How to tackle common safety issues when spraying with electrostatics using waterborne materials

Fewer interactions with the system’s inner mechanism and less exposure to potentially charged components and moving parts means lower risk when working with electrostatics using waterborne materials.

 

Electrostatic spray painting is swiftly conquering the market, as it delivers the best results in a highly efficient way. However, working with electrostatics brings certain risks and should not be taken lightly. So what are the most common safety hazards? And how are advanced systems like Graco’s HydroShield equipped to deal with these issues?

• Refilling the paint supply

Most systems require operators to refill the paint supply manually, which involves interaction with the inner system. Provided that the operator wears appropriate PPE and follows the standard safety procedures, this operation is relatively low-risk. Even so, you can never fully rule out accidents.

Solution: A semi-automatic refill system can prime the material as soon as the spray gun trigger is released. The HydroShield is designed to minimize the hazards associated with the interaction between machine and operator.

• Grounding electrostatics

Insufficient grounding is one of the most common reasons for accidents involving electrostatics. All the key areas in the painting process must be properly grounded in order to minimize risks.

Solution: By using an intermediary pump, the spray gun with charged fluids can operate independently while the paint supply is effectively sealed off by the isolation valve. As soon as the spray gun trigger is released, a ground rod ensures that the system is properly grounded while the isolation valve is opened to allow the pump to fill itself through the paint supply inlet.

• Maintaining inner components

When operators or technicians need to access the system’s inner components for maintenance or other reasons, residual charges can pose a threat.

Solution: Equip systems with a reliable ground rod to ensure the user’s safety whenever the cabinet is opened or any part of the machine is undergoing maintenance.

 

Graco’s HydroShield electrostatic spray system: safety first!

Whereas traditional mixing rooms and spray systems require operators to adopt strict code compliance to avoid risks, the HydroShield electrostatic spray system for waterborne materials combines all of the above into a single off-the-shelf solution that ensures the highest quality results without compromising on efficiency. Here is how the HydroShield improves operator safety:

 

HydroShield

• Semi-automatic refill feature eliminating interaction between operator and machine
• Isolation valve to seal off electrostatically charged parts of the system
• Ground rod automatically activated when trigger is released (with optional delay)
• Sturdy isolation cabinet to protect the user from the inner system during operation