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Paint Line Speeds Up in Time for the Holidays
Ornament factory increases throughput, reduces VOCs by moving from conventional to electrostatic painting.
30% less waste with waterborne electrostatics
CUSTOMER: Seasonal ornament manufacturer
GRACO EQUIPMENT: Pro Xp Air Spray Electrostatic Gun, WB100 Waterborne Isolation System
CHALLENGE: Although they looked beautiful on Christmas trees, round shapes seemed like ugly problems at an ornament factory. Paint line issues were slowing down holiday season production of shatterproof, plastic decorations.
A rack of 30 sphere-shaped parts would enter the paint booth, where each one had to be:
- Coated with a colorful aluminum film
- Protected with a top coat of waterborne material
Using conventional spray guns, it took painters up to 10 minutes to finish a rack of 30 ornaments.
- They often had to apply a second coat of color to cover up the spots left after the first pass.
- Spraying the top coat created excess overspray, so that they had to change spray booth filters every week.
The excess overspray also caused high volatile organic compounds (VOCs), causing environmental concerns.
SOLUTION: To speed up production, reduce waste and improve the environment, the plant manager knew they needed applicators with better transfer efficiency. This made switching to electrostatics a natural choice, but that can be difficult with waterborne material.
Their local Graco representative suggested pairing a WB100 Waterborne Isolation System with the Pro Xp60 WB Air Spray Electrostatic Gun. The equipment could safely bring the benefits of electrostatics to spraying waterborne materials.
RESULTS: Shortly after installation, the WB100 and ProXp60 WB brought the process improvements needed for a successful holiday season.
Using electrostatic spray guns, it now takes painters six minutes or less to finish a rack of 30 ornaments.
- They rarely have to apply a second coat of color because they can achieve the coverage needed in one pass.
- Spraying the top coat no longer creates excess overspray.
The plant manager reported that material waste decreased by up to 30 percent. They no longer need to change paint booth filters every week. Reduced VOCs also helped factory management meet environmental goals.
And ornaments sparkled and shined throughout the land.
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