Read time: 5 minutes
Summary
- There is a lot of care, expertise and resources that go into a single aircraft component before it even reaches the paint booth.
- Such investments require precision and quality on the final stage of production: painting.
- Spray Systems semi-downdraft booths for aerospace applications provide quality results without the hassle of installing a downdraft booth’s floor components.
- Due to the need for high-quality finish in aerospace applications, all booths designed for this industry must maintain strict environmental specifications, including temperature, airflow and humidity.
- Spray Systems booths and filtration systems are designed to adhere to the compliance standards of OSHA, NFPA 33 and NESHAP, keeping employees and the environment unaffected.
All booth operators want to achieve high-quality results in their spray and finish operations, but this outcome is no more essential than in the aerospace industry. Aircraft and their many parts – of all shapes and sizes – rely on hundreds of fine-tuned, flawless components to perform safely and efficiently. As a designer and maker of custom spray booths for companies involved in aerospace production, Spray Systems offers specialized and comprehensive spray booth design solutions as well as expert advice to all of our customers.
From Start to Finishing
There is a lot of care, expertise and resources that go into a single aircraft component before it even reaches the paint booth. With so much invested into parts and aircraft, there is little room for error in the crucial, final step of finishing. Finishing serves several purposes, all of which are essential to our customers. The primary purpose is to provide corrosion resistance for various parts to ensure they hold up under pressure. It is also the stage for applying decorative and thematic motifs, which serve to identify the aircraft and represent the operator’s brand to the public.
Options for Finish Application Methods
Operators have three main options in application methods for aerospace finishing:
- Spraying
- Brushing
- Dipping
Spraying
As the most common and diverse of available application methods, spraying is often the optimal choice in the aerospace industry. The coating is typically applied in multiple layers within the booth by a technician employing sophisticated paint application equipment. Spraying is prevalent in treating aircraft components as direct spraying control yields higher quality results and can be used on large surfaces.
Brushing
Brushing doesn’t provide the same fine-touch finish as typical spray equipment, which limits its practical use in the aerospace industry. However, operators can use this technique for small patch jobs to repair minor damage as well as apply coatings to enclosed areas that are unsuitable for spray.
Dipping
Much like brushing, dipping also has limited applications for aircraft components. Typically, parts are dipped during the application of primer before subsequent layers of paint and finish are applied. Since this method requires complete submersion of the component, it is best suited for small parts or the application of a thick protective coating.
Booth Design Options for Aircraft Components
There are several types of spray booths used throughout the aerospace industry and the related production processes. Due to numerous factors that influence the viability of booth types for specific uses, Spray Systems experts consult with aerospace customers to develop a detailed analysis and plan to find the optimal solution for their needs.
Semi-Downdraft Booths for Aerospace
The Spray Systems semi-downdraft booth is essentially a hybrid between a standard crossdraft and downdraft airflow design. This is the design we typically recommend to aerospace customers due to its less demanding installation requirements compared to the standard downdraft. Adding crossdraft technology allows for application to much larger craft and components without substantial sacrifices to the overall quality of finish.
Alternative Booth Designs
Semi-downdraft isn’t the only viable option for all operators. In fact, some facilities and operations may better accommodate a standard crossdraft or downdraft airflow design. However, buyers must be aware of all the details regarding their production process and anticipated needs to make the right call.
Careful Climate Controls
Due to the need for a high-quality finish in aerospace applications, all booths designed for this industry must maintain strict environmental specifications, including temperature, airflow and humidity. We design our booths with all of these factors in mind to ensure our customers can move forward confidently in their production process. Even slight variations in booth climate can compromise the coating, so proper operating and maintenance procedures are essential.
Addressing the Challenges of Compliance
Members of the aerospace industry also face numerous compliance concerns from several key sources, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). OSHA requirements typically revolve around the installation and operating procedures of the booth to ensure a safe environment for workers both in and outside the unit. Our customers are expected to provide their workers with adequate protective wear suited to the hazards present on site.
NESHAP regulations focus on air pollutants with rules regarding containment and disposal of hazardous compounds. Our customized booth designs include options for NESHAP-approved multi-stage filtration systems to address this need. Spray booths also present a significant fire hazard, which makes them subject to NFPA 33 Standards regarding the use of flammable and explosive substances in spray environments.
Why Choose Our Customized Booth Solutions?
There are plenty of great answers to this question, but the simplest one is this: we care about our customers and understand their needs. Spray Systems has established itself as a leading international provider of conventional and innovative booth solutions thanks to years of experience, close relationships with customers and a genuine desire to deliver excellent service.
We know that our booths not only impact our customers but also their employees and eventually consumers using their product. There is no substitute for excellence when it comes to aerospace parts, which is why we go above and beyond to give our customers the tools they need to succeed in a demanding industry.
