Operation Tips

Air bearing spindles are precision instruments. Improper maintenance can lead to costly repair parts and downtime.

Tips

  1. Read and understand manufacturer's operation and safety manuals.
  2. Establish an ongoing training program for new operators and maintenance personnel. The savings in paint, injuries and equipment damage can quickly offset the costs.
  3. Typical turbine problems may include:
    • excessive vibration
    • spinning slow or erratic causing poor atomization
    • failure to start properly causing delays
    • excessive air consumption
    • fail completely, causing downtime
  4. Keep your spare unit clean and sealed until final connections are made.
  5. Purge bearing air line (1/4" tubing) before making connection
  6. Never submerge unit in solvent or water.
  7. Do not lubricate.
  8. Always monitor RPM and do not over-speed. 40k rpm is max for most turbines with bell cups attached. Overspeeding can damage turbine. Also over atomization causes too many fine paint droplets which cannot hold sufficient electrostatic charge therefore creates overspray and wasted paint.
  9. Do not "jump start" by hand. If cup does not turn freely and start-up on it's own, it should be serviced. Major bearing and shaft damage will result.
  10. Never operate Rotary atomizer if vibration is present. An unbalanced bell cup or spindle shaft can destroy the air bearing.
  11. Never trigger paint or solvent flush without cup spinning. Back-ups will result.
  12. Do Not exceed 500cc/min of paint flow. Back-ups are likely.
  13. Keep cups clean, free from paint build-up.
  14. Always leave bearing air on while wiping down atomizer. The positive air pressure will keep paint/solvent from leaking back into turbine.
  15. Make sure the mating threads are clean and dry before mounting bell cup. Paint residue acts as a threadlocker. A very small amount of petroleum grease or dry lubricant may be applied to the cup threads to facilitate removal. Use VERY sparingly. Do not apply to turbine shaft as excess will migrate into the bearing.
  16. If bell cup is dropped, damaged, or excessively worn send out for reconditioning and balance. The outer edge profile and serrations (if equipped) is critical for proper  atomization. The smallest nick can cause random air entrapment. Balance effects turbine life.
  17. Make sure fluid tube fits tight and is centered in shaft (for center feed turbines). A loose, bent, or misaligned can rub against shaft at high speeds contributing to random catastrophic failure.
  18. Maintain good booth air flow with no "dead-air" spots, they contribute to "wrap-back" of coating material to equipment, increased maintenance and loss of electrostatic charge.
  19. Good part grounding is essential. 1 megohm of resistance from part to ground may be adequate for local fire codes but not good enough for coating transfer efficiency.
  20. Maintain approximately .5 megohms (cm2) resistance in your coating material. Too "hot" can result in loss of charge through fluid supply lines. Too "dead" results in poor transfer efficiency due to coating droplet's inability to hold capacitance.
  21. Work closely with a good coating material supplier who understands electrostatics and polar solvents.
  22. "Adjust" your liquid coating for your plant conditions and desired results.
  23. Control as many environmental variables as possible.
  24. Use proper fluid line and fitting types. Always use Teflon tape on all threaded fluid fittings to prevent electrical leaks.
Powered by Un-identified