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Airless Sprayer Anatomy
| Like people, airless paint sprayers come in many shapes and
sizes. |
Some of these design names are;
- Stand (Skid)
- Hi-Boy
- Low-Boy
- Convertible
- Roof-Rig
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An airless sprayer is made from several components which
are made from many individual parts all working together to help make painting
easier.
Pump / Fluid Section
The heart of an airless paint sprayer is the pump, also called the
fluid section. It is what moves and pressurizes the material to be sprayed
such as latex paint. Airless pumps are normally made of hardened, heavy-duty
steel so they can create the high pressure needed to atomize paints and other
"sprayable" materials. Some fluid sections such as Graco's Endurance Pumps
have additional features like their Chromex Rod for longer wear. Current Graco
Endurance Pumps also come equipped with V-Max packings for longer life. - Read
more about pumps.Motor & Drive Train
Probably the second most important components are the motor
& drive train, without these the fluid section would be useless. Most
airless paint sprayers use electric motors followed by gas engine driven
sprayers. Graco's Contractor Series electric paint sprayers come with a
lifetime motor warranty as well as a life time drive train warranty.
Definitely something to consider when purchasing a new airless.
Gun, Hose & Tip
Next we need to get the pressurized liquid onto the surface
we want with these components; hose, gun & spray tip. We can control a few
aspects of spraying with these...
- Spray tip
- Controls the amount of fluid being sprayed by using different
orifice (opening) sizes.
- Orifice shape determines the spray pattern
Also with Graco tips you can turn them 180° and blowout clogs
Pressure Control
Since we can't control pressure with the gun, hose and tip, we need a pressure
control.
There are 2 main types of pressure controls; Electronic and Mechanical.
Chassis
We need something to hold all these components together! There
are three common chassis design configurations; Stand (also called a "skid"),
Hi-Boy (sometimes called an "upright cart") and Lo-Boy (sometimes called an
"low-profile cart"). There are a few other airless sprayer design types such
as Convertibles and Roof-Rigs - these 2 are hydraulic sprayers. |
Some other airless parts that are within or in addition to main components you
should be familiar with;
Prime / Spray Valve
The switch valve that sets the airless sprayer mode to either Prime
Mode or Spray Mode.
Rod
The piston part of the fluid section.
Intake Tube
The tube that paint or other material to be sprayed is drawn into.
Return Tube
The tube that returns paint to the bucket during priming of the pump.
Manifold Filter
The filter within the sprayer which is the first line of defense against large particles in the paint.
Gun Filter
The filter inside the handle of the gun - the 2nd line of defense against remaining
debris in the paint.
Packings
The seals in the fluid section which make the pump work.
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