Changing your spray paint booth’s exhaust filters can be both costly and time-consuming for high-production industrial manufacturers and aircraft finishers.
A water wash booth eliminates that problem by using recirculating water instead of filters to constantly collect and remove paint particulate from the air. Using water to capture and remove particulate results in a cleaner painting environment with increased productivity and improved working conditions. This is especially beneficial for high-volume applications and in spray paint booths with robots or conveyorized systems, as production does not need to be stopped to replace filters.
“You need a different type of solution — something that will hold more paint and not slow you down,” said Geoff Raifsnider, a senior mechanical engineer for Global Finishing Solutions (GFS).
Water wash booths are similar to Dry Filter Paint Booths, which offer finishers a safe, economic solution for painting products. However, they use water instead of exhaust filters for paint particulate capture. While the upfront cost of water wash booths may be more than Dry Filter Booths, they could be cheaper in the long run because filters are not needed and not having to change filters avoids production interruptions.
Two types of water wash booths from GFS are ideal when using large quantities of coatings:
EnviroTect Water Wash Booths
With an EnviroTect Water Wash Booth, the airflow through the EnviroTect spray nozzles — whether in a crossdraft, downdraft or side downdraft spray booth — provides paint particulate capture and cleaning action. Interior surfaces are wetted to eliminate paint overspray build-up, reducing booth cleaning and capturing the paint within the eliminator for removal.
When overspray enters the water, it can float, sink or stay suspended, and the waste must be removed in different ways, depending on the type of material. If the waste floats, a skimmer is used to remove it; if the waste is in suspension, it is pumped to a centrifuge, where solids are collected and liquids are returned; if the waste sinks, the sludge must be shoveled out of the tank.
“The customer needs to work with a chemical supplier for their specific paint to determine the best way to treat the paint for removal,” Raifsnider said. “How often you have to remove the excess paint depends on how often you paint. It could be once every couple of days or once a week or even once a month. Airflow speeds and paint gun settings also can affect the amount of particulate that ends up in the water.”
Dynaprecipitor Water Wash Booths
Best suited for crossdraft airflow, the Dynaprecipitor Water Wash Booth draws air through a continuous scrubber section that runs the width of the booth. In addition, the design features a fully wetted wall to provide additional particulate capture.
In both the EnviroTect and Dynaprecipitor Water Wash Booths, the air reaching the exhaust stack is virtually free of airborne particles, keeping the stack area cleaner longer. The hazards associated with paints containing nitrocellulose — typically found in lacquers and stains — is also minimized.
“Overspray of coatings containing nitrocellulose can spontaneously ignite,” Raifsnider said. “With a water wash booth, you are dousing the material in water, so you are taking that risk away.”
