"Cleanliness On A Paint Line" Tuesday April 26, 1994 11:40 A.M. TO NOON Jerry P. Hund Director of Education Binks Manufacturing Co. 9201 W. Belmont Ave. Franklin Park, IL 60131 708-671-3000
'I Cleanliness on a Paint Line" - Goal In order to reduce costly rejects due to contaminated paint jobs it may be necessary to identify several sources of contamination. The following tips can be easily performed at little or no expense to help reduce areas of contamination. 1. The coating material should be free of contamination. Check the condition of the coating material from various locations. One location may be the spray gun. Try this: a. Turn off the atomizing air to the spray gun. b. Dispense a small quantity of material into a clean container. c. Pour material from container onto a piece of clean glass. d. Level coating uniformily over glass. e. Examine paint film by holding glass up to a strong light source. f. If contaminated, check filters, hose lines, tanks, pumps, etc. g. Repeat test with coating taken from other sources. 2. The atomizing air should always be free of dirt, rust, moisture and other contaminents. Check the condition of the atomizing air by doing the following: a. Turn off the fluid supply to the spray gun. b. Remove the air nozzle and hold a clean handkerchief over the front of the spray gun. c. Pull the trigger allowing compressed air to blow into the handkerchief for one minute. d. Inspect the handkerchief for contaminents. e. If dirty, examine oil and water extractors/ seperators, Replace filters if necessary.
3. The spray gun should be treated as a precision tool vital to the success of any finishing operation. Proper spray gun maintenance will prolong the life of the spray gun as well as provide proper spray gun performance. Never soak a spray gun in a container of solvent to clean. Doing so allows dirt or dried paint particles to infiltrate hard to reach areas in the air and fluid passageways. Ultimately, these contaminents may dislodge and exit into the spray pattern. Soaking a spray gun also dissolves the necessary lubricants vital to a spray guns operation. Never use sharp probes or picks to clean clogged air nozzle passageways or fluid tips. Use a soft brush soaked in solvent. Lubricate all moving parts of a spray gun including the air valve and fluid needle packing daily with a light weight oil. Never use lubricants that contain silicone. Doing so will lead to silicone contamination or "fish eyes" in the finish. Routinely check the spray pattern for droplet size and shape by spraying a piece of scrap wood, metal or cardboard before each shift. Hold the spray gun steady and spray for several seconds. Then... a. Examine the spray pattern for dirt, proper droplet size and shape. b. Make adjustments to air and fluid pressures per specifications supplied by equipment and or coating supp_liers. c. Distorted spray patterns must be corrected by cleaning or replacing worn air nozzles or fluid tips. d. Never spray into spray booth filters or water wash curtins to examine a spray pattern. Not only is this wasteful, it also doesn't reveal the true picture of the spray pattern.
4. The air make-up to the spray booth must be clean and free of dirt contaminents. TTp: Check the condition of the air make-up filters by doing the following: a. Spray a small piece of metal or wood with the coating. Inspect for dirt, etc. b. Hold the sprayed piece directly into the air supply stream for several minutes. c. Reinspect piece for dirt. If contamination exists, replace air make-up filters. d. Repeat test with new filters. 5. Spray areas and spray booths are often the dirtiest areas of the building. Cleanliness on paint line begins with good housekeeping. Establish a routine maintenance schedule which may include the following: a. Replace spray booth filters when necessary. b. Always use a bright colored strippable booth coating 01; spray booth walls. c. Spray white latex paint on dry filter media and booth walls for added visibility. d. Clean/replace burned out light fixtures. e. Install a non-flammable paper on the floor. f. Remove all garbage, rags, containers etc. from inside the booth. g. Never allow a build up of overspray on sprinkler heads, light fixtures, walls, ceilings and floors.
4. The air make-up to the spray booth must be clean and free of dirt contaminents. Check the condition of the air make-up filters by doing the following : a. Spray a small piece of metal or wood with the coating. Inspect for dirt, etc. b. Hold the sprayed piece directly into the air supply stream for several minutes. c. Reinspect piece for dirt. If contamination exists, replace air make-up filters. d. Repeat test with new filters. 5. Spray areas and spray booths are often the dirtiest areas of the building. Cleanliness on paint line begins with good housekeeping. Establish a routine maintenance schedule which may include the following: a. Replace spray booth filters when necessary. b. Always use a bright colored strippable booth coating on spray booth walls. c. Spray white latex paint on dry filter media and booth walls for added visibility. d. Clean/replace burned out light fixtures. e. Install a non-flammable paper on the floor. f. Remove all garbage, rags, containers etc. from inside the booth. g. Never allow a build up of overspray on sprinkler heads, light fixtures, walls, ceilings and floors.