WHEN IT COMES TO COMPRESSORS, IT DOES.
Problems in generating compressed air
● Compressor too small
。Compressed air volume is not sufficient and pressure drops.
。Continuous compressor operation heats compressed air and causes oil and condensation to increase.
。Continuous operation at high temperatures shortens compressor lifetime.
● Compressor too old
。Compressor performance is too low and as a result not profitable.
。The compressor consumes a lot of oil that may be fed to compressed air lines together with high abrasion.
。Compressed air is sucked in from a wet, dusty area.
● High amount of condensation
。A high concentration of condensation in compressed air shortens filter lifetime.
。Consequences of missing or inadequate filtration:
– Shorter lifetime of compressed air tools
– Bad paint jobs with dust and water
Problems in the compressed air line and filter installation
● Air reserve tank too small
。Pressure drops as soon as other air tools are used
。Compressed air is too warm causing condensation to rise to a level where oil and water separation is no longer ensured.
● Insufficient or missing condensation discharger in the separator sump
。Condensation is drawn as “water” into the compressed air line causing immediate contamination.
。Water may overflow the oil / water separator causing condensation to enter into the compressed air line.
。Too much dirt from the compressed air line may affect the function of automatic condensation valves and similar devices.
● The compressed air line inner diameter is too small compared to its length
。Pressure drop leads to high-energy loss.
。When tapping compressed air, the pressure drops and may lead to non-satisfactory painting.
● Compressed air lines without an incline, “swan neck” and/or condensation discharge at the end of the air line
。Condensation is drawn into the valves.
。Condensation remains inside the pipes causing scale and corrosion.
● Insufficient filtration and separation
。Condensation and unfiltered dirt shorten the lifetime of compressed air driven tools and cause dust and water specks on the painted surface.
Problems with spray gun control adjustments
● Incorrect nozzle size / Damaged nozzle set
。To achieve optimum finishes, the correct nozzle set must be selected according to the material viscosity.
。Clogged or damaged air cap holes affect the spray pattern.
● Uneven fan pattern causes bad surface finishes with “runs” etc.
。Air pressure too high or too low.
。The nozzle set was not fine tuned by the manufacturer. At ITALCO every spray gun and separate nozzle set is checked by hand and fine tuned.
● The fan pattern has too much mist
。The material is applied too “dry” with uneven distribution.
。Insufficient atomization and air pressure combined with heavy orange peel.
! Always adjust the best air pressure when triggering the spray gun.
● Wrong combination of spray viscosity
。Viscosity too high: causes insufficient atomization.
。Viscosity too low: causes runs.
● Improper selection of distance to target
。Spray distance too close: too much material causes runs.
。Spray distance too far: too much overspray bounce-back.
。Spray distance too far: fan collapses, non-homogeneous spray pattern.
。Spray distance too far: danger of metallic mottling.
● Incorrect spray gun air micrometer adjustment
In spite of correct pressure setting at the regulator, air cap pressure is incorrect leading to color match problems. During “normal’ painting, always leave the built-in air micrometer fully open.
● Incorrect fan control adjustment
The fan width too narrow or too wide for the best working speed.
● Material flow setting turned back
Material flow setting may be too low for the best paint job.