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Procedure for
Installation of the
Spray Coating Application
with Plural Component
System
CONTENTS
SECTION
I
GENERAL INFORMATION
SECTION
II
REQUIREMENTS
SECTION III
OPERATION OF EQUIPMENT
SECTION IV
APPLICATION
SECTION V
CLEANING / MAINTENANCE
NOTE:
These are general procedures and are not intended to meet
the specific needs of any particular job.
Always refer to appropriate data / application / material
safety data sheets. Customization
or revision may be required.
SECTION I
We recommend the
use of a plural spray component system in certain settings and
situations. There are specific guidelines for spray coating which
will be outlined in the following information. For information
pertaining to all aspects of application and surface preparation,
we recommend referring to product data sheets and the General
Application Specification.
GENERAL INFORMATION
ARCORâ
makes use of advances in 100%-solids technology to spray their
non-solvented coatings onto large surface areas, which would
normally require many hours of labor to coat using traditional
methods. The base and activator components of the100%-solids
epoxies are heated separately which lowers the viscosity of the
product to a level where it can be atomized through an airless
spray system. Traditionally, heavy epoxy material has needed to be
heated or solvented in order to reduce viscosity to a level where
the material could be atomized through a spray system. ARCORâ’s
plural spray system regulates and maintains optimal heat levels of
the base and activator before the parts are mixed and immediately
transferred through the whip-hose to the spray gun. The spray
system is adjustable to a wide range of mix ratios. The effective
controlling of heat and mixture shortens cure time and allows a
variety of products to be used in spray application. The plural
component system also saves material because base and activator
are mixed together only as needed.
Spray application
of high performance epoxies allows for coverage of more surface
area in dramatically less time. In addition, a spray application
provides a consistent coating thickness with less voids or uneven
coverage areas. Spray application of epoxy reduces overall job
cost in terms of man-hours and material used. Spray technology has
become the preferred choice of spec writers and facility engineers
at today’s sophisticated power and industrial locations because
of increased control of application.
ARCORâ
100%-solids epoxies can be applied with the plural component spray
system to any surface or component, which requires a protective
coating. Some of the applications, which are ideal for spray
coating, are tanks, waterboxes,
secondary containment, industrial flooring and large
piping. Coatings can
be sprayed indoors or outdoors within the same general parameters
of hand application. Spray technology is an ideal approach to
large surface area projects, which are traditionally labor
intensive.
SECTION
II
REQUIREMENTS
To apply ARCORâ
coatings using the plural spray system, the following items are
needed on site:
Compressed air
(50-90 cfm) 100 psi minimum never to exceed 110 psi to air pump
120 Volt 85 Amp
service
Clean location
for spray system within 200 ft of job site.
Have available
(6) 20amp, 110v circuits;
·
2- Tank Heaters
120 VAC / 15 amp each
(30)
·
2- Line Heaters
120 VAC / 18 amp each
(36)
NOTE:
All electrical components should be protected from weather as they
are not watertight or explosion proof. An application crew
consists of a spray person and a person running the pump.
For optimal
viscosity, the base and activator components of the epoxy must be
pre-heated to a minimum of 130°
F * before being sprayed. Normal initial pre-heat time prior to
start up is one hour *.
(* Pre-heat time
and temperatures vary depending on specific product. Refer to
product data and application sheets for exact figures.)
SECTION
III
START-UP PROCEDURE
Appropriate
safety gear including masks, suits, gloves, etc. is required on
site before start-up. In addition, there should be cleaning
solvent (approx. 10 gallons of MEK, Acetone or similar Ketone),
various sized containers for parts and solvent and an assortment
of brushes, probes and appropriate wrenches. The RAC tips, spray
gun, static mixer, mixer manifold and the unit are to be well
maintained by soaking and cleaning with solvent. A “clean-up”
station should be established in a well-lit and ventilated area.
Insure that
compressed air is clean and dry and at least 80cfm @ 100 psi. The
air hose to the pump should be 3/4” ID or larger and
unrestricted. A filter and lubricator comes on the unit (the
lubricator should be filled with non-detergent oil). In cold and
damp environments where air motor icing can be a problem, we
recommend a 50-50 water / Ethylene Glycol mixture in the
lubricator or straight Marvel Mystery Oil.
CHECK PUMP RATIO SETTINGS
Verify
volumeteric mix ratio of coating. Set slave pump to indicated
setting for material to be sprayed. Consult ARCORâ
technician with questions regarding appropriate settings.
Insure that
supply tank on slave pump is aligned so that supply hose to slave
pump is straight with no bends. Slave supply tank can be moved in
and out as well as swiveled. Secure tank in proper position by
tightening two tee nut handles.
PROPORTION UNIT WITH SOLVENT
Check in-line
filters. Pour five (5) gallons of solvent into the base (A) and
activator (B) hoppers. Open each hopper outlet valve to the
“A” and “B” proportioning pump. Turn proportioning pump
motor air valve on. Open mixer manifold handle (back position).
Hold spray gun (without tip) above a flush bucket. While slowly
turning proportioning pump regulator to 30-40 psi, observe A and B
fluid pressure gauges and insure they are balanced. If uneven,
pull trigger on spray gun until gauges balance. After balancing
gauges, close spray gun and slowly increase air pressure to 50 psi.
Insure gauges remain balanced (if unbalanced, slowly open high
side fluid re-circ valve until gauges are even and then tightly
close re-circ valve). Pressure check system for leaks @ 1500 psi
tightening as necessary. Turn off pump air valve. Reduce fluid
pressure to zero by triggering the spray gun. Drain solvent from
pumps, hoses and valves.
Note: Pressure
gauges have an accuracy of about +/- 10%.
SOLVENT FLUSH
Use only
recommended flush solvent. Fill solvent flush pump bucket with
recommended solvent, turn on air valve and slowly adjust air
pressure to 50 psi. Keep pump at 5 cycles per minute until primed.
Check for leaks and tighten as necessary. With gun and mixer
manifold handle closed (forward position), trigger spray gun and
hold open. Open solvent purge needle valve and flush. With gun
open and solvent valve closed, solvent pump should not move or
cycle. If pump cycles it indicates a leak, leaky valve or
bypassing inside the pump. Repair as needed. Turn air valve off on
solvent pump.
NOTE:
Perform the “Solvent Pump check-out” every day before
starting up.
LOADING AND STARTING CLEAN UNIT
1.
Fill solvent pump compartment with solvent and perform
“Solvent Pump Check-Out”.
2. Start tank
heaters (heaters preset @ 135°F).
Caution: Each heater will draw approximately 15 amps or a total of
30 amps @ 120V. Each tank heater has a 20-amp circuit breaker.
Remove heating
fluid fill plug and check level of water/ anti-freeze in tank heat
jacket. Tank should be filled to top. Note:
Heating elements will burn out in seconds if there is no heating
fluid in outer tank.
Turn on both tank
heaters.
Optional: Turn on
each tank agitator and run at low rpm then shut off.
LOADING MATERIAL INTO UNIT
The base and
activator materials should be stored at 60°F
to 70°F.
Close hopper fluid outlet valves and make sure drain caps are
tight. (Base material goes into hopper “A” behind pump air
motor. Activator material goes into hopper “B” behind slave
pump.
Pour 5-10 gallons
of base into “A” hopper and 5-10 gallons of activator into
“B” hopper.
Turn on tank
agitators and run at low rpm, as material requires.
The material in the “A” and “B” hoppers normally
needs to be heated about one (1) hour to reach 135°F.
NOTE:
Preheat times differ depending on material. Refer to material data
sheets for exact times.
LOAD PUMP AND HOSE SYSTEM
TURN “A” and
“B” inline heaters off. Each line heater has a 20-amp circuit
breaker. The heated hose has a 15-amp GFCI circuit breaker.
Remove gun, hose
and static mixer and mixer manifold head assembly. Open mixer
manifold valves (pull handle back) direct into waste container.
Open outlet valves to pumps for “A” and “B”
hoppers. Slowly turn on pump motor air valve. Run at slow speed.
Pump material through heated hoses to remove air bubbles and
solvent. Continue clearing hoses until material flows clean from
both hoppers. Close ball valves by pushing handle toward the gun.
(Closing the mixer manifold by pulling the handle toward the spray
gun is intentional. For example, if the mixer manifold is moved to
another location, the ball valves will automatically close.)
Install mixer manifold outlet head. Turn on heated hose and set to
135°F.
Optional: Start
re-circulating by opening re-circ valves on material lines leading
back to hopper tanks. Hold catch lines inside hopper tanks to
catch solvent from return lines when first starting
re-circulation. Turn on A and B inline heaters. Set @135°F.
Circulate by turning pump air valve on and running pump slowly (10
cycles per minute). Circulating speeds hopper heat up, heats the
pumps and removes air from inside the pumps. Make sure material
comes to a temperature of 135°F
and no bubble popping is evident. Run agitator at low rpm to avoid
trapping air in material. Once hoppers, unit and hose are up to
heat, close A and B re-circ valves. Turn off air to motor of pump.
RATIO CHECK
To do ratio
check, remove return hoses from A and B re-circ valves. Open pump
motor air valve and adjust air regulator to bring fluid outlet
pressure to 800-1000 psi. Open
both re-circ valves simultaneously to establish flow (direct into clean A and B containers). Partially close
re-circ valves until A and B fluid pressures are both at 500-600
psi. Simultaneously take A and B beaker samples from re-circ valve
fluid streams to verify ratio.
SECTION
IV
TEST SPRAY
NOTE: Two people
are required for complete spray testing
Connect static
mixer, whip hose and gun to mixer manifold.
Close circulating valves. Open manifold material valves
(pull handle back). Trigger gun with spray tip removed. Open air
motor ball valve slowly to start pumping material (run pump
slowly).
Pump sufficient
mixed material through the gun to insure it is clean (virgin) and
that there are no solvent or air bubbles. Install appropriate
spray tip.
Adjust pump air
pressure until spray pattern is achieved (about 3500-psi fluid
pressure). Trigger gun to test spray fan pattern on scrap
cardboard until optimal atomization is achieved. Spray sample area
to verify proper mix, ratio and cure.
PRODUCTION SPRAY
Pre-arrange all
equipment within the work area so as to allow the spray operator
to spray continuously. The best spray application results are
obtained with the least amount of triggering of the spray gun.
To produce a
spray fan at the tip, the pressure at the spray gun should be 3500
psi @ 135°F.
Adjust proportioning pump air pressure as necessary to achieve a
spray fan. Set inline heaters at 135°F
with fluid in system. Using a spray tip orifice of .023 to .031
will give a flow rate of .6 to .8 GPM. Typical tip fan used is 40°to
50°.
Average tip life is about 500 gallons. Always have a new tip ready
to use. A worn out tip can cause a loss of fan and poor coating
thickness consistency. Throw worn tips away.
When spray
operator stops spraying, mixed material must be immediately
flushed thoroughly from the tip, gun, whip and mixture. If not
properly flushed and cleaned, mixed material will solidify. IMPORTANT:
Proper flushing is mandatory to assure normal equipment operation
and application production and to avoid down time and repair
costs.
SECTION
V
DAILY
/ WEEK STOPAGE CLEANUP:
If unit will not be used for 2 or more hours.
Turn off tank
heaters, inline heaters and heated hose. Turn off hopper
agitators. Turn off air supply to proportioning pump and bleed
system of air. Insure pump is stopped with the pump rods in the
down position (shiny part of pump rod hidden from view).
Slowly trigger
gun into waste container to relieve pressure in system. Open
solvent valve and flush mixer, whip hose, gun and tip until clean
solvent can be seen.
Remove static
mixer from manifold. Remove element from mixer and inspect and
clean element tube. A clean element means that the proper solvent
in the appropriate quantity was flushed.
Important: Do not
place static mixer onto mixer manifold until the unit is ready to
be used again.
Remove spray tip
and clean with a soft brush. Never use a knife or steel brush
because it will cause damage to the tungsten carbide tip. After
cleaning the tip, it may be soaked in a closed container of clean
solvent if desired.
Remove air supply
from unit. Clean all equipment so that it is spotless.
NOTE:
Allow enough time at the end of the shift to completely clean the
unit. The supervisor or foreman needs to inspect the cleaning of
the unit. Field experience has proven that a thorough cleaning
greatly improves performance and reliability of the unit.
Material does not
need to be removed from the hoppers or pump if the unit is to be
used within 3 days. Insure that the material is circulated and/or
agitated at start up each day to prevent separation.
STORAGE AND LONG-TERM SHUT-DOWN
Follow the daily
clean up schedule as described and then do the following steps.
Drain A and B
material from tanks. Wash tanks with proper thinner or solvent.
Optional: Open
re-circ valves and circulate 3 or 4 gallons of solvent in each
hopper tank as in the circulating mode (pump to tank). Close
re-circ valves.
Purge paint from
the heated hose and circulate solvent through hoses and mixer
manifold until clean.
Turn off air to pump. Open re-circ valves (optional).
To clean inline
paint screens, open in-line filters drain valves, remove filter
tank and inspect screens for debris. Clean as needed.
Completely drain
system and circulate clean solvent for several minutes.
Leave mineral
spirits solvent or oil in system during long-term shut down. All
pump rods should be in down position with TSL in wet cups.
NOTICE
All statements,
information and data contained herein are based upon tests and
field experience, which we believe to be accurate and reliable.
However, since field conditions vary widely, the user must
determine the suitability of the equipment for particular use.
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