In interests of protecting both employees and the environment most industries involved in applying a finish such as paint, varnish, lacquer, sealant and rust inhibitors are not required by law to do so within the confines of a spray paint booth. This is done to ensure that the work is completed within an enclosed environment where excess paints etc. are then filtered out of the air and captured for safe disposal instead of being dumped into the atmosphere.
Any paint spray booth used for industrial purposes must meet certain standards for safety and environmental protection as established by the EPA, OSHA and a plethora of federal, state and local ordinances which can vary greatly depending on where the business is located. In order to have a company install a paint booth, the company will also need to be properly certified by the various organizations to do the work.
In order to be effective a paint spray booth must have a well-designed positive air flow ventilation system in place.
Typically this system involves a steady flow of air that is strong enough to carry the excess paint or overspray and the solvent fumes out of the booth into the filtration system. The flow has to be strong enough to accomplish this without interrupting the flow of paint in such a manner as to affect the quality of the finish. This flow should be adjustable to accommodate a variety of finishes as each may be different in actual weight.
The air flow must also be temperature controlled to ensure that the paint flows properly. Most paints require a very narrow air temperature band to ensure proper flow and adhesion. If the air temperature and the temperature inside the spray paint booth are too cold the solvents used to thin the paint for spraying will not evaporate.
The droplets of paint will be too large and heavy resulting in the overspray falling back onto the finished product and a spotty finish which is unacceptable and will result in the product being rejected for repainting.
Conversely if the temperature of the air and the spray paint booth are too hot during the painting process the solvents used to thin the paints will evaporate too quickly. This will result in a dry powdery finish that is also unacceptable. Any booth you are considering purchasing for your business to use needs to have a complete air and climate control system in place. Settling for anything less will only result in poor quality finishes that will not be acceptable to your customers no matter what type of products you are manufacturing or painting.
When you buy a spray paint booth from SK Bowling you can specify the type of air management system you need to have installed. With over 25 years' experience in the custom manufacture of complete paint spray booths for a variety of industries, all of their booths are ETL listed as verified by independent testing Intertek Testing Services. An ETL listing states that all booths are manufactured and installed in accordance with federal, state, local and NFPA 33 requirements.
