hvlp turbine versus High +low pres/hivol
markallen1 | Posted in General Discussion on
I recently moved from commercial shop space , after 10 years, to a small shop in my home. In the commercial space I used hi pressure guns and hvlp guns with a large compressor. This is unacceptable in my new space. What are the benefits of using a turbine hvlp and would it be possible to use in a home base shop. What are the pros and cons and can anybody recommend particular systems.
Replies
Allen,
There have been some rather animated conversations on this subject recently. You may want to read through some of the threads under the finishing rubric, or do an advanced search on the topic. I think you'll find it time well spent - lots of very well-informed finishers have posted on the subject.
Paul
Allen,
The benifits are:
1. Quieter. My Q4 is quieter than a household vacume.
2. portable. the turbine weighs 15 lbs or so.
3. space. my whole set up fits on a shelf, I dont need a huge compressor.
4. ease of use. No air dryers, oil filters, tank draining, compressor oiling, secondary regulators, etc. Just turn on switch for clean dry air, then clean cup as normal and clean the air filter on turbine.
5. Because the air from a turbine is warm your finishes dry faster; some say this can be a problem, though in my hot Texas garage it hasn't.
6. Most manufacturers claim that turbine systems are more eficient, though I think it probably has more to do with the gun.
Yes, there has been a lot of informative discussion on this subject lately. I have a Fuji 4 stage and love it. It performs as well as conversion setups I have used. I think that the Fuji turbine is one of the best on the market for the money, I particularly like that it is quiet. Unfortunately the gun is not all that I was hoping for the money. It sprays well, but the fit and finish is only OK compaired to the higher end conversion guns. If I can ever make the transition to making finely finished pieces (I mostly make built-ins) then I will invest in a better gun. It seems that there are more high quality guns for conversion systems. You probably know all this though after working in a comercial shop. In short there are turbine systems that will serve most high end needs. Good luck.
When you get your home based shop set up post pics! I am interested in how peoples home based pro shops are set up.
MIke
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