The principle of operation of spray booths with a water curtain. Painting booths for furniture production Spray booth with water curtain

The organization of the work of the spray booth involves the installation of cleaning systems, moreover, these systems take into account the main problem - the presence of paint residues in the exhaust air. Standard filtration methods are not effective, therefore, before entering the duct, the exhaust air passes through a water trap or curtain. In water, both fractions of the paint material and harmful impurities are best retained.

Features of water curtain chambers

The quality of applying paint in a garage with a brush and in a professional camera by spraying is very different. A high-quality coating can be achieved thanks to the unique microclimate, since the air in the working area is pre-cleaned and heated to the desired temperature. Dust ingress is critical for a freshly painted surface. Strict requirements for sterility and air humidity are observed in the room, but all this would be pointless if such cameras did not have effective ways to deal with paint fog - we are talking about paint fragments that have not fixed on the painted surface.

To create suitable working conditions, an air circulation system is organized in such chambers. At the entrance to the chamber there are filters that purify the air from large fractions, then the air is heated to a certain temperature and supplied to the working area. As soon as the painting process begins, some of the paint will lie on the surface and begin to set, and some will be in the air. Further, it all depends on whether the air will enter the filters in a natural or forced way.

Water, by its nature, cleans the air well from paint fractions, but special additives are added to the water to improve its properties. At the same time, it must also have dry filters operating in parallel. Water takes only fractions of the paint, but dry filters are no less important for the system, which purify the air before it enters the exhaust fan.

The principle of operation of the water curtain

A water curtain is commonly understood as a hydrofilter that cleans air flows from paint and harmful impurities. Separate cascade. injector and non-injector filters. The difference lies in the method of supplying the water flow for cleaning. When using a cascade filter, the curtain is produced by the shield; in nozzle filters, the curtain is created by nozzles. Vortex hydrofilters are used for active mixing of air with water.

Filters work like this:

  1. Exhaust air, where there are already paint particles, vapors and other harmful impurities, is fed to the screen. This can be done by a fan or air will get there naturally.
  2. Nanos is responsible for creating a continuous layer of water that is fed to the screen.
  3. As soon as the air stream collides with water, large particles are separated from it and enter a specially equipped bath.
  4. Then comes the second stage of purification, in which everything that remains after the first stage is removed from the air.
  5. Chaotic air currents are intercepted by the drop catcher.

Requirements

There is only one requirement - the system must cope with waste streams, respectively, it all depends on the intensity with which the spray booth works. If the load is large, then for better mist trapping, you can put an active water tray, which is a bathtub closed with a grate. The presence of nozzle filters obliges you to choose between screw or tangential nozzles:

  1. The presence of screw nozzles gives a more stable and stable water jet when colliding with air. But such systems are difficult to design.
  2. It is easier to make tangential nozzles, which have a less stable flame, but they are less likely to clog.
  3. The angle of the cone of the water jet should be in the range from 70 to 75 degrees, and the pitch of the nozzles will be determined from the angle.

The water flow is also regulated by the chamber owner. It depends on how quickly the water will pass over the screen or shields, as well as on the number of curtains. In such systems, the circulation of water is almost always closed, that is, for a certain time the same volume of water works in the system.

For high-quality separation of paint particles from water, with their subsequent removal, it is recommended to add impurities to the water. They turn paint residues into sludge that settles after a period of time. Antifoam agents should also be added, otherwise the water may start to foam.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of such installations are that there is simply no more effective method for cleaning exhaust air from specific fractions. The process is thought out to the smallest detail, including the subsequent purification of water from sediment. Another question is that here you need to work out an effective scheme, taking into account the needs of the camera. Impurities will need to be added to the water itself so that the water itself does not foam, and the paint sets better with the liquid, but does not clog into lumps. Water filters do not work separately from the main ventilation system, so you need to calculate exactly how much air should be removed from the chamber per unit of time.

The use of cameras with a water cleaning function is justified in all situations when it comes to professional painting. Since in this case you will have to follow strict environmental protection and sanitary standards. Equipping a water curtain for a non-professional camera is problematic both because of the price and because of the complexity of installation and further maintenance.

Spray booths with a water curtain are perhaps the most advanced version of the design of painting systems. Equipment of this type is used for painting large-sized products, including car bodies, or individual body parts, various furniture structures, etc.

Any spray booth is based on the fact that air moves inside the system, which carries along a mist of paint, which evenly settles on the surface to be painted. And if in a traditional spray booth there is a possibility that harmful substances or paint particles will go outside the booth, then in booths with a water curtain, paint particles are retained by water. Moreover, molecules of harmful volatile substances bind with water molecules, which are in excess inside the spray booth.

Thus, the ingress of harmful substances into the surrounding atmosphere is drastically reduced. But it cannot be said that the water curtain gives a full guarantee that the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere is completely excluded.

In addition, there are chambers that operate on a partially closed cycle of air movement. In this situation, it turns out that the air that has already been in the chamber enters it on the next cycle. And if it is not enough to clean it before reuse, paint particles that have already begun to polymerize will enter the chamber along with air. And this can significantly affect the final quality of the coating. And the water curtain, which can have a different design, retains paint residues.

How do spray booths with a water curtain work?

The spray booth with water protection is very similar in principle to traditional spray booths. Air is sucked in from the atmosphere into the closed space of the chamber. Air is sucked in by the fan. Air enters through a system of filters, each of which provides a certain level of purification. The smaller the holes in the filter material, the finer the cleaning.

The air during the painting phase is heated by passing through special heating elements. The temperature in the chamber starts to rise.

There are exit holes at the bottom of the spray booth. Moreover, they can be located in different places of the chamber (depending on the hole). Through these openings, the air, due to the operation of the exhaust fans, leaves the closed space of the chamber. And it is in front of the highway, which works to remove air from the chamber, that water curtains are installed, which can also have a different design. Essentially, air mixed with paint that exits the chamber passes through a thin wall of water. And all suspended particles remain in this water.

The water curtain can be considered as a water filter. Although there are options when the air does not pass through a wall of water, but through a special container with water. In this case, solid particles gradually accumulate at the bottom of the container, which then precipitate in a state of sediment to the bottom of the container.

In order to activate the process of binding harmful substances in the air with water, a special reagent is added to the container, which is a catalyst for a chemical cleaning reaction.

The most advanced water curtain spray booths support multiple levels of air purification. The first level is when the air passes through the frontal water curtain. The flow of water is a solid wall, and the speed of water movement is the same all the time. Water covers the entire surface of the front part of the curtain.

At the second level, there is a finer purification of air from paint particles. This is the so-called level of internal purification. According to experts, it is at this stage that the most complete air purification from paint impurities takes place.

The finest cleaning takes place on the final filters, which can be made on the basis of hydrocarbon technologies (carbon filters) or dry filters, which are made on a different basis. Here, literally all remaining paint particles are removed. Thus, the fan blades are protected from paint residues sticking to them.

Spray booth with a water curtain»>A great business solution is to paint cars at home. But in order to be able to paint cars, there is little experience and equipment for painting, it is also necessary to have a room in which the painting of vehicles will be carried out. In organizations that deal with car painting, paint work has long been carried out in a chamber with a water curtain. It is no secret that such a device can be made with your own hands, only with some effort and spending a small amount of money to buy some equipment. You can buy a ready-made one, only its cost will be very high, and not everyone is ready to invest a large amount. In order to make a device with a water curtain with your own hands, you will also need some knowledge.

Spray booth with a water curtain is a closed room, which is made of stainless steel and has supply and exhaust ventilation. Such ventilation is created with the help of electric motors. The main part of the device is a heating element, which helps to heat the room to the required temperature and maintain it during painting work. The chamber also includes lighting, which must be distributed evenly over the entire area, and have sufficient luminous flux. It is best to place them not only on the ceiling of the room, but also on the side walls. The device also includes equipment for painting work, and other auxiliary tools.

Painting booth layout

Knowing what the spray booth consists of, it is necessary to determine the location where the arrangement will be made, and make a project according to the location of the main structural elements. An excellent location for the construction of the device can serve as a garage, or build a new extension, which will take more time and, accordingly, finances. To make a device with your own hands, you will need structural elements from which it will be based, heating and ventilation systems, filtration and lighting.

Scheme of a spray booth with a water curtain

Making a painting chamber

Having made the layout, it is necessary to carry out all the technical calculations, and proceed with the installation work.
First of all, a new room is being built or a frame is being assembled inside the garage. The overall dimensions should be: length 10 meters, width 8 meters, height 3.5 meters. The spray booth, respectively, has a size: 4 meters wide and 6 long.

    1. Gate installation.
      It is best to use the gates insulated so that there is no suction and loss of warm air, the outside is sheathed with corrugated board. In the place of contact of the gate, it is insulated with a special adhesive tape. Places with cracks must be filled with mounting foam.
    2. Floor construction. The base of the floor is made of concrete, inside which a hole is made, and a metal pipe with a diameter of 150 mm is brought out into the street to drain air. A metal grate is laid on the floor over the entire surface of the room to a height of 15-20 cm.
    3. Walls. The walls are sheathed with corrugated board, and inside they are insulated, you can make a sandwich panel.
    4. Air exchange system. Components: two electric motors and metal pipes with diameters of 100 mm and 150 mm, respectively. For supply ventilation, an electric motor with a power of 5 kW is used, for exhaust ventilation at least 7 kW.
    5. Ceiling. It is made of a professional flooring, with a heater. A metal frame is mounted in the ceiling for air flow. An electric heater that will supply warm air to the room is installed on the street.

  1. Air cleaning. It is carried out using filters and has a three-level purification.
    • 1 Level. A frontal water curtain is created, which is carried out by draining uniform water flows;
    • 2 Level. Cleaning the air inside the device. Promotes air filtration and purification from paint waste;
    • 3 Level. dry filtration. It contributes to the complete purification of air from paint particles and performs the function of protecting the fan from paint sticking.
  2. Lighting. Mounted LED or fluorescent lamps on the ceiling and walls of the room.
    Automatic sensors for control and monitoring of the system of supply and exhaust fans and filters are also installed.
    Having mounted everything necessary for the water chamber, the equipment for painting is installed.

How the work is done

The electric heater pumps air from the atmosphere into the closed space of the room. Passing through the system, the air is cleaned by filters, each of which provides a certain purification.
The temperature in the room rises due to the work of the heaters. The painting process begins. Down on the floor, air begins to be sucked out of the chamber, with the help of an exhaust fan. Water curtains are installed in front of the highway, which help to retain paint particles. Here, the air passes through all three levels of purification, if such are pre-installed. By the same principle, cameras with a water curtain and factory production work.

Do-it-yourself positive aspects of the device

  1. Free planning system.
  2. Big savings.
  3. The ability to save on all components.
  4. The ability to use the main parts of the structure.

Device disadvantages

  1. There may be inaccuracies in the calculations, or imperfections in the installation of the device.
  2. It is not possible to automate the entire process, since the elements of the device consist of separate parts.
  3. There are no guarantees for the performance of such a device.

Price

The cost of building a do-it-yourself water curtain chamber can take a long time, but it will cost about $4,000. You can buy a factory one from $20,000 and up. To start a business, the best option is to do it yourself, which is much more profitable for a start-up business.

The use of spray booths with a water curtain allows you to improve the quality of the finish and eliminate the impact of harmful substances on humans and the environment, which is determined by various factors related to the size of the products to be painted, the volume and type of sprayed material, the duration of use of spray booths, environmental protection requirements, workers costs. For all cases, it is possible to select the appropriate spray booth with a water-filtered front suction system that ensures the sedimentation of solid particles. In this case, the product must be between the operator and the active curtain of the chamber. When choosing a stand, it is necessary to evaluate the size of the product to be painted and the need to use a cabin for the simultaneous work of several operators.

Distinctive characteristics:

  • The camera is the leader in sales in Russia in this segment, occupying more than 40% of the market.
  • Possessing all the necessary technical parameters, spray booths are 15-20% cheaper than analogues.
  • They have all the necessary certificates for use in the Russian Federation.
  • The long experience of operating this equipment in the Russian Federation (the first deliveries were made more than 5 years ago) speaks of the high quality of the metal and the low level of corrosion of the constituent elements.
  • The optimal design of the chamber allows in the future to aggregate it with air injection and filtration systems to upgrade it into an overpressure chamber.
  • The constant availability of equipment in stock and all the necessary spare parts allows you to immediately start operating this type of equipment and minimize the risks associated with its downtime.
  • A wide product range allows you to choose the most optimal one depending on the width of the processed product or (if the product is much smaller than the width of the chamber) to use it simultaneously when working with several operators.
  • To automate the painting process, the spray booth can be supplied with an automatic blank feeding conveyor (option), which leads to an increase in productivity by 2-3 times.

Basic equipment of the spray booth DF

The price of a spray booth with a pump
  • load-bearing structure of the chamber, made of galvanized sheet metal.
  • adapter flange for mounting the fan on the roof of the chamber
  • a set of special dry filters for the aspiration unit.
  • drainage hydraulic pump.
  • hydraulic pump engine (Italy).
  • connecting pipes and components for water circulation inside the chamber.
  • frontal water curtain.
  • a small raised settling tank located at the bottom of the chamber.
  • fluorescent lamp - 2 pieces
  • Electric control panel
  • Supply voltage 380V/3/50Hz.
  • mounting hardware kit.
  • special electrical equipment
  • further connection of an external air injection system is provided

The camera can be supplied with or without a fan. You can use your own fan of similar airflow capacity.

Composition: air aspiration unit with brass deflectors and standard motor (Italy)

  • The back wall of the cascade type - the maximum spreading of water, i.e. no splashing.
  • Ability to adapt to the dimensions of the room and non-standard execution.
  • Fast delivery time - no more than a month.
  • Constant availability of all components in stock - instant replacement in case of failure - extended warranty.
  • The best prices on the market.

Convenient change of dry filters located above the water curtain.

The ability to quickly clean the camera, in an easily accessible way, as the rear lower part opens like a car hood.

A special drainage type pump in a special design that allows you to work even with water with large clots of paint.

Powerful explosion-proof fan, i.e. it is possible to work at a distance of 0.5 meters from the working area of ​​the cab, 100% trapping of all paint vapors, preventing water dust from entering the product, the operator can work even without a mask. Even if you spray paint with a nozzle down from a meter height, the paint does not reach the floor and is completely captured by the water stand.

The principle of operation of water cabins:

With the help of a fan installed on the roof of the chamber, a vacuum is created, which ensures the suction of air, with the help of a water curtain (pos. 1), solid paint pigments are deposited. Washing with water and additional dry filtration (D) allows aerosols to be captured and deposited in the collection bath. The pump (pos.2) circulates water through the baths (A, B, C), overflowing from which forms water curtains. Some versions have two additional side curtains to optimize the first filtration stage. The chamber consists of galvanized metal panels, bolted together. Side panels and partitions are load-bearing, a centrifugal fan is mounted on the roof. Execution in various modifications: only a suction front, a suction front with additional walls and an extended roof, plus bottom baths equipped with a grate, and there are also two height options. For fine purification of the chemical composition of air, it is recommended to use an autonomous coal installation KARB.

Accessories for water booths available on request:

  • Engine power increase from 3 to 4 hp
  • Explosion Proof Motor Italy
  • Active floor (depth 280 mm, width 1120 mm)
  • Side water curtains (for 2 pieces)
  • Free standing water filtration unit
  • (not required as standard)
  • Lamp design IP 55
  • Version without roof, discount
  • Version without side panels, discount for each
  • Explosion and fireproof version of the control panel
  • model "Standard-Eco"
  • “Ecological” option (additional water curtain)
  • Increase in working depth from 1.22 m to 1.5 m
  • Increase in working depth from 1.22 m to 2 m

Specifications of DF Water Curtain Spray Booth

Characteristic name

Characteristic value

External dimensions:
Length, mm
Width, mm
Height, mm

2 600
2 000
3 200

3 100
2 000
3 200

4 100
2 000
3 200

4 400
2 000
3 200

4 600
2 000
3 200

Working height, mm

Diameter of the exhaust opening on the roof of the chamber, mm

Extraction capacity, m3/h

Required fans, pcs.

Fan power, hp

Outlet, mm (L x W)

Outlet fixture, mm

Pump power, hp

Unassembled camera dimensions for transportation, mm:

2600mm
1500mm
1500mm

3100mm
1500mm
1500mm

4100mm
1500mm
1500mm

4400mm
1500mm
1500mm

4600mm
1500mm
1500mm

Fan dimensions, m

1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 m

1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 m

1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 m

1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 m

Let's figure out what cameras are for painting furniture parts. Depending on how many and what sizes the parts will be painted, what paintwork materials you will work with, the necessary spray booth.

2.

  • water spray booth without side walls and floor (front curtain only)
  • water spray booth with active water floor
  • water spray booth without floor with side walls
  • water spray booth with active water floor and side walls
  • water spray booth with active water floor and active water walls
  • small spray booths, otherwise small-sized or laboratory for painting small products in piece production, instrumentation, 1 and 2 meters long.

Spray booth with dry filters

Due to its design, when painting in a dry spray booth, excess paint mist and polluted air are removed from the paint application area, while cleaning it. All this works with the right choice of fan.

What Happens When a Spray Booth Works with Dry Filters

During the operation of a dry spray booth, the following processes occur:

  • removal of paint particles and dust from the spray area
  • removal of paint aerosol, while preventing its spread to adjacent rooms
  • conditions are provided for obtaining a high quality paint and varnish coating
  • the air that is removed from the painting area is cleaned of mechanical paint particles that remain in the filters and is released into the atmosphere.

How is air filtered in a dry spray booth?

The air flow, which is contaminated with paints and varnishes, with the help of a fan moves by inertia into the opening of the chamber, where it is installed one or two filters.

What are dry booth filters?

Filters for a dry spray booth are:

Cardboard filter

The principle of operation of the cardboard filter is as follows - particles of paint and varnish hit the inner wall of the filter several times and settle on it, and the air continues to move by inertia, while there is no loss of air velocity during suction.

An example of calculating the filtering capacity of a dry filter

For example, you have a dry spray booth 2 meters long with a suction area of ​​3.6 sq.m. This area corresponds to two pieces of a cardboard filter 0.9 meters high and 2 meters wide.

The filter holds about 15 kg of paint per 1 sq.m. It turns out that the filter of our spray booth will hold 54 kg of waste paint. To calculate, we simply multiply the holding capacity of the filter by its area: 15 kg / sq.m. * 3.6 sq.m. = 54 kg.

Glass fiber filter

The glass fiber filter is made of fluffy woven fiberglass impregnated with a special compound. The filter retains paint mist particles.

The glass fiber filter can be used as the only or second level of air mist removal.

In the variant of the second level of filtration, this filter is installed behind the cardboard filter. Often, a glass fiber filter in a roll is installed on the floor in car chambers, hence its second name is “floor”.

The service life of such filters is short, only 60 hours of coloring.

How long does a dry booth filter last?

This issue, undoubtedly, in addition to the technological part, also has an economic component.

The calculation of the "lifetime" of a dry filter is based on the following components:

  • how many kilograms of paints and varnishes do you spray per day
  • what spray guns do you use, that is, what kind of paint loss occurs due to fogging
  • what products are painted
  • how they monitor the cleaning of the spray booths and the replacement of filters.

Dry filter lifetime calculation example

For example, you again have a 2-meter dry painting booth, the consumption of paintwork per shift is 20 liters per day (excluding solvent), you use a paint sprayer with a traditional spray system, the material transfer coefficient is 40-45%, that is, 8 liters out of 20 liters of paint flies into the fog.

Ours showed that it can hold up to 54 kg of paint. It turns out that one filter change is enough for 54/8 = 6.8 days, that is, for about a week of work. And if you bought a filter roll, then it will last for a month, and you can count it yourself in money.

Spray booth with water curtain

Spray booth with water curtain ensures the maximum level of cleanliness and dust removal in the painting area. All this allows you to create ideal conditions for obtaining a high-quality glossy paintwork.

The frontal water curtain captures the paint mist, and the airflow created by the fan additionally draws in polluted air.

Video. 2. Spray booth with water curtain

What Happens When a Water Curtain Spray Booth Works

During the operation of the water spray booth, the following processes occur:

  • removal of paint particles and dust from the spray area
  • removal of paint aerosol and elimination of the possibility of its spread to the surrounding premises
  • providing ideal conditions for creating high quality coatings
  • the removed air is cleaned of mechanical particles of paint and part of aerosol vapors and is released into the atmosphere.

How to maintain a spray booth with a water curtain?

The first thing to do when operating a water curtain chamber is to change the water. Change it depending on the degree of contamination in the cabin.

How quickly the chamber becomes dirty depends both on the intensity of painting, that is, how much paintwork is applied per shift, and on the spray guns used. On spray guns with a low material transfer coefficient, a lot of paint goes into fogging, which means more settles in the cabin. If the water is dirty, then it captures paint mist and dust worse.

How is water cleaned from paint in a spray booth with a water curtain?

In small factories, water is simply poured into the sewer, which is basically impossible, and the accumulated paint at the bottom is scooped out with shovels and other improvised means.

At "advanced" firms, coagulants and a collection of paint and varnish waste are used to remove paint. The addition of a coagulant makes it possible to turn the paint into flakes that precipitate or float to the surface as flakes. The flakes are removed manually or with a waste collector.

How is the air cleaned in a spray booth with a water curtain?

Water spray booths have three levels of air purification from paint:

  1. At the first level, air purification is carried out using a frontal water curtain. A stream of water flows down this part of the chamber in a continuous and continuous stream.
  2. At the second level, internal air purification takes place, here the main filtration and purification of air from paint waste takes place. Depending on the design of the spray booth and the manufacturer, there are various systems for internal air purification.
  3. At the third level, dry filtration is carried out - the air is cleaned of the remaining paint particles and protects the fan blades from paint sticking.

Schemes of structures of water chambers

Different manufacturers of spray booths have different filtration systems, for example, we give several schemes of water spray booths.

What length and width to choose a spray booth?

If the maximum length of the parts to be painted is 2.7 meters, then the required cabin length is 3 meters, and if it is 1.8 meters, then 2 meters are needed.

If you want two painters to work in the cabin, then multiply the numbers by two, at least.

The depth of the cabin depends on the size of the room in which the painting will be carried out. If the painter is inside the cabin, then be guided by the maximum dimensions of the parts to be painted.

If the room, for example, is 4 meters, and the cabin is 3 meters, then the cabin can be installed without side walls. Again, if two cabins are installed side by side, then the side walls are mandatory so that there is no spray from the adjacent chamber.

An example of a painting booth from furniture production

Here are photos of the spray booth, which were taken during the tour at a real operating enterprise.