Controlling Air Temperature to Improve Finish Quality

摘要

It has long been believed that air temperature has a significant impact on spray coating finish quality/primarily due to its impact on the temperature, and therefore the viscosity of the atomized paint particles. Millions of dollars are spent each year in controlling the booth ambient environment based on this belief. During our 2018 Waterborne Symposium presentation, "Guns or Bells, How Do I Decide", the concept was introduced that booth ambient air may not exert as much influence on particle temperature as has been traditionally assumed. Subsequent research performed since that presentation has proven that while air temperature does have a significant impact on particle temperature, it is not the ambient air that is the culprit. Subsequently, we advanced on the work introduced in 2018 to demonstrate how air temperature affects process performance and which air temperature is important. Controlling the air temperature can significantly improve your finish quality, resulting in higher first-pass yields and lower impact on process outcomes from variations in ambient temperature that occur from day-to-night and from season-to-season, improving the focus of control efforts can significantly reduce operating cost, increase throughput, and enhance competitive position in the marketplace.