Tag Archive for: Filter

Overspray in industrial finishing applications is one of the most common causes of parts being rejected by quality control inspections. This can result in constant costly reworks and low-quality finish on parts. In this case study, Air Power proposes a solution that completely eliminates overspray for this customer.

Customer

Manufacturer of plumbing and water-related fittings and valves

Challenge

This customer was experiencing paint buildup on their booth due to overspray. This was caused by inefficient airflow through the booth. This customer was using an old baffle style booth that uses offset layers of metal to catch the initial overspray and then redirects the overspray into the second layer of filters. As a second layer of filtration, the customer used Styrofoam baffle filters that allowed a high volume of bypass of a mixture of tacky and dry overspray. This type of baffle filter works better with wet paint overspray.

Without proper airflow collecting the overspray in the booth, this customer experienced a higher number of rejected parts, a lower quality finish on products, and paint buildup on their spray booth and surrounding areas.

Overspray Build-up inside Booth

Air Power Solution

Air Power proposed a solution that updated the filtration system to a more efficient style. This solution included completely removing the metal vertical baffles that were the first stage of filtration. The second stage Styrofoam baffle filters were then removed and the 20×20 grid was scraped clean of all the overspray buildup.  Then we installed Kem-Wove P3 20×20 panel filters in the second stage, installed snapper bars on the front of the filter wall, and added RP 3252 paper/poly blankets (RTT Engineered Solutions / Col-Met) as the first stage of filtration to improve overspray capture and airflow.

Baffle Style Filter Wall

Results

This customer was amazed by the change in airflow and overspray capture in their spray booth. This new filtration system collected all the overspray in the booth and allowed nothing to bypass for the first time. These changes improved the painting conditions for operators in the booth, allowing for a higher quality finish on products. This customer is currently in the testing stage with this system to determine the length of life for one layer of filtration to ensure this system is cost-efficient and establish best practices for their finishing operation.