Orange Peel, poor adhesion, cloudy clears, hard-to-sand primers. If you’re seeing these problems in your shop, there’s a chance that your technique isn’t to blame. Here’s why it may happen & what could be in your air lines.
“You should always check your system to see what’s happening”, says Al Schloss, Western Regional Sales Manager at Reading Technologies, Inc. “That will indicate whether you need new air equipment, or if your existing equipment is in disrepair and needs to be maintained.”
Problematic paint jobs are as common as the trade itself, but Schoss reassures collision techs that air system inspection isn’t frequently needed, provided a shop’s air equipment is regularly and properly maintained.
RTI provides free in-shop Compressed Air Audits to diagnose air system issues. Additional symptoms may include:
- Poor hiding
- Poor color match
- Poor solvent escape
- Inconsistent spray pattern
- Un-cured finishes
- Loss of gloss “die back”
- Poor durability
- Poor hold out
- Hard-to-buff coatings
- Fast film set
- Sand scratches
Water, dirt and oil are the main culprits. But RTi also finds that user neglect, such as failure to follow manufacturer’s recommended air system filter change intervals, is very common.
“In places experiencing large temperature differentials as the weather gets warmer, it’s more problematic,” Schoss says.
Are you seeing any of these problems in your shop? Click here to schedule a free audit.
“An air audit will tell you what equipment you should have in your system to make sure that you’re getting the best-quality paint with the quickest flash times and the shortest cure times, and the least amount of cutting and buffing,” Schloss said.
The RTi brand prides itself on providing clean, dry air, and has advanced air system technology since 1986. Its innovations include compressor room desiccant and refrigerated dryers, mainline separators/coalescers, point-of-use dryers, and filter/regulator/lubricator units. RTi uses its patented Inverse-Flow® Technology to provide the best clean, dry air for professional painting needs.
Click here to schedule a free air system audit.
**In order to make our air audit procedures more efficient and provide more in depth results for the shops, you can download an app called “Calculator of Air” (iPhone®) or “Michell Instruments” Online Calculator. You need to input 2 lines. The first is temperature which will always be 70° F (paint company recommended temperature). The second is the dew point from your QAT tester. Push enter and you will see the wet bulb number. This is a more accurate reading for the compressed air humidity percentage (CAH).
