Airspray and Airless Combine for a Fine Finish

For over 40 years, Airmix technology has combined the advantages of both conventional airspray and airless application. Created by surface finishing company Kremlin in 1975, Airmix medium pressure spray technology has become a staple feature of Sames Kremlin spray atomization products today.

The Airmix feature is also a prominent selling point for Sames Kremlin’s recently introduced Nanogun Airmix manual electrostatic spray gun (Nanogun-MX). Designed for applying solvent-based materials, Nanogun Airmix offers the next generation of Airmix quality for spraying liquid paints at medium and high pressures.

According to the company, airspray application is known for high finishing quality with limited flow rates, while airless is known for enhanced high-flow results, but without consistent quality finishing.

“Due to the design of Airmix technology, the paint particle velocity is very low at 2 ft./sec., compared to other methods used in the industry,” says Tom Dean, regional manager at Sames Kremlin. With Airmix, the operator can see reduced bounce back and less overspray, Dean says, and shadowing in profiles is eliminated in most cases.

The result is a high-quality finish and uniform film build for paint flow rates from 400 - 2,000 cc/min., alleviating challenges often associated with paint waste and poor quality.

The gun combines the benefits of Airmix atomization with electrostatic spraying to provide a full wraparound coating effect to spray with both high current and high voltage.

An internal cascade effect is designed to provide high voltage throughout the spray process. “Older technologies fold back the voltage due to increased current draw, but the Nanogun-MX voltage stays consistent even as the current draw is increased,” says Dean, adding that the higher and more consistent the voltage, the better the transfer efficiency (TE).

For large and complex parts, such as those used in the oil and gas industry, the electrostatic wraparound effect can coat those hard-to-reach areas for customers requiring fine atomization and high TE.

“Users will see higher TE vs. non electrostatic methods,” he says. A negative charge is applied to the paint and with the positive grounded part, the part attracts the paint.

The low velocity of the paint exiting the gun allows the electrostatic process to work. “The lower the velocity, the better the electrostatic attraction,” he says.

At 23.6 oz., the gun accommodates long paint shifts with a balanced, assisted trigger and simplified control to relieve user fatigue. Available in two gun configurations—MX 120 and MX 200—the gun is also customizable with a variety of Airmix tips for high or low resistivity paint versions.

Using Airmix and electrostatics, the gun was ultimately designed with the end user in mind.
“With Airmix electrostatic Nanogun-MX, you get the best of both worlds,” Dean says.

For more information, visit sames-kremlin.com/usa.

Originally published in the August 2017 issue.