Specialist Manufacturer Optimises Furniture Coating

Researchers from Becker Acroma, a manufacturer of high quality solutions and customised systems for the wood finishing industry, have used the Spraytec laser diffraction particle size analyser from Malvern Instruments to help optimise the application of water-based furniture coatings using airless spraying. As a result of work with the Spraytec they have been able to tailor the droplet size of the paint to different applications, ensuring the best possible finish. Spraytec is proving well suited to characterising paints and coatings, where it is important to be able to measure high concentration sprays of different geometries and having wide spray fans. Its ability to measure in real time has allowed the Becker Acroma teams to track the changes in droplet size, which can occur during coating operations.

Using the Spraytec, the researchers have been able to thoroughly investigate a number of important parameters, beginning with the variation in droplet size across the spray fan, to assess how the range of sizes within the distribution affects the finish. Since sprays are often used at an angle, which introduces a variation in the distance between nozzle and target, the effect of distance on droplet size has also been examined, as has the effect of liquid pressure on droplet size. As a result they have been able to tailor the droplet size to different applications by varying the paint pressure. Spraytec is a laser diffraction particle size analyser designed for use in a diverse range of spray applications, and is widely used across different industries. With data acquisition rates up to 10kHz, broad dynamic range (0.1 to 2000 microns) and patented multiple scattering algorithm for measurement at high concentrations, it provides valuable real-time characterisation for product optimisation and QC.