For the finishing room

Finding out what’s available in finishing equipment can sometimes make a big difference in controlling costs, which is a big concern right now with inflation on the rise.

For example, Guffey Systems in Tennessee (guffeysystems.com) is now offering two U.S.-made systems for handling parts, and especially doors, as they travel through the booth. The Pivot Point System is designed for small shops that are more comfortable with a low initial investment, and it lets a woodworker spray all sides of components at once. The whole system or individual elements can be ordered from an online store. For production shops, the company’s larger PivotLine is a manual-rail finishing system that rivals the speed and throughput of an automated line at a fraction of the cost and space.

New from the family-owned German manufacturer SATA (sata.com) is the SATAjet K 1800 spray mix, a lightweight gun with a well-balanced body, optimized ergonomic design, a finely tuned nozzle range, and the company’s innovative ClampLock paint needle system.

California-based Paintline (thepaintline.com) offers five different drying rack systems based on volume, plus a complete portable spray booth that can be set up on the jobsite or in the shop. This manufacturer also offers spray stands for coating single or multiple parts, and the very flexible ProCart that can be configured in customizable ways for transporting doors, parts, and drawers through the shop during the finishing process.

For automated finishing, SCM Group (scmgroup.com) offers a whole range of equipment including complete automatic or robotized spraying lines, flat dryers, vertical dryers, UV and UV-LED curing systems, plus complete roller coating and curtain coating lines. Shops switching from manual to automated that don’t have very high volume might be interested in the Superfici Mini. It has all the advantages of automatic spraying but in a small, efficient, and easy to use cabin. The machine can also be equipped with a speedy cup on the spraying arm, for small batches and frequent color changes. The integrated software can determine whether the panel being sprayed is flat or shaped, and the machine has a disposable paper conveyor belt.

Another full-service supplier, Stiles Machinery (stilesmachinery.com), offers a vast array of Venjakob and Makor brand spray machines and ovens, plus conveying and handling equipment. Whether a shop is finishing doors, cabinets, shelves, moldings or furniture, Stiles has at least one option, and usually several. For example, the Venjakob Ven Dry UV cures and hardens paint within seconds using intensive UV radiation. It’s a very customizable system and it can be used on short runs requiring little space. It’s essentially an oven that uses high-end UV lamps that are perfectly matched to the paint or lacquer.

The product line from Prime Heat (primeheat.biz) includes equipment for robotic spraying, and UV 3D curing. The company’s HalCon tunnels use short- and medium-wave halogen heat coupled with convection heat and they’re controlled using a PLC display with a touchscreen interface. Multiple heat zones with IR sensors and laser pointers provide fast and precise curing, which saves time and energy over a gas convection system. The technology can cure most water-based UV coatings in five to six minutes, and it can cure any three-dimensional UV coated products such as chairs, desks, furniture and kitchen cabinets.

Grizzly Industrial (grizzly.com) has a couple of reasonably priced options for small shops including a 2-1/4-gallon paint tank (item H6330) that has a smooth-walled galvanized-steel tank for easy cleanup, a double output regulator, and a pressure relief/safety valve. The regulator unit protects a gun from water build-up, and it allows the operator to adjust and maintain regulated air pressure. Grizzly also offers a 10-liter paint can with a 10’ hose and gun (item H8225) that is set up to spray high solids such as lacquers, stains, primers, multi-component paints, clear coats, acrylics, and epoxies. The catalog also includes Grizzly brand guns, tips, airbrush kits, and even an electric HVLP gun.

Anest Iwata USA (anestiwata.com) offers manual and automatic spray guns, compressors, painting equipment, and waterborne conversion solutions. The company recently launched its new Katana-13G gravity spray gun under the Airrex brand. According to the Spray Finishing Store, “this lightweight 420-gram entry-level spray gun is equipped with a 1.3 mm nozzle (option: 1.5mm) and comes with a 600 ml gravity cup. The spray pattern can be adjusted in a range of 15 cm to 23 cm. Designed for primer and basecoat applications, the gun can be used in automotive, furniture and general industries.” Another new option from Anest Iwata is the budget-minded Air Gunsa HVLP Kit. It includes an Air Gunsa AZ3-HV2 HVLP gravity spray gun and three different nozzle sizes.

No matter what delivery system is used, the compressed air needs to be clean and dry. La-Man Corp. (laman.com) is a Minnesota company that manufactures compressed air filtration products that remove moisture and contaminates from compressed air. The company’s offerings include a patented Extractor/Dryer and a Superstar .01 micron coalescing compressed air filter.

Another Minnesota company, Rockler (rockler.com), also has several proprietary finishing tools that are sold under the company brand. They include finishing points that raise a door or part off the table; a collapsible finish strainer; and both one-quart and one-gallon Mixing Mate paint lids that let the woodworker stir, pour, and store liquid coatings with no drips, mess or wasted finish. Rockler also makes a couple of silicone project mats that resist most finishes.

Staying in the same state, the French manufacturer Sames Kremlin (sames-kremlin.com) has its U.S. headquarters in a suburb of Minneapolis. The company’s new FStart line of spray guns include the P Pressure, S Suction and G Gravity models. The P gun is the right choice for spraying low- to medium-viscosity materials. The S model is a suction-feed conventional gun designed for hard to atomize coatings. And the G model is a multi-purpose gun that’s easy to use. The company says that all three are available at entry-level pricing.

Green-Fast-Cure (greenfastcure.com), an Indiana manufacturer, has created a technology that uses a mixture of fresh air and gas fuel to provide an oxygen-rich atmosphere for better infrared curing.

There are three models to choose from in the Falcon series from Apollo Sprayers International (hvlp.com), and each includes the pump, hose, and gun. This new turbo system is made in the U.S. and comes in 3-, 4- and 5-stage versions. The stages (1 through 6) refer to the number of fans an HVLP turbine unit has. More fans increase the air volume and pressure, and higher levels atomize thicker coatings more effectively and help prevent overheating. The Falcon systems all have dual air filters and QT noise reduction, and they come with an all-metal main case. There are three spray gun options and a choice between a bleeder or non-bleeder style.

The Carlisle Group (carlisleft.com) includes such familiar names as BKG (infrared curing, gas ovens, conveyors, reciprocators, and controls), spray guns from Binks and DeVilbiss, and Ransburg (automatic electrostatic finishing equipment).

Trimaco (trimaco.com) has added a couple of new products this year including painter’s pants that have easily accessible front and back pockets to hold a cell phone, brushes, rags, and tools. The waists are adjustable from 28” to 43”, and the pants are reusable and washable. Also from Trimaco is the new SuperTuff Pro blue tack cloth, a low-tack wiping solution that won’t harm or strip finish.

Wandres Corp. (wandres.com) provides cleaning technology wherever particles and dust on surfaces cause flaws and rejects during production. The company uses both brushes and air to render panels – even raised doors – absolutely clean before the seal coat is applied.

Shops should also check out California Air Tools, Earlex, Fuji Spray, Graco and Grex for solutions.  

This article was originally published in the August 2022 issue.