PPG national training manager Trevor Duke says achieving the best results when adjusting booth air is actually quite straight forward when you us the correct technics.
“A good booth compressed air system doesn’t just give you technically clean air and plenty of volume, it also gives you different points of adjustment,” he said.
“However, this is where some technicians make the mistake of adjusting the booth air regulator to flat out and then using the adjustments on the spray gun and air-fed hood to achieve the correct inlet air pressure. Obviously, it is possible to do it this way but it’s not the way the system was designed to operate. In fact, this is probably the worse course to take!”
Duke believes the pit falls of using maximum air pressure can be an undesirable result.
“Maxing out air pressure on the booth air regulator can lead to inconsistent spray patterns, resulting in poor quality finishes, such as mottle, dry spray and inconsistent peel on painted surfaces,” he explained.
“Not only that, it can lead to increased air consumption, which can strain air compressors and lead to inefficiencies in the overall system. Worse still, it can overwhelm the filtration system, allowing moisture and contaminants to pass through which can negatively affect quality of work and increase paint defects.”
He also believes that investing in the right equipment from day one is paramount to achieve the best results.
“When it comes to the booth air filter, rather than buy based on price, I recommend investing in a filtration unit that contributes to paint shop performance, such as the latest SATA 500 Filter Series,” he said.
“It’s important to remember that the only thing powering your spray gun is compressed air and that is governed by filtration design. Not only does the SATA 500 Filter Series produce compressed air free of contaminants, it also holds a large reserve volume of approximately 135cfm of air.
“As a result, it significantly outperforms cheap filter units by providing consistent airflow which avoids pressure drop issues, even when multiple painters are spraying at the same time.”
Duke says the SATA 500 Filter Series regulator makes it easy to set up your booth air supply by following two simple steps:
- Simply plug in your equipment (air-fed hood and spray guns) and open their air supply pressure to full.
- Adjust the SATA 500 Filter Series regulator until your spray gun’s digital gauge reads two bar inlet pressure.
He said after following these steps, any fine adjustments can then be done at the gun where it’s most important.
“No matter which booth air filter system you choose, it’s essential to adhere to the manufacturer's specifications and guidelines for air pressure to ensure safe, effective and consistent operation that is not going to negatively affect your work,” he concluded.