As temperatures begin to get hotter, viscosity is important when picking a pump.
Problem:
When specifying the proper pump for any fluid application understanding the properties of the fluid to be handled is of the upmost importance.
Viscosity…. is one of, if not the most important variable when determining the proper specification of a diaphragm pump (or any pump) and associated flow rates. The viscosity of many materials fluctuate as ambient temperature’s change through the seasons and as plant conditions change month to month, so understanding the effect viscosity has on sizing pumps is important.
Solution
All AODD pump ratings are with water at the pump outlet. For example, a Graco 1050 pump is a 1″ ported pump rated at 50 gallons per minute (water at the pump outlet). When looking to specify the above example pump, three things must be further evaluated to insure proper performance/specification – Viscosity (will alter flow rate), available air pressure at the pump, pipe or hose size (at pump outlet all the way to the point of discharge). Once you have determined these variables you can properly select the perfect pump for your unique application.
Results
Getting the right pump will make a world of difference in the efficiency of your set-up. Not only will your flow rates remain stable throughout the year, but downtime will be reduced and the life of your pump will be extended.
Graco Endura-Flo pump solves multiple issues for large paint booth
Problem:
The customer came to Air Power wanting to upgrade their pump package that supplies material from their paint kitchen to two applicators on each end of their booth. The booth runs 60’ long, with a width of 20’ and would be used to touch up dump truck beds. After running a pressure drop calculation we determined that the material could fall out of solution if there were a day or 2 that no spraying was needed.
Air Power Solution
After reviewing the application with the customer, Air Power proposed using a 3:1 Graco Endura-Flo pump. This option allows for the 3x the pressure, which was more than enough to overcome any pressure loss during the materials travel, as well as, has a much larger fluid section requiring less wear and tear on the pump while in operation. Since this is strictly a touch up process and not guaranteed to be an everyday event, we also recirculated the fluid lines to prevent any material from falling out of solution.
Results
This solution provided more than enough pressure to power the required spraying. Additionally, if there’s an occurrence where the system isn’t used for several days, the customer only has to run the pump a few minutes before spraying to move the stagnant material back within the agitated drum requiring no waste or quality concerns.
The Air Power solution solved the pressure problem, the potential solution issues, and provided a much larger fluid section to prevent wear and tear.
Isolated Paint Control Panel Brings Consistency and Speedy Changeovers to the Production Line
Problem
A local gearbox manufacturer has had ongoing issues with multiple paint operators making changes to the paint system throughout the day. They rotate painters every couple of hours so the paint quality and consistency is all over the board throughout the day. We have isolated the spray gun controls and implemented electrostatic painting but they still have issues. All colors run through a manual color change manifold and fluid pressure regulator which limits the fluid pressure even when color changing. There are also issues when the colors aren’t changed on a long run that the other colors settle out in the lines.
Air Power Solution
Air Power built a custom, lockable, control panel with a multitude of controls for the company and for the operators.
- Hi/Lo fluid pressure settings though independent air regulators controlling a single Graco air piloted fluid pressure regulator. These are set with supervision and management and are locked from the operators. They have 2 fluid pressures to select from and nothing else to minimize operator adjustments. Pressure selected is visible via included gauges.
- Select-able color valve stack via a rotary control to select the color being sprayed as well as the solvent flush.
- Graco back pressure regulators on each recirculating line for the 3 colors to allow paints to recirculate when not in use.
- Atomizing air pressure adjusted internally and locked out from the operators.
- Integrated inlet air filtration to ensure clean, dry air to feed the spray gun
Effect
This solution will eliminate the operators each making many adjustments throughout the day and tighten the quality and consistency of their paint process. It will also speed up color changes now that they are select-able via the color stack rotary control along with a flush setting that will allow full solvent pressure to clear the lines. When the flush cycle is selected the atomizing air will be cut off to eliminate the estat safety concern associated with a solvent flush. The re-circulation of the colors will improve the quality and consistency of each color when selected via the color stack. The integrated air filtration will extend the service life of the spray gun while improving the quality of the paint process also.
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