“The only thing certain is change.”
In the realm of physical plant operations of any kind (and probably all aspects of life everywhere), that change will only be downward in terms of overall quality, unless regular, informed intervention is performed. That regular, informed intervention is commonly known as maintenance. Paint booths need it as much as, if not more than, any other form of technical industrial equipment.
Maintenance is not something that should be delayed. The consequent costs are always higher than the cost of regularly scheduled preventive maintenance would have been. What requires maintenance inside a paint booth? Everything. Overspray on the light fixture enclosure can reduce light/visibility for the painters. Overspray on the exhaust filter can create dangerous levels of airborne particles – dangerous to the respiration of the painter, dangerous to the sprayed finish on which they can settle, and dangerous to the air pressure in the sealed booth.
Anywhere those particles and that overspray can settle needs to be cleaned: spray guns, hoses, floor, walls, etc. How often specific maintenance operations need to be performed can only be determined by the actual experience of the local operator. 100 machine cycles is the baseline suggestion for replacing the exhaust filters, but that may need to be more often, based on the materials being sprayed, the local environmental factors (heat, cold, humidity), and the adequacy of the air circulation systems operating outside the paint booth.
A differential pressure gauge, known as a manometer, can monitor the pressures for the intake and exhaust filters, and provide substantive evidence that the filters need to be changed. The consequence of not changing them when they need to be can be catastrophic – making the investment in a differential pressure manometer an essential component of your paint booth setup.
The use of peelable wall- and floor-coverings is an essential component for timely and effective maintenance. Otherwise, the solvents required to remove paint may introduce new hazardous complications, and trying to scrape away overspray just accelerates the reintroduction of particulate matter into the airspace of the paint booth. The peelable covers act as traps for particulate, getting it out of the air and onto a surface that can be detached and thrown away.
One maintenance item that is invaluable but not directly related to cleanup of any kind, is utilization of summer/winter mode on the air make-up unit (AMU), which, to oversimplify, is the thermostat for the booth. It can compensate for ambient temperatures that are too high (summer) or too low (winter) and turn off the heating unit in summer and turn it back on in winter. The point is to optimize the temperature (and humidity) in the booth for the spraying and curing of the product being applied.
The integration of the maintenance schedule with the operations schedule does require some planning and commitment to implementation, but the alternative consequences of equipment failure; employee sick days, worker’s comp, or disability; and interruptive emergency equipment replacement are the eventual alternative if maintenance isn’t prioritized and practiced.
If the inclusion of maintenance in a full production schedule seems daunting, remember to utilize the knowledge base of your paint booth provider. If they are worthy of your business, they are capable of setting up (and implementing, if you choose) a thorough maintenance schedule that works around the work you have to do.
After doing the homework to select a reputable and qualified paint booth vendor like Zpar, and revving up the installation they provide for seamless production, don’t let that initial capital investment be degraded by avoidable work stoppages for emergency maintenance and/or equipment replacement – or unsatisfactory results in the sprayed final product. Zpar can work with you to ensure smooth, continuous operation of and flawless results from your Zpar paint booths.
