How to set up a powder spray gun

The powder spray gun is one of the most important pieces of powder coating equipment. It depends on him how well and evenly paint particles will fall on the surface to be painted. Therefore, our today’s article is devoted to how to set up a gun for painting. But first, let us recall once again the varieties of powder paint spray guns.

Powder gun types

There are two types of powder coating guns: electrostatic and tribostatic. They charge the powder particles with an external generator. And in tribostatic particles are charged by friction against each other and on the barrel of the pistol.

The former are more suitable for painting large parts of a simple shape. And the latter are for dyeing small products of complex shapes.

Painting with a gun: how to set it up correctly

If you are using an electrostatic gun, first use a hose to connect the fitting and the compressed air line. Then proceed to adjust the air pressure. You can play with this parameter. The pressure can be set in the range of 0.1 -1.0 atm. Plug the power adapter into a power outlet.

Go to ground. Connect the thin wire to the grounding bracket on the gun and connect the other end to the ground loop. The painter should work without gloves so that his skin is in contact with the grounding bracket. Failure to follow this step may result in electric shock.

Then pour paint into the hopper and you can apply paint.

With tribostatics, everything works the same way. With a single difference: you don’t need to plug it into an outlet.

There is a special knob to adjust the paint supply on the spray guns.

If it is necessary to paint products of complex shape, then on the device it is necessary to adjust the air pressure to 0.1-0.2 atm and bring it closer to the interrogated product.

For high-quality staining of sharp and inner corners, you need to keep the gun at a distance of 10-15 cm from them.

Possible problems

Sometimes, when working with a sprayer, problems arise that you can solve yourself.

If paint forms a torch during spraying, check the ejector and air flow channels. They can be clogged and must be cleaned with air. Any paint left in the hopper or inside the gun must be sieved, dried and can be used.

If there are problems with paint deposition, then it is worth reducing the air pressure. Check grounding. Clean the suspension or replace it with a new one. Working with antiques and metallics, you may encounter the problem of constant clogging of the barrel. And this is another reason that paint particles do not settle on the surface. The barrel must be cleaned regularly.

The bubbling air channel may be clogged. It is necessary to remove the bunker and clear the channel.

When working with a powder spray gun, be sure to observe safety precautions: wear protective clothing and a respirator. Check the grounding and operation of all devices regularly. Several times a year, order an audit of the paint shop from specialists so that everything works correctly and does not have to spend extra money.