This type of equipment stands out from other systems because it provides a very fast painting speed, which makes it ideal for painting large surfaces such as façades, large structures, silos, etc. In general, the quality of the finish obtained with airless is usually lower to that of other equipment such as mixed or airbrush equipment, due in part to the lack of air in the spraying.
One of the main advantages of this coating system is that they allow to reduce spraying, also known as paint mist. As no air is used during coating, the paint particles do not have such a pronounced rebound effect as can occur with e.g. mixed or airbrush systems, allowing for less waste of material during coating.
The following are a set of tips to take into account for a correct paint coating with airless equipment that will help optimising the painting process. Let us look at the most important ones:
TIPS FOR PAINTING WITH AIRLESS EQUIPMENT
1. Maximise safety during coating
As with other paint coating equipment, regulatory PPE such as protective masks, gloves, coveralls or protective goggles shall be used observing the indications provided on the product’s safety data.
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Always be very careful when working with high pressures, checking the correct adjustment of all parts of the equipment. For greater safety, we also recommend putting the gun safety lock on the gun when finishing the coating finished, and do not remove the nozzle protector under any circumstance.
2. Importance of nozzle and filter size
One of the most common mistakes when painting with airless is the wrong choice of accessories.
For example, each material, such as a primer or a topcoat, requires the joint choice of certain components, such as nozzle and filters.
As for the nozzles, they are usually identified by 3-digit numbers. The first number refers to the opening angle, which will determine the size of the fan pattern. The next two numbers indicate the diameter of the hole. This setting will influence the flow rate of product to be applied.
As for the choice of filters, it will depend mainly on the fineness of the material to be ground and on the type of nozzle we are going to work with.
Uno de los errores más comunes a la hora de pintar con airless es la elección equivocada de los accesorios.
3. Spray control
Avoiding overspraying will allow us to reduce the consumption of sprayed material. As a tip, we recommend working at the lowest possible pressure provided that the paint spray is appropriate.
We recommend carrying out a spray test to check the correct spraying of the nozzle before starting the coating process. This way we can check the pressure setting, bearing in mind that the higher the spraying pressure, the greater the product supply. As usual in these cases, we recommend following the instructions in the product data sheet.
As for the nozzle, we shall make sure that it is in good condition, allowing a correct passage of the paint.
4.Painting speed
During the use of airless equipment the painting speed must be constant to ensure an even coating.
Additionally, we recommend that you press the spray gun’s trigger once you have started to move your hand to apply the paint. You should do the reverse action when you finish the coating, since as you are not using air to spray, paint will come out every time you press it.
5. Overlapping paint with crossed layers
Airless equipment allows full mobility during its use, which helps us to adapt the coating to the type of surface.
To prevent any defects in the coating and to obtain a more even thickness, it is advisable to overlap the paint with crossed layers, thus obtaining a perfect integration and coverage of the paint.
6. Distance and angle to the surface
As a general rule, and although it may depend on the type of material, we recommend keeping a distance of 25 to 30 centimetres between the spray gun and the part or surface to be painted, always maintaining a 90º perpendicular angle.
If the distance is too short, we tend to apply too much product, which can cause paint defects such as sagging or orange peel. On the other hand, if there is too much distance, we run the risk of increasing the spray mist.
