As well as accelerating waterborne drying time, the multiple uses of the PPG Waterborne Air Blower make it an integral part of a painter’s tool kit, says the company.
“Many technicians make the mistake of thinking a waterborne air blower is a one trick pony – it’s not,” said John Hristias, PPG Business Support Manager Asia / Pacific. “Although initially introduced to give increased airflow and surface air movement that assists the flash-off of waterborne coatings, this handy tool also makes a valuable contribution elsewhere in the paint shop. It even fits easily in a pocket so it’s always ready to go.”
According to Hristias, because it provides a wide fan of high volume, high velocity air, the new PPG Waterborne Air Blower is perfect for the paint preparation stage.
“In contrast to a conventional air gun, which generally has a tip only a few millimetres wide, an air blower’s better airflow offers the ability to get the job done quicker and more effectively,” said Hristias. “In particular, we find it dislodges much more dust in crevasses, such as around door handles, moulds and edges. After masking, using it to efficiently [blow] down the job gets most contamination removed in the prep area, rather than being deposited in the booth filters.
Hristias cautions against the temptation to use a spray gun as a substitute air blower.
“By delivering an even distribution of high velocity air over a wide area, a PPG Waterborne Air Blower actually lets you take control of the waterborne flash-off process,” he said. “In fact, a traditional flash-off time of around 10 to 15 minutes (depending on temperature and humidity) can be reduced to as little as three or four minutes by using an air blower.”
Hristia advises that between waterborne basecoat coats, painters can use the air blower and a tack-rag to go over the surface.
“Using the PPG Waterborne Air Blower at about half air velocity helps the tack-rag glide over the panel surface, while also blowing out any tiny pieces of dust,” said Hristias. “Controlling the flash-off process and tack-ragging also brings the technician much closer to the panel surface where they are more likely to pick up any defects that might have been missed, allowing them to be rectified early. For example, if a dust nib appears in an Envirobase High Performance basecoat, it can easily be removed before moving on.”
Made from ABS plastic, the PPG Waterborne Air Blower is available now from PPG, Protec or Commercial Performance Coatings distributors.