An introduction to Graco airless spray tips

A bit puzzled by the many airless spray tips Graco offers for all possible applications?

Graco spray tips come in many colours, types and sizes, so there is a perfect spray tip for any application you have in mind. Look into our overview to make sure you find the perfect spray tip for the job you have in mind.

What does a tip colour and three-digit code tell you? 
Graco uses a colour-coding system and three-digit codes to distinguish tip types. Colours tell you what application the tip is most suited for. Three-digit codes are all about the amount of material you spray at what fan width. Beware! It is the combination of colour and three-digit code that tells you what tip to choose.

• Colour
  Looking at the colour of a tip, you know what application it is preferably used for.
  • Green tips are meant for spraying fine finish applications with thin material (such as varnish, laquers, stain) at the lowest pressure.
  • Neon tips are suited for every interior and exterior paint job. They offer high productivity at the lowest pressure.
  • Blue tips are meant for wall painting and spraying in general. Like neon tips, they offer high productivity and are suited for latex, paints and emulsions.
  • Brown tips are the heavy duty tips meant for plastering and less fluid materials.
  • Grey tips are heavy duty tips for protective coatings sprayed at up to 500 bar.
  • Yellow tips are specifically meant for line marking applications.
• Three-digit code
  The three-digit code printed on every tip stands for the fan width as well as the orifice of the tip. 
  • The first digit of the code, when multiplied by 5, tells you the fan width of the tip in cm when sprayed at a distance of 30 cm from the surface. Alternatively, doubling the first number will give you the spray fan in inches if you hold the pistol 12 inches from the surface.
  • The second two digits are the orifice size of the tip, in thousandths of an inch, and determines how much fluid will leave the spray tip.

The fan width (first digit x 5 = fan width in cm or x 2 = fan width in inches) and orifice size (two last digits / 1000 = 0.0XX) combined determine how thick of a coating you’ll spray. For example, a 515 tip will spray a 25 cm or 10 inch wide fan and have a 0.015 inch orifice. For more details on colours and codes, check our ‘Crack the code’ infographic.

All airless spray tip are reversible for easy cleaning (RAC)

RAC is short for Reverse-and-Clean, and it’s a feature all Graco airless spray tips have. They allow for easy cleaning and declogging by simply turning the tip 180 degrees to the clean position and then trigger the sprayer. Thanks to their innovative design, RAC tips can be quickly replaced without removing the tip guard and housing. 
 

Graco spray tip seals and gaskets

All Graco RAC spray tips come with one or two sets of gaskets and seals. A rubber set  and sometimes a yellow set meant for spraying solvent-based materials. Tip seals are essential as they create a main seal between the sprayer gun, tip, and tip guard, and prevents paint from leaking while spraying. Gaskets are essential as they help to keep the tip in place.
 

Looking for the perfect tip for your application?

When you buy a Graco sprayer it comes with one or more spray tips, so you can get started straight away. But even though you maintain it well, at some point the tip will wear. You could replace it with the same tip, but maybe your specific application is better served with another tip orifice or fan width. So it’s important to understand how to choose the right one.