Spray Revolution

3M’s new Accuspray One spray gun system reinvents how you will paint your car

Words and Photos: Cam Benty

It’s a pretty normal procedure. You take out your primer gun, make sure it is clean and that the correct atomization nozzle orifice is in place. After mixing the right combination of primer and reducer, you strain the primer into the cup with a paper filter and reattach the gun system. The filter then goes in the trash when you are finished with the primer application, and you clean the gun liberally with solvent — as any workman would do to make sure his gun is in good working order for the next primer job.

Next, you find your pigment gun and do the entire process again, using another filter to strain the paint. The pigment/color is applied, and the above process of cleaning the gun with solvent to make ready for the next job is followed. The same process is followed for clear and sealer layers (sealer follows primer) — maybe not a full gun change, but at least a nozzle change to ensure the right spray pattern and atomization are achieved. For some, that’s four guns and at least four filters to strain the liquids to avoid nozzle-clogging dirt.

That was then; this is now.

The Accuspray One system allows you to use the same gun for all of these operations, from primer right down to clear coats. To change the atomizing head of the spray gun, you snap in a new atomizing nozzle. Each different nozzle, from 2.0mm (primer) through to 1.2mm (clear coat) requires nothing more than snapping out the atomizing nozzle head, by depressing the two tabs on each side of the nozzle. Depress the new nozzle back on the face of the gun, and when the double click is heard, the new nozzle is ready to go.

Filtering in style

One of the most wasteful parts of any painting operation is the amount of material lost in the filtering process. As noted, it takes four filters to paint one car — and possibly more if secondary operations are needed. The Accuspray One system changes all of that.

“We incorporated the filtering system into the Accuspray One Cup top,” says Andy Boyd, marketing director for 3M’s Paint systems. “After mixing your material, pour the primer, paint, or clear into the PPS cup. Integrated into the top of the cup is a filtering system that eliminates the paper filter step. PPS cup filters are available in a variety of micron filtering sizes, and the liners that insert into the cups include a graduated marking so you know how much material is being poured into the cup, to keep you informed of your mixtures. With the price of paint materials these days, that reduces a huge amount of waste.”

“In addition, to clean the reusable gun nozzles, it takes only two ounces of solvent,” continues Boyd. “To clean out the nozzle, simply fill the inlet tube with solvent and pump the gun with the trigger to release the solvent through the nozzle and remove all of the internal paint. Because of the nylon construction, paint does not stick, and the nozzle is completely clean. The Accuspray One also meets all VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) regulations and is a top feed system like all current guns, which reduces waste and allows for gravity feed of all paint materials.”

Painting benefits

The Accuspray One kit uses a composite gun, replacing the standard aluminum gun systems that are common today. With a full paint cup installed and air line attached, the gun is considerably lighter than the standard gun assembly. That is a great thing when you are painting a complete car, where fatigue can set in with a heavier gun system.

In addition to the lighter weight, the Accuspray One gun can be sprayed 90 degrees to the surface of the panel. While that is nothing new for painting the side panels, when painting top surfaces, it is a big deal. With most conventional systems, you cannot achieve 90 degrees on roof panels or hoods since the vent tube on the reservoir will drip paint onto the panel. With the Accuspray One system, the gun and cup are sealed, and there is no possibility of paint leakage. That is a huge benefit to painters looking to get even coverage on hard to reach top sections of the vehicle.

The atomizing nozzle heads are generally good for eight to 10 uses. Replacement heads for the Accuspray One system cost under $20 each. That ensures you have a clean canvas and your gun is working in perfect order. With the price of paint jobs these days, that’s a very small price to pay for a virtually new spray gun every time you paint.

Painting Made Easy

To test the 3M Accuspray One system, we had Mark Oja at Custom Rod Garage in Huntington Beach, California, paint an entire car with this system. The test vehicle was a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air with recently completed bodywork, and ready for primer.

Of note is the fact the Accuspray gun spray pattern is about 85 percent the size of many guns commonly used for projects of this size. That meant we had to make more sweeps across the surface of the vehicle to get complete coverage. However, being able to hold the gun at a true 90 degrees to the surface of the vehicle made up for the smaller fan coverage. Throw in that the Accuspray One gun is significantly lighter, yet meets the VOCF requirements for all 50 states, and you have a system that works very well.

For the primer coats, we used the 1.8mm atomization nozzle followed by the 1.5mm nozzle for the sealer coat. As we were painting with PPG single stage urethane, legal in California, we used the 1.4mm atomization nozzle for a 50-50 mix of pigment and clear. That allowed us to apply two coats of color/clear, making the job not only easier but gave the final black coloration an even deeper look. If we had applied a clear coat separately, the 1.2mm atomization nozzle would have been used.

The results of the painting procedure were impressive, and we determined we saved about a pint of painting materials and easily a quart of solvent that would have been used for the cleaning procedure. In terms of cost and clean up, the benefits are big. In terms of reduced environmental impact, they are revolutionary.

The One-Step Kit

One of the top benefits of the Accuspray One System is that the complete system with four nozzles, composite gun, a starter set of 3M PPS cups, and even the air gauge to measure the amount of air entering the gun is included in a kit that costs $200. Not to sound like an infomercial, but that means you get four spray guns in one package — replacing individual spray guns that today can cost up to $800 each. Replacement nozzles and cups can be purchased separately from 3M, of course.

Lest we forget, this new 3M spray paint system is not only great for painting vehicles, but works great for any place that needs painting, even interior and exterior home paint projects.

Sources: 3M Manufacturing Company, 3mcollision.com; Custom Rod Garage, customrodgarage.com

 

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