Photo: Pyramid

• Keep dust out

The simplest and most important way to prevent dust from entering a booth is to keep all booth doors closed. When opening the doors to bring in the object to be sprayed, be sure that the booth is on and running in order to draw any airborne contaminants into the exhaust filters.

• Filters: what to use and when to replace
Don’t stint on the filters. Lesser-grade filters may save money, but using cheap or incorrect filters are an open invitation for paint finish problems. A high-quality air filter, on the other hand, will provide high efficiency and the correct diffusion to prevent inconsistent airflow and turbulence.

• Clean up the cabin
Regardless of how well a booth is engineered, it is likely that eventually some overspray could collect on spray booth walls, floor and other surfaces. Any overspray or dust in the booth can become airborne and land on the paint job. To prevent this from happening, booth surfaces must be regularly cleaned.

• Clean up the ‘stuff’ in the cabin
The interior surfaces of the spray booth are not the only places to look for paint overspray, which also collects on the paint gun and air hose. This caked-on paint can flake off and end up on the painted surface. Over time, air hoses may also begin to lake on the insides. Make sure to regularly clean air hoses and paint guns and replace when necessary. Also, keep an eye on paint buildup in the exhaust.

• Watch out for moisture
Dust, dirt and paint overspray are not the only enemies when it comes to a clean booth and properly operating equipment. Moisture can also be an issue. Compressed air systems are an integral part of the paint application process, but they produce moisture. There are alternatives for reducing and eliminating moisture in compressed air system, including refrigerant dryers. Choose a system that performs well and is reliable and maintained regularly.

Source: Global Finishing Solutions. For more information, visit
globalfinishing.com For booth suppliers, visit RedBookOnline.com.