Why Using the Wrong Spray Equipment Costs More: Avoid Costly Mistakes

Key Takeaways:

• Using the wrong spray equipment increases costs through material waste, labour inefficiency, and poor finish quality.
• Common mistakes include relying on airless spray techniques when air-assisted techniques are more appropriate, undersizing foam reactors in terms of output and heater capacity, and manual mixing.
• Air-assisted sprayers offer better transfer efficiency and surface finish in many applications.
• Plural-component sprayers minimize waste, improve consistency, and eliminate pot-life constraints. Plural-component (2K) sprayers can also reduce solvent usage as less solvent flushing is necessary.
• Matching equipment to project needs and investing in maintenance and training ensures maximum return on investment.
• Partnering with trusted suppliers like Bolair helps avoid costly equipment errors and supports long-term operational success.

Table of Contents

1. Using the Incorrect Spray Equipment Can Cost You
2. 3 Common Mistakes That Spray Technicians Make During Equipment Selection
3. Airless vs Air-Assisted Sprayers: Maximize Your Efficiency and Profits
4. Hot Potting vs Plural-Component Sprayers: Benefits to Consider
5. Spray Equipment Maintenance and Selection: Best Practices to Follow
6. Optimize Your Spray Operation By Choosing the Right Equipment From Bolair

When it comes to spray coating and finishing, choosing the correct equipment for the job is the most important decision for a company and technician. Choosing an underpowered system can result in a huge loss of efficiency, making the project more difficult, time-consuming, and costly.

Many technicians try to save money by purchasing the lowest-cost equipment. While this can seem beneficial at the beginning, it will eventually result in increased operational costs, more material waste, and a host of other inefficiencies. By avoiding these common spray equipment mistakes, you can feel confident that your operation is optimized.

Using the Incorrect Spray Equipment Can Cost You

Over time, the cost of wrong spray equipment can be substantial, and as a business, it’s a priority to minimize these expenses. Sadly, many spray technicians do not realize the hidden costs of using improper equipment. There are three main categories to consider:

• Labour Inefficiency: It can seem appealing to save costs by sacrificing output power for more affordable equipment. However, in the end, this will increase the time it takes to complete a job. With labour accounting for 20-30% of coating operation costs, reducing time spent on the job can quickly add up.
• Quality Shortcomings: Cheaper and lower-powered equipment will also create a lower-quality finish. This will reduce the value of a company’s spray services and may make it necessary to apply more coats than would normally be necessary, increasing material costs.
• Material Waste: More suited and sometimes more expensive equipment has much higher transfer efficiency and less overspray. This reduces the amount of wasted material during the application process, saving on material costs over time.

3 Common Mistakes That Spray Technicians Make During Equipment Selection

It’s easy to make mistakes when purchasing spray equipment. There is a wide variety of products on the market, and knowing the exact specifications that are necessary for a certain job can be challenging. By avoiding three of the most common purchasing pitfalls, you can prevent some of the biggest unnecessary costs. 

1. Trying to Save Money With an Airless Sprayer

When browsing the equipment that’s available, it can be tempting to select one of the cheaper machines. Most of the time, these machines are airless. While airless sprayers can be very practical for large-scale commercial jobs where speed matters, air-assist sprayers offer a higher finish quality and more controlled spray patterns.

2. Undersizing the Spray Foam Reactor

Spray foam insulation rigs are a very important component of a spray foam business. Some of the most commonly undersized pieces of equipment are what is called the foam proportioner. This is the foam spray machine that heats, mixes, pressurizes and sprays the polyurethane compounds at the correct temperature and output. Purchasing smaller foam proportioners with less heat and output can seriously limit the efficiency of a spray foam insulation project.

3. Manual Mixing Equipment

Manual mixing, also known as “hot potting,” is a form of blending plural component spray materials like epoxies by hand with mixers. This method can be very inefficient, as it could create lower-quality results from inadequate mixing and leaves behind excess waste and high solvent usage for flushing. Plural-component sprayers automatically mix the materials to the right temperature and ratio, creating on-demand materials that are ready to be sprayed. Solvent flushing is reduced from hot potting systems to only the area that has mixed material, not the entire pumping system.

Airless vs Air-Assisted Sprayers: Maximize Your Efficiency and Profits

Airless and air assisted sprayers are two of the most common types of equipment for liquid spray coatings. Each has a unique mode of operation that lends itself to different applications. It’s important to know the differences between the two and what their pros/cons are so the right equipment can be purchased for the job at hand. 

Hot Potting vs Plural-Component Sprayers: Benefits to Consider

As discussed above, hot potting or manual mixing is one of the biggest areas susceptible to mistakes that individuals make when purchasing spray equipment. Plural sprayers, such as Graco spray machines, provide numerous advantages for all types of applications:

• Reduced Labour: Manual mixing is very labour-intensive and reduces the efficiency of the job. It can also create an inconsistent product because of human error. Plural sprayers create immediate, on-demand materials that are ready to be sprayed.
• No Pot-Life Constraints: With hotpotting, the mixed materials have a specific lifespan during which they must be used. Plural component machines mix materials on an ongoing, as-needed basis instead.
• Reduced Waste: Mixing in pots results in waste, especially on the sides where materials become stuck. Plural mixers have plumbed in solvent plumps that continuously clean out waste from the mix point, downstream, and the hoppers, reducing waste buildup that has to be thrown out at the end of the day.

Spray Equipment Maintenance and Selection: Best Practices to Follow

Before selecting spray equipment, you’ll need to hone in on what your project needs are. The first step is to filter spray machines based on what materials they’re compatible with. From there, choose a machine that has enough power for your application. After these specifics, look for additional features that you may be interested in, such as smart technologies. Only after these steps should you limit your purchase based on budget.

Never overlook maintenance or training for improving spray applications. The best way to maximize spray equipment cost savings and spray equipment efficiency is to keep your machines in good condition through frequent cleaning/flushing, repairs, and service. Seeking out training programmes from the manufacturer and investing in your employees’ education with these products can also return value.

Optimize Your Spray Operation By Choosing the Right Equipment From Bolair

Purchasing the right spray equipment will increase productivity and efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure that your final coating is of the highest quality. The most straightforward way to avoid common spray equipment errors is to seek the guidance of an industry-trusted dealer. 

Here at Bolair Fluid Handling Systems, we have a diverse inventory of spray equipment that can be tailored to meet your operation’s needs. We’re dedicated to equipping our customers with products that provide long-term value and performance, so contact us today to get started.