“What is the best upgrade I can make in my paint booth to increase efficiency?”
Terry Acton, sales consultant for DHI Equipment in Novi, Mich.
The industry is rapidly moving toward waterborne paint. Several repairers across the country have already made the change, and an increasing number of other shops are following suit.
Although waterborne paint has many advantages, one disadvantage is the length of time it takes to dry. It takes longer to flash compared to solvent-based paint, which can lead to extended cycle times in the spray booth. In standard spray booths, air comes in through the top and moves out the bottom. The problem is that the sides of the vehicle don’t get exposed to the necessary airflow. Waterborne paint needs air coming at it from all directions in order to flash quickly.
The single biggest improvement that shops can make in their paint booth is to install an aftermarket method of accelerating the drying process of waterborne paint.
There are multiple companies that offer waterborne paint drying solutions to repairers, such as Garmat USA and Global Finishing Solutions.
The upgrade can range in cost from $6,000 to $15,000. The more expensive waterborne drying products include filtered blowers with directional and circulated airflow. Any debris in the booth is filtered through the system, and prevents it from landing on the paint job.
Shops should fully recoup their investment on the equipment upgrade within one year through efficiency gains, even if they opt for a more expensive setup. The upgrade dries waterborne paint up to 30 percent faster than traditional drying methods, which allows repairers to move several more jobs through the booth every single day.
This is the best spray booth upgrade that shops can make to deliver the highest instant returns on investment.
