Maintenance and upkeep isn’t the most exciting or glamorous aspect of spray booth ownership, but it is absolutely essential for consistently yielding quality results and maximizing the lifespan of expensive equipment. These maintenance tips are applicable to any kind of booth, ranging from basic units used in auto body shops to customized ones designed for sensitive aerospace applications.
1. Replace Filters and Maintain Fan Performance
Professionally-designed booth solutions, like those offered by Spray Systems, should remain a valuable resource to any production environment for years or decades. However, this doesn’t mean all of the spray booth parts and components will last this long. Owners should consult with their booth’s manufacturer when selecting filtration equipment to develop an effective replacement or maintenance schedule for the system. Other moving components, including internal belt mechanisms, bearings and more within exhaust fans, should also be examined and replaced to ensure smooth operations.
2. Clean on a Schedule
Spray and finish work can be a messy business, which is why routine cleaning is absolutely necessary to ensure longevity. Depending on frequency and nature of usage, booths need to be completely cleaned to remove dirt, debris and overspray contamination on a weekly or monthly basis. A full cleaning typically involves pressure washing, scraping, general clean-up and booth coat. Employees should also sweep and organize the booth between full cleaning sessions to optimize booth safety and production efficiency.
3. Train Employees on Equipment Operation and Hygiene
Extending the life of a spray booth often relies on the knowledge, attitude and experience of employees who work in it. That’s why it’s important for all operators to develop a comprehensive training program, including mentoring and oversight, for new workers. Workers also need to know how to properly use spray equipment within the booth as well as proper conduct to ensure equipment hygiene.
4. Use Booth Coat
Washing or scrubbing the inside of a booth can eat up a lot of worker time and cause lapses in productivity. To avoid excessive cleaning and downtime, some operators choose to coat the inside of their booth with a white booth coat that can be replaced periodically. Booth liners or booth coats typically can be peeled away or reapplied to keep the booth walls clean—maintaining a high level of finish quality is a key outcome.
5. Consider Upgrades and Accessories
One of the major benefits of a customized, professional spray booth is the ability to modify it through accessories or upgrades. This can be particularly important in growing production environments where demands are increasing over time. Incorporating a new filtration system to encourage airflow and handle longer periods of use can help get more value out of an aging booth. Modifications are limited by the overall design and layout of the booth, but for a modest investment, most units offer at least some room for improvement.
Booth Solutions for Any Industry
As a leading provider of spray and finish solutions, Spray Systems, Inc. has a long and proud history of serving customers across many different industries. We don’t just design customized, high-performance booths, we also help our customers achieve long-term value from their spray booth equipment. Our team consults with operators to develop viable maintenance and cleaning schedules, guiding them towards policies and strategies for maximizing lifespan, efficiency and quality of results. Contact our team and get started today.