The main reasons for applying a paint or finish are protection and appearance. Much of the time paint is used solely for color or aesthetic reasons but finishing coats are also used as a layer of protection against harmful environmental and chemical agents. The paint finishing equipment created by manufacturers is used nearly everywhere paint is found because anyone completing a paint job must implement at least one type of paint finishing equipment. The most basic tools include paint brushes and rollers, air brushes and heat guns. Other equipment normally used in painting projects includes painter's tape, dip sticks, sandpaper, roller trays, and drop cloths. Different types of paints and finishes require different methods of application and thus different types of paint equipment. Most paint jobs require several coats of both primer and regular paint. Paint equipment can be used in residential, commercial and industrial painting applications.
Paint equipment can range from a simple paintbrush to automated systems called paint machines. Most paint machines are used primarily in manufacturing industries and use robots and conveyors to expedite the painting process. Another general piece of paint finishing equipment is a paint booth, a structure designed to keep contaminants out of the painting area while containing paint fumes and any overspray. Dust and other contaminants can ruin an otherwise smooth coat of paint and the fumes are hazardous when inhaled. One device typically used in a paint booth is a paint sprayer, a triggered gun that sprays a thin, even coat of paint onto surfaces. Paint sprayers are distinguished from manual application equipment by their superior finish. Other spray painting equipment includes a pressurized paint reservoir, a compressed air system and tubing to connect the various components together. Paint spraying improves efficiency because wastes less paint that brushing or rolling and faster. Many of these examples of paint equipment are items found in a paint system which is the term given to a complete arrangement of equipment that is used for painting and finishing. A basic spray painting system includes the spray gun nozzle, a pressurized paint container, an air compressor and hoses or tubes to connect these components.
Paint finishing equipment is a broad category that encompasses tools and machines that can be used for general purpose as well as items that have specific applications. For instance, a
paint shaker mixes the contents in a sealed paint can by shaking, rotating, spinning, inverting and rocking it at high speeds. Another device with a particular purpose is a
striping machine that paints lines on pavement to mark parking lots, roads and airports as well as on grass or dirt for sports fields. These machines basically consist of a small engine, an air compressor, the spray nozzle and a series of valves and hoses.
Powder coating equipment is used for a special kind of spray painting that works with electrically charged powder instead of liquid paint.
Electrostatic painting, also called powder coating, uses this equipment in paint systems. Both the product and the powder are charged so that when the powder is sprayed from the gun it will be strongly attracted to the product's metal surface. A different kind of spray painter is an
airless paint sprayer, a piece of equipment that produces a fine mist of paint through use of a hydraulic pump instead of an air compressor.
Spray booths are ventilated enclosures used exclusively for paint spraying operations. Spray booths come in a variety of designs, from small cabinets to entire rooms that can accommodate the machine operator in addition to the items to be coated.
There are many industries that have contributed to the development and advancement of paint finishing equipment. Paints, finishes, stains and other coatings have been chemically improved to enhance desired characteristics while minimizing any negative aspects. Desired drying time, molecule cohesion and viscosity are variables that can be compared and chosen from the wide range of available coatings. Biological and environmental concerns are also being addressed regarding the disposal of paints and solvents. Alternatives to harsh chemicals that endanger water supplies or plant and animal life are being developed and are becoming increasingly more available. Mechanical and engineering innovations in the tools and devices themselves have also led to increased efficiencies and ease of use. Engines and motors are being made with fewer parts to decrease the possibility of breakage or part failure which minimizes downtime and repair costs. Their size is also shrinking while their output is the same if not greater, meaning that less power or fuel is required to operate and transport these devices. High volume low pressure (HVLP) fine finish sprayers are one such example. Tighter seals and valves within the hydraulic pumps, pneumatic hoses and transport tubes give operators precise control through more accurate sprayers causing a reduction in wasted time and paint.
Paint Finishing Equipment Types
- Airless paint sprayers are handheld pieces of equipment that produce a fine mist of paint through use of a hydraulic pump.
- includes any system that applies paint and is controlled
by a computer.
-
includes paint brushes, air brushes, paint rollers and anything else
used in the manual painting process.
- Electrostatic painting imparts atomized paint particles with electrical charges in order to provide an even coating of paint.
-
are able to apply hard paint coatings on many different surfaces by
using spray guns, robotic spray, flowcoat and curtain coat, among other
methods.
- Paint booths are structures designed to keep contaminants out of the painting area while containing paint fumes and overspray.
- includes the various manual and power tools used for painting projects.
- are automated systems used to apply paint and other finishing products.
- Paint shakers are devices that move quickly along at least one axis of a paint can or bucket in order to thoroughly mix the contents.
- are guns used to evenly coat a surface with paint.
- Paint systems are the complete arrangement of equipment that is used for painting.
- Powder coating equipment is used during the process of applying a coat of paint or other finish by using atomized and charged particles that are electrically attracted to the surface of a product.
-
are typically power-ventilated structures that enclose and accommodate
paint spraying operations. Spray booths offer aeration so spray residues
and vapors can be exhausted and controlled; they also prevent other
products from accumulating undesirable paint particles.
- includes various tools used for the spray painting process.
- Striping machines are used to paint lines on a variety of surfaces.
Paint Finishing Equipment Terms
-
A material used to wear away a surface by rubbing. Powdered Pumice, steel
wool and sand paper are all examples of abrasives.
- The ability of one
material to stick to another.
- The mechanical bonding
of a coating to a rough surface.
- A first coating,
which is intended to isolate later coatings from the substrate.
- An ingredient or combination
of ingredients that are used to hold pigment particles together.
- A coating's ability
to dry over a void or a crack in wood.
- An agent used in
many coatings, which causes a reaction. Without catalysts, many coatings
would be less durable.
- Small cracks that
develop on the finishing, usually due to environmental conditions.
- The attraction of
particles within a coating.
- The drying of a coating.
- Marking, scratching
or gouging a finish for a more antique look.
- A raised bump on
a painted surface due to dust particles that have dried into the paint.
More often than not, dust nibs may be removed by compounding and sanding
the finish.
- A coating process
that uses electric current to apply paint onto a product. Electrocoats
are admirable for their ability to coat more complex parts and shapes.
- The temperature
at which a finish will ignite when exposed to an open flame.
- The process
of using abrasives on a painted surface to create a smooth finish.
- An additive
that reduces the gloss of a finish.
- The reflectivity or
sheen of a coating.
- An additive mixed
with the paint coating to promote the cure of resins.
- The ability
of a given finish to resist scratch and rub marks.
- A group of paints
that have metal flakes in their makeup.
- Airborne particles
that stick to a finished surface. These include unwanted paint particles,
chemical contaminants and other airborne particles.
- The raw colorant that
gives paints and stains their tones.
- A blend of components
that are made to eliminate minor surface imperfections, including small
or fine scratches, small amounts of oxidation and water spots.
- The surface onto
which a paint coating is applied.
- The thickness of
a finish or coating while in a liquid state.
- A coating or finish
that uses water for carrying its resins.
