Spray technique is a critical component in getting a great finish as well as utilizing your material as efficiently as possible. One great best practice when for great coatings and efficient spraying on any surface is called “banding”. Banding is a technique that reduces overspray and saves material while ensuring a nice, even coverage on your part. There are two types of banding technique” Panel Banding and Edge Banding.
Panel banding is used when you are coating a flat, rectangular panel or object. Your first four strokes with the spray gun should coat the boundary of the side that you are facing. You should use one stroke that follows the direction of each edge; then coat the remaining center with a traditional horizontal pass technique. Think of a coloring book when you were a kid and you used to trace the edges of a picture and then shade in the center. This is essentially the same technique you are applying when you are Panel Banding. It is a much more efficient spray technique than just using horizontal passes to try and cover the edges and results in a better finish and less material waste.
Edge Banding is used when on the outside edges of a part, such as a table or a box. First spray the outside corners and edges; on a table for example, this would be the outer edge. This edge pass will “panel band” the top and bottom surfaces so that all you need to do coat the center surfaces.
Using this technique over practice and time, efficient spraying and smooth, professional coatings are well within your reach.
Jorge Flores, Marketing Coordinator
Coating Equipment Technology, Inc