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Graco HydroShield Electrostatic Spray System
Air Power in partnership with Graco is working hard to prep the Hydroshield for upcoming customer demos throughout our entire territory! Pre-plan, setup, and spray prior to demo ensures a successful onsite demo. We’d like to thank the team of Graco Representatives Nick Lewis, Nick Yanavitch, and Chris Maicon for all working with the Air Power team to establish this product in the field.
The Graco Hydroshield Spray Package is an operator-friendly solution for spraying waterborne material that improves transfer efficiency and safety. This system includes manual electrostatic air spray or air-assist guns, controller interface, and high-performing pumps.
The HydroShield Batch Waterborne System makes it easy to safely use electrostatics to spray waterborne material.
- Refill paint supply without having to open the isolation cabinet.
- Use one controller with simple screens to set and adjust system parameters.
- Minimize downtime with durable components that are easily accessed and maintained.
Check out these pictures of the Air Power team setting up this system in the Air Power High Point Finishing Lab!
Spray Finishing Made Mobile
In this case study, Air Power Account Manager Austin Lambright helped this customer eliminate pain points in their finishing process, allowing them to save time and money in production costs.
CHALLENGE
The customer has a 90ft DOD aircraft that is coated with a very short pot life, a very expensive material. Because of the short pot life, several painters would have to mix an individual pressure pot and all spray the plane at the same time. This caused a lot of waste in material and was time-consuming.
AIR POWER SOLUTION
By using a mobile cart with a large Graco EnduraFlo 4:1 diaphragm pump, we are able to feed 4 painters with one central paint vessel. This not only cuts down on a lot of waste, but also simplifies the prep and clean up process, ultimately saving money both in material cost, maintenance, and production time. An all-around process improvement.
RESULTS
The customer drastically improved production process time, labor hours, and material savings in their paint process.
The Megger: How Well are Your Parts Grounded?
Profitability and first-pass transfer efficiency are vital to any finishing operation. Ground is critical and there is a huge difference between thinking you have a good ground and knowing it. Why risk your profits to bad ground when it is simple to measure where you are at right now? Time to introduce THE MEGGER and exactly what it tells us about ground.
Check out some of our other videos about Electrostatic Finishing!
Improving Your Electrostatic Process
Improving Your Electrostatic Liquid or Powder Coating Process
In this video, Air Power Specialist Travis Stirewalt and Account Manager Eddie Rhodes, share tips about improving your electrostatic process. Learn how to improve your electrostatic process with expert advice for powder coaters and liquid painters. Discuss best practices that help you put more powder or paint on your parts and less in your filters or the paint booth floor. What does this mean for you? Higher transfer efficiency and less paint (money) wasted by increasing your first pass transfer efficiency. Video from the Air Power, Inc. Chattanooga Branch.
Graco Electrostatic Demo Kits
Rodney Benfield understands finishing and over the past 31 years at Air Power has learned many skills of the trade. One known fact is you cannot be successful if not prepared. Air Power’s Electrostatic Demo Kits allow for just that – being prepared – anyplace, anytime, anywhere.
“These kits are handy” stated Rodney whom has spent a large portion of his time at Air Power focusing on the finishing industry within the Southeast. “This demo kits stays in my truck and I can deploy it whenever necessary”.
The Air Power Electrostatic Demo Kits contain everything necessary for a successful Graco electrostatic demo including a wide array of nozzles and air caps. Rodney further specified that “even for existing electrostatic customers, taking in the entire demo kit makes sense. It allows us to mix/match newly released accessories to optimize the customer’s process and electrostatic experience”
All of Air Power’s finishing specialist have electrostatic demo kits ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. “Air Power’s primary focus” stated Rodney “is the Southeast and Mexico but, we will go wherever the customer needs us”.
Increase Transfer Efficiency
Challenge
Customer was looking to improve transfer efficiency on their automated spindle machine spraying primer on various size metal housings. The existing system utilizes one spray gun set a considerable distance from the parts. This causes excessive overspray and waste. Customer also wanted to go from using 55 gallon drums to 5 gallon pails due to settling and solvent flash off in the primer. The 55 gallon drum sits for around 4 months. The viscosity needed to be regularly checked and adjusted.
Air Power’s Solution
Equipment utilized – Graco fixed automatic spray guns coupled to a Graco dual regulated pressure pot with agitation. All controlled via an Air Power custom designed pneumatic control panel for system optimization and performance.
Air Power, Inc. proposed replacing their single gun setup with two guns. These guns will be mounted on mounts that can be adjusted to effectively cover the various size parts. This will minimize the amount of overspray and improve the transfer efficiency of the system. The controls for this system will be contained in a centralized control box. Fluid supply will utilize a 5 gallon pressure tank. This will allow the operator to place a 5 gallon bucket of primer into the tank. This system will be enclosed to minimize solvent flash off. This will help improve the consistency of the coating as it will not need to be constantly adjusted. The paint supply will also be exhausted in roughly a week now. This will allow fresh primer to be sprayed, also improving consistency.
Results
- Customer experienced increased transfer efficiency which saved them money by minimizing the amount of overspray and waste. It also reduced the amount of filtration they were purchasing due to the reduced overspray saving them time and money.
- Customer reduced solvent flash off due to the switch from 55 gallon to 5 gallon pail saving the operator time from adding additional solvent to the 55 gallon drums.
Paint Kitchen Automation Cleans up Inefficient Mess for Equipment Finisher
Graco E-Flo DC Pump
This case study demonstrates how the Graco Intelligent Paint Kitchen can improve the painting process by decreasing production downtime, lowering production costs and increasing process efficiency.
Customer
Heavy-duty lift truck equipment finisher.
Challenge
The maintenance manager at a heavy-duty lift truck equipment finisher was left with someone else’s mess. The paint room supervisor had designed a paint kitchen for a 24-hour operation, only to leave when production changed to five days a week. With no one taking ownership of the paint room, inefficiency took over.
• Friday afternoons, the paint room attendant shut down the paint circulation, air compressor and pneumatic agitators.
• Monday mornings, they lost at least six carriers of parts and more than an hour of production time, because material had settled in the paint lines over the weekend.
Circulating the paint on the weekends meant running a 500-horse power (HP) air compressor. The energy cost savings seemed to outweigh the cost of lost parts.
Solution
The maintenance manager consulted his local distributor, who wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. The equipment they had was sound; it just didn’t provide the flexibility they needed. Their Graco account representative offered an out-of-the-box solution. The Intelligent Paint Kitchen (IPK), powered by the E-Flo DC 4-Ball Piston Pump, could allow them to reduce downtime, save on energy costs, and remotely monitor the paint room. Some of their existing equipment could even be repurposed in the new set up.
Results
The Graco Intelligent Paint Kitchen system automated the paint room and made their production schedule more flexible. Electric equipment avoided air compressor costs, and allowed them to keep the paint circulating during non-production times. With presets and remote monitoring controlling the paint room, efficiency is the new norm.
• Friday afternoons, the paint room attendant sets equipment on sleep mode.
• Monday mornings, production starts smoothly without loss of parts, downtime or rework.
With the help of remote monitoring, the maintenance manager now spends less time with production supervision. Their newfound efficiency allows them to
take on and scale back production as needed without overextending their resources.
Air Power Partnered with Graco on this case.
Click Here to learn more about what Graco offers.
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