Heavy Duty Paint Stripping (cont.)

ACT routinely designs its systems to meet the specific goals of its customers. In this case, we built a system to accommodate the customer’s existing 65” x 65” x 35” racks used for stripping paint off of aerospace components. The system will be charged with a modern alternative chemistry that is more environmentally friendly than methylene chloride-based chemistries.

A three-sided exhaust plenum was engineered to provide maximum fume control around the system. The platform oscillation package offers flexibility in the stroke per minute count to be certain that the oil seal is not disturbed. Finally, the system utilizes redundant filtration to pull the paint residue from the processing chamber and therefore increasing the longevity of the chemical bath.

In the photo below, the power cover is open allowing a view into the processing chamber. Note the heavy duty construction of the system designed to process loads in excess of 1000-lbs. Vertical pumps are the norm to avoid seal compatibility issues.

The stripping effect is amplified with the use of Dynamic Flow Combinations or DFP. The load is oscillated in the chamber during the cycle to move chemistry over, around, and through the load to keep “fresh” chemistry moving over the painted surfaces. The directed spray action helps lift the paint off the parts in sheets. Typical cycle times at 180-degrees F are much faster than traditional paint removal techniques.

Steam heating coils provide rapid heat up times and maintain the temperature within the pre-set procedural limits. The main controls are mounted in a Nema 12 panel behind the machine while the operator controls are conveniently located o the front of the machine.

Additional features to enhance stripping operations can include pre-cleaning and degreasing stages, precision cleaning with ultrasonics, clean out manifolds/pumps, filtration upgrades, rinse and dry stages.