Compressed Air Use Decreases 80%

CUSTOMER: Cabinetry Manufacturer

GRACO EQUIPMENT: Radial Piston Agitator

CHALLENGE: A leading cabinetry maker had over 60 color options in its paint mix room. To keep the paint ready, each color had to be agitated in separate drums. They knew radial piston agitators were more efficient, but chose a couple of the market’s cheaper options to cut corners. This decision proved costly.

The material was so thick that their radial piston agitator air motors needed a push – kind of like an old car that won’t start without someone pushing it from behind.

Every time a drum needed refilling, a paint technician had to manually move the air motor so that the agitator could start agitating the material. The process caused 10 to 15 minutes of unneeded downtime, agitating the paint technicians.

Another agitation involved the factory’s compressed air system. The paint mix room used too much air, driving up energy costs.

SOLUTION: The manufacturer’s equipment distributor heard about Graco's new radial piston agitator and decided to compare it with the brands in use.

In a compressed air efficiency test, the radial piston agitator brands showed vastly different results:

• The cabinet maker’s brands used between 3 to 5 cubic feet per minute.
• The Graco air motor used less than 1 cubic foot per minute.

The distributor brought this information to the cabinet manufacturer. It was enough to spark their interest in trying the Graco agitator. But the real test would be if it could move the material without any help.

RESULT: The distributor installed a trial unit in the cabinet maker’s paint mix room. The Graco radial piston agitator air motor immediately moved the material, eliminating the downtime caused by the need to push start the other brands. The Graco air motor also used up to 80 percent less air.

The cabinetry manufacturer immediately replaced 20 radial piston agitators with Graco units, with plans to replace all of their agitator units as budget allows.