Three reasons to move from hotpotting to a plural-component machine

Discover the benefits of Graco’s XP and XM line of sprayers when you switch from hotpotting to a plural-component machine.

Contractors all over the world are moving away from hotpotting – due to its inherent problems such as excessive waste, expensive clean-up and inconsistent quality – to embrace plural-component machines. When spraying high-viscous two-component coatings that require a plural-component machine, Graco has two solutions for you to choose from: a fixed ratio XP airless sprayer and the variable ratio XM sprayer. Both provide the same key three benefits:

1. Reduce waste and material costs

With the Graco XP and XM sprayers, you reduce waste and save money because you only mix as much material as you need. No more throwing away unused material at the end of the day. No more residues left over in smaller pails or cans. You can buy material in bulk as well.

2. Less clean-up saves time and money

Only the parts that come in contact with mixed material must be cleaned during the job. Instead of flushing out an entire pump system that contains mixed material, you only need to flush the static mix tube and hose to the gun. Reduced cleaning time means you save labor costs and increase uptime.

3. Provides consistent material quality

No more guesswork or human error in measuring means you can improve throughput, cut back on material waste, and reduce rework. Materials are proportioned by precision positive displacement pumps and mixed accurately and on-ratio at the mix manifold.

What’s the difference between an XP and an XM?

Understanding the differences between these two machines is vital so that you can choose the right sprayer for your next job.

The XP is a fixed ratio machine, so you need to change out the lower fluid section to a different size to get the correct ratio, whether it’s 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 or 4:1, depending on type of material. By changing the lowers you can achieve the required ratio.

The XM is a variable ratio machine that uses dosing valves that can factor in ratios by easily and quickly adjusting the built-in display module. It covers ratios from 1:1 to 10:1 and everything in between, simply by adjusting the display “on the fly.” This is a great benefit when you are spraying a number of different coatings with different ratios. You can quickly make an adjustment as opposed to having to change out the fluid sections to achieve the required ratio.

If you are still unsure which plural-component sprayer would be most beneficial for your specific application, contact Graco and we will be happy to discuss your requirements.