3 Key Airflow Styles in Spray Booth Ventilation
When choosing the right impeller for your industrial spray booth there are a few things to consider that can assist with ensuring you get the best performance, one of these is airflow style. Airflow style and the type of spray booth chosen in automotive, aerospace or industrial paint booths can impact every aspect of the units operation.
Suitable for aerospace and automotive where there are high quality requirements, spray booths with down draught airflow cycles have air moving in a downward movement from the ceiling toward the floor of the booth. A ground pit of required for this type of booth. This type of airflow is the best for contamination control and overspray. Downdraught airflow paint booths require about 30% more air than other methods which does add more cost but the quality is outweighed as the airflow style produces the least amount of blemishes.
Airflow styles in spray booths vary according to the desired outcome of the spray but typically the most common types are: cross-draught, semi-downdraught and downdraught.
Cross Draught Airflow
Cross draught airflow is the standard in many spray booths and can be designed for a wide variety of uses from wood products to aerospace. The term cross draught means that air travels horizontally and parallel to the floor along the cross section of the booth to the exhaust chamber located at the rear. Cross draught airflow booths typically have lower airflow requirements and therefore require smaller fans, smaller air make up units and less filters. This airflow method can lead to a greater chance of contamination from the floor and overspray compared with other airflow styles. Cross draught systems can make use of EC fans and motors to reduce overall energy consumption within the manufacturing plant.Semi Downdraught
A mix of both cross draught and downdraught, booths with this type of airflow have intake air that travels through a filtered ceiling fan, while the exhaust fan continues to pull the air into the main chamber causing air to change direction and become parallel to the floor. Air exits at the rear of the spray booth. This airflow method strikes a balance between efficiency, speed and quality. Semi-downdraught refers to the fact that air passes over a vehicle for example, in a downward movement and exhausts horizontally. Semi downdraught booths are suitable for large equipment with complex finishing requirements.Downdraught Airflow
Suitable for aerospace and automotive where there are high quality requirements, spray booths with down draught airflow cycles have air moving in a downward movement from the ceiling toward the floor of the booth. A ground pit of required for this type of booth. This type of airflow is the best for contamination control and overspray. Downdraught airflow paint booths require about 30% more air than other methods which does add more cost but the quality is outweighed as the airflow style produces the least amount of blemishes.