TECHNOLOGY & APPLICATIONS
DUX spray guns bring the global coatings application market a technology that exceeds transfer efficiency expectations while providing coating specialists the finish and productivity output they demand. Manufactured by DUX Technologies, Inc., DUX spray guns were first inspired by high-performance Formula racecar engine airflow designs.
DUX spray guns are the first to incorporate truly advanced laminar airflow technology. Featuring a single investment-cast aluminum body, smoothly curved internal chambers, and an ergonomic handle, DUX spray guns will help manufacturers reduce costs, improve finish quality and ensure a healthy work environment. With transfer efficiency improvements of 15 to 40 percent over the best HVLP and other conventional spray technologies, and the lightest-weight design available, DUX spray guns will revolutionize your painting process.
Technology: The Dux Laminar Airflow Difference
Typical HVLP Gun
Turbulence Inside Gun Creates Static Change
- Coating Particles repel one another forcing some out of the column
- Contaminations with opposite charge are drawn into coating
Higher Air Pressure Required
- 25-40 psi at the gun inlet to produce 10psi at the air cap
- Loss inside the gun is 15-30psi
High Internal Pressures Cause “Explosion” At Air Cap
- Air blown out of spray column
- Coatings particles carried away with air creating booth “fog”
Dux Spray Gun
Straight Passages and Sweeping Curves
- Reduced friction and Turbulence
Fewer Obstructions
- Fluid Needle, springs, and other parts separated from airflow passages
Minimized Air Travel Distance
- Less wall friction = lower pressure
Less Air Expansion At Air Cap
- Lower operating pressures result in less explosive effect
THE DUX TECHNOLOGY
Efficient air transfer is the key to the Dux Technology. Conventional spray guns of both standard and HVLP types suffer from a considerable reduction of air pressure through their guns. Losses of greater than 80% are not uncommon. The HVLP gun has a very large clearance between the air cap and fluid tip. These guns require very large volumes of air to maintain an acceptable atomization. The result is atomized paint that is blown in all directions due to the expansion of air, despite having only a 10psi exit pressure. The HVLP type of spray gun is limited by a lack of internal airflow efficiency.
The Dux airflow pattern and efficiency are patent-protected and, along with the air cap, are key to the performance of the Dux gun. Dux achieves an optimal 90% spray efficiency during the air and fluid movement through its gun. As a direct result of the Dux patented design improvements, the Dux technology has many unique advantages including:
- Transfer efficiencies recorded as high as 90%
- Low noise level
- Nearly universal use across different industries (aerospace, wood products, etc.)
- Reduced Fog/Overspray
- Ease of maintenance
- Meets or exceeds air quality standards
- Improved shop and working conditions
Airflow Comparison
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The HVLP gun’s density is uneven.
Darker areas represent extremely dense, poorly atomized fluid -
High pressures cause explosive decompression.
Expanding air carries particles away from spray column -
Blow back is apparent with the leading HVLP gun.
Note the blue cloud rising from the flat surface at the bottom -
Expanding air hits the surface and has nowhere to go.
Particles carried into surrounding area create paint “fog”.
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Smooth, even distribution of material.
Minimal dark areas show uniform atomization
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Dux Technology virtually eliminates sagging and orange peel.
Less air is trapped in the coating material at the surface
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Surrounding air free of fog. Noticeable lack of blow-back.
VOC emissions reduced due to substantial material savings.
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Very straight and consistent spray pattern.
Fewer particles escaping at top of spray column
REGULATORY & ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Looking at the big picture of the coating industry, regulators, health and safety managers, and environmentalists have two overriding concerns. The first issue is the level of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that are released into the workplace. This is due to the composition or ingredients of the coating materials used throughout the industry. The second key issue is the level of VOCs that are released because of the low transfer efficiency of the spray guns used to apply the coatings. From an environmental and health and safety perspective, Dux solves this second issue.
Industrial and architectural projects sprayed with high-pressure, conventional spray guns achieve only 25% to 30% transfer efficiency. In other words, 70% to 75% of the product being applied evaporates, becomes over-spray, or is released into the environment as a highly toxic pollutant. The highest transfer rate spray equipment on the market is rated at 65% transfer rate and is referred to as a “high-volume, low-pressure” spray gun. Thus, the regulatory standard for finishing equipment is a 65% transfer rate at no greater than 10psi spray pressure. In practice, 65% transfer efficiency is rarely achieved. Dux believes that even the highest quality HVLP spray guns will only achieve transfer efficiency between 35% and 60% in practice.
The Dux Technology has achieved a transfer efficiency rating greater than 90% at less than 10psi. Lower pressure means less overspray. Better design means: higher transfer efficiency; less wasted material; and a reduction of VOC’s. That’s a win for any operator.
See below for examples of the Industries we serve and how our Technology modernizes and enhances the spraying experience!