Introduced at MRO Europe 2026, the cloud-based system enables maintenance facilities and distributors to retrieve colour formulas and prepare aerospace coatings on site, supporting faster responses to aircraft repair requirements.
AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings has launched MIXIT for the aerospace sector, extending its established digital colour retrieval application to maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers, airline paint facilities and distributors.
Presented at MRO Europe in October 2026, the system brings colour formula retrieval and coating preparation into the paint facility. The workflow is designed to help users respond more quickly to repair requirements, particularly in aircraft-on-ground situations.
Accessible via desktop, tablet or mobile device, MIXIT retrieves colour formulas from a cloud-based database. When the formula is unknown, users can connect a spectrophotometer to measure the surface and identify the closest available formula. Operators can then prepare the coating on site using a tint mixing system and precision scale, together with the required hardeners and thinners.
The aerospace launch builds on the MIXIT application used in automotive refinishing for the past ten years. Its introduction is being phased, with the initial database providing access to more than 2,700 colour formulas for AkzoNobel’s Topcoat FR2-55 cabin interior coating.
Exterior coating formulas are scheduled to be added in 2027. Further digital functions are also under consideration for that year, including stock management, e-commerce, reporting and the option for customers to store their own generated formulas.
“From unscheduled maintenance on an interior panel to damage to a nacelle, aircraft-on-ground situations demand a fast, practical response. So MIXIT has been designed to help approved paint facilities, or their distributors, retrieve the required color and prepare the coating on site, giving them greater speed and more control during the repair process. It allows them to make the coating repair immediately rather than having to make temporary fixes until repairs can be scheduled,” has stated Graham Lambourne, Aerospace Color Manager at AkzoNobel.