge or two (2) 10,000 Barrel Tank Barges in 7-10 days.  The fully enclosed, climate-controlled facility is unaffected by inclement weather or humidity and allows for uninterrupted operation, year-round.  The fully automated blasting robots use steel grit as the blast medium, which is blasted uniformly across the surface of the barge.

The facility utilizes two robotic blasters, each with two oscillating nozzles that continuously blast the barge from the top and sides.  A separate bottom-blasting robot (patent pending), outfitted with oscillating nozzles, blasts the bottom surface of the barge.  Each blasting robot is capable of blasting at a rate of 2,000 square feet per hour.  As a result of the speed and efficiency of the fully-automated robotic blasting system, the time to blast a standard inland hopper barge takes one fourth the amount of time as the traditional manual blasting method.  The steel grit blast medium also provides a superior surface profile for better paint adhesion and bonding, which leads to fewer required paint jobs during the life of the barge.

The new facility represents C&C Marine and Repair’s continued commitment to adopting new technology and employing best practices, particularly as it relates to employee safety and protecting the environment.  The indoor facility prevents overspray, contamination and run-off of paint and blast media into adjacent waterways.  The facility’s state-of-the-art air filtration system collects and encapsulates over 99% of all airborne particulates associated with the blast and paint process.  The steel grit blast particles are continually recycled and reused throughout the blasting process.  The result is one of the most environmentally safe blasting alternatives available in the barge and marine industry.