Manufacturer Overcomes Overspray

CUSTOMER: Industrial engine manufacturer

GRACO EQUIPMENT: HydroShield Batch Waterborne System

CHALLENGE: Overspray was a big problem in the paint shop of an industrial engine company. They used too much one-component, water-based paint to coat large diesel engines.

This not only drove up material costs, it clogged up paint booth filters. Frequent booth filter changes meant frequent pauses in production.

The assistant plant manager knew that introducing electrostatics could reduce paint usage and booth filter changes. However, they did not have a cost-effective way to isolate a charged paint supply.

Many waterborne electrostatic systems require a large isolation cage – often an entire room – to hold and charge the 55 gallons of paint they usually needed each month. The paint shop didn’t have enough space, or money, to safely set up waterborne electrostatics with an isolation cage.

SOLUTION: The assistant plant manager agreed to try HydroShield Batch, Graco’s newest solution for waterborne electrostatic spraying. The system contains a cabinet that’s at least half the size of an isolation cage.

Instead of taking up an entire room to isolate a 55-gallon drum, the waterborne electrostatic spraying system charges fluid inside of the HydroShield cabinet. Isolating the inside of the cabinet not only takes less space, it’s safer than isolating an entire room.

RESULTS: Now able to safely use electrostatics to spray water-based paint, the paint shop has seen a notable decrease in overspray. The assistant plant manager estimates they use 30 percent less paint with the HydroShield Batch Waterborne System.

Since the paint booth is staying a lot cleaner, downtime for booth filter changes went from every two weeks to only once a month.