Innovations in the finishing spectrum are often groundbreaking in scope, but not always. Sometimes, they cater to smaller operations and help custom woodshops compete.
Guffey Systems in Tennessee (guffeysystems.com) takes that to another level as it differentiates between the needs of small- and medium-sized shops by offering both single station and line systems. Guffey’s entry-level PivotPoint is a low-cost option that allows a woodworker to finish both faces of parts, such as a cabinet door, without additional fixturing or extra handling, and it works well when floor space is at a premium. It can be set up initially as a complete kit or added to piecemeal over time. The core system includes a spray arm that allows complete access to the part and a mobile drying rack.
Guffey’s more comprehensive PivotLine is a higher volume system that’s based on a rail which lets the shop prep, spray, bake and move a complete job’s worth of doors, drawers, etc. through the booth in an efficient, low defect, time-sensitive process. The key to its effectiveness is a serious reduction in material handling. Guffey says that “PivotLine rivals the speed and throughput of an automated line at a fraction of the cost, space, and implementation time.” The company has just introduced four new Quick-Start Kits that allow a shop to process about 40 parts at a time, and the kits can be easily expanded as needs grow.
Dry time
At the end of the coating process, fast curing is essential to preserve the quality and integrity of finishes. The longer a coating is liquid, the more susceptible it is to contamination. Accelerated curing also frees the booth for the next job, allows the shop to assemble parts faster, and it even reduces the environmental impact of the process.
Indiana-based Green Fast Cure (greenfastcure.com) takes that to heart and offers a simple plug-and-play drying system that works by mixing fresh air and gas in a process that delivers very effective infrared generation. This provides an oxygen-rich atmosphere for better oxidation of the fuel, so it can generate the power necessary to reach long distances – from six to eight feet away from the sprayed part. GFC describes infrared as “an invisible radiant wavelength of energy, lying just beyond visible light, on the red side of the radiant light spectrum.”
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., Stiles Machinery (stilesmachinery.com)offers a vast array of finishing systems, including several flat line drying options such as the Makor Ultradry UV Tunnel. This smaller machine allows polymerization of photo-sensitive UV paints, and the UV lamps are housed in independent modules equipped with parabolic mirrors. The modules can be repositioned to properly cover the surface with UV rays. It’s possible to vary the lamp quantity, power and ray emissions as needed, and a bottom lamp can be added to help dry edges that aren’t being treated fully by the upper lamps.
SATA (sata.com) makes an interesting and economical hand-held drying tool called the Dry Jet 2. This is a low maintenance, dry blow gun that can significantly shorten flash-off and booth occupancy times. It uses the Venturi principle, where supplied compressed air is combined with a large volume of ambient air, to achieve shorter drying times with water-based paint systems.
BGK (carlisleft.com) designs and manufactures electric infrared curing solutions that work with all conveyor types and are available in boosters, ovens or combination systems. They cure powder and liquid coatings, and several other types of finishes and adhesives.
Application systems
Last year, Apollo (hvlp.com) introduced its new Precision-6 Pro HVLP finishing system that features a six-stage motor, 11.5 psi of sealed pressure, and the company’s Precision Pressure Control System (PCS) which manages motor speed, voltage and amperage, adjusting automatically for a shop’s altitude and the current barometric pressure. An LCD readout includes an hour meter that allows the shop to track usage for maintenance planning and job costing; accurate pressure reading to 0.10 psi; and alerts for idling, filter status, and temperature that let the operator preemptively address issues that may impact the work. Apollo’s new PowerPausefeature is a 60-second, auto-idle mode that preserves motor life and allows for the highest available flow pressure when needed, while extending the lifespan of the tool. And the company’s QuadraClean feature includes dual automotive air filters, plus a 32’ Apollo-Flex ultra-light weight hose with alloy couplers on both ends and an exclusive Ultra-Flex whip hose at the spray gun end.
SCM Group (scmgroup.com) offers a complete range of finishing systems from Superfici, including automatic or robotized spraying lines, flat dryers, vertical dryers, UV and UV-LED curing systems, complete roller coating and curtain coating lines, and a range of printing machines, robots and 3D lines for doors, window frames and three-dimensional panels.
Total Finishing Solutions (totalfinishingsolutions.com) is based in Vancouver, Wash., and provides turnkey liquid and powder coating systems, including conveyors, ovens, robots, flatlines, and spray booths that can be purchased or leased. TFS also offers automation solutions from Epistolio Robotics and ABB Robotics.
Binks manufactures low- and high-pressure manual and automatic spray guns, accessories, airless and air-assisted airless spray outfits used in many industrial applications. Binks also makes high- and low-pressure fluid handling pumps and regulators, pressure feed tanks, 2k electronic paint mixing machines, and paint circulating systems. Binks is part of the Finishing Brands family of manufacturers that also includes DeVilbiss, Ransburg, and BGK (carlisleft.com).
Sames (formerly Sames Kremlin, sames.com) has introduced the Cyclomix Evo modular dosing unit, which can be used with solvent- or water-based paint. It’s designed to give a perfect mixing ratio, and it allows pre-mixing at the injection point. A unique algorithm lets the operator reproduce the mix ratio, regardless of flow rate and variations. The system can be expanded as needs change, such as adding a second gun, regulators, or different types and sizes of flow meters. The company says that Cyclomix Evo has a short learning curve, and an intriguing new feature is an optimized waste manager that lets the woodshop use up to 70 percent of the paint that’s in the hoses at the end of production. Plus, there’s an app to control and monitor the system.
Among the new finishing system components from Graco (graco.com) are the PowerShot Standard and the Powershot XT, which the manufacturer says are the industry’s first electric powered (as in, battery) airless guns. The Standard is built to connect to any airless sprayer. The XT, on the other hand, is specifically designed to work with Graco’s new line of XT sprayers. The company says the Powershot guns are 30 percent lighter than traditional alternatives, and they run on a DeWalt 20-volt powerpack that will spray all day on one charge. Each gun has an inline filter, a belt and holster to carry it around, and a 6'-long flexible hose. The XT offers wireless communication that lets the operator remotely adjust pressure at the powerpack from up to 200’ away from the sprayer.
Dubois Equipment Co. (duboisequipment.com) offers flat line wood finishing systems that include scuff sanders, stain application roll coaters, reverse fill roll coaters, differential roll coaters, stain wipe units, high-velocity gas fired ovens, IR curing ovens, UV curing ovens, cooling tunnels, and conveyors.
NMR Spray Equipment (nmrspray.com) in New Jersey describes itself as a global distributor of spraying equipment for contractors. The company offers a selection of new and reconditioned sprayers and accessories, plus repairs, parts and service for most major brands.
Two years ago, the Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI) published a short guide to purchasing a finishing system that can be found at awiqcp.org. It’s quite basic but has links to some more detailed discussions. And the American Hardwood Information Center has published a very helpful overview of AWI’s finishing system guidelines at hardwoodinfo.com. This is quite technical but very informative, providing great insight to woodworkers who are choosing a specific coating. Cefla also offers guidelines on wood finishing at ceflafinishing.com.
