Regardless of technology being used in your spray gun, the scientific process of paint atomization is a crucial part to applying a material to a surface via your paint spray gun. Paint atomization replaced the process of using a paintbrush by breaking the paint into very fine droplets applied to a surface as a pressurized stream. This process in turn revolutionized how a material could be efficiently applied to any surface much faster than the conventional method of using a paintbrush without sacrificing the quality of the work.
The science behind paint atomization rests upon the application of a force, like compressed air, to a liquid like paint to break it up into tiny droplets as they are being applied. Once those tiny droplets contact the surface they are being applied to, they begin to form the thin layer of material on the surface. This ensures an even and long-lasting application of that liquid to the surface you are applying it to.
There are many variables to take into account during the paint atomization process depending on a variety of factors, particularly:
- The liquid you are applying
- The viscosity of that liquid
- The desired paint flow rate
- Air pressure settings required for the atomization technique
The paint spray gun’s air cap is critical to the paint atomization process. Depending on the size of the air cap, the paint can be stretched in a way that the liquid is atomized to the surface you are painting. The air cap’s physical geometry combined with the amount of the air applied to the product being applied are the foundation of the liquid atomization process.
The paint atomization process in recent years has been furthered by applying an electrostatic field to the materials in the application process. This technology is known as liquid electrostatic. MC Supply has a variety of liquid electrostatic products that feature the use of an electrical field in the paint atomization process.
Average users of paint spraying equipment rely upon liquid and paint atomization technology everyday without understanding how it works. The efficiency and applicability of this process forms the foundation of technology that has replaced the standard paintbrush in how we transfer the liquid to a surface.
