Waterblasting on the road to efficient paint removal
Intertraffic Daily News 2008

Road marking removal systems from Waterblasting Technologies have been improved, offering increased productivity, durability and ease of use, according to Phil Case, vice president of operations at Waterblasting.
He said: "We've improved the control panel and our monitoring system for pressures and flows give far more precise control. Our system is more user-friendly."

Because of the control improvements, the latest Stripe Hog® equipment can be used effectively by less experienced operators. He said that the operator now has a better view of the paint removal process due to the installation of more sophisticated camera technology.

Case added; "Our arm control system has been made more durable and the robotics are more sturdy with no play in the system."

David Dorsett, in charge of international marketing for the company, explained that the design improvements have been incremental and started at the beginning of 2007.

An integrated design means that the system is powered entirely by the carrier vehicle's engine, with no need for an auxiliary power unit, which reduces maintenance needs. Case said: "We used to have a separate vacuum and high pressure system but now it's integrated."

The technology is also environmentally-friendly according to Case.

"We can separate water and debris and dispose of them separately," he said. Case explained that this is of particular importance in markets where disposal is tightly controlled, such as California in the US, a number of European countries and in India.

The equipment is now well-proven in the field with units operating in 17 countries. Since 2006, the number of units the firm has operating in the field worldwide has quadrupled, with around 25% of its customers buying more machines.

Case said: "There are a lot of options the customers can choose from, such as the ride-on tractor, different camera systems and a walk behind unit."

From the Conference

The Waterblasting Technologies team would like to thank everyone that visited us during Intertraffic 2008! From left to right: Duane Reiff, Phil Case, James Crocker, Dave Friday, David Dorsett