Painting Process

Painting Process
Process:
This document details Amsco’s painting process, including hanging or suspending parts prior to painting, painting the parts, and the cure that takes place after the parts have been painted.
Definitions:

Cosmetic Surface: Surface on the painted and visible parts after final assembly.

Procedure:

Ensure proper PPE is worn.
1. Respirator mask with filters, paint gloves, paint overalls, and safety glasses.
Parts should be masked before beginning this process. Verify that the parts to be painted are either masked per the order, as defined on the label or are to be painted on both sides.
1. The label will clearly indicate either Paint- Exterior, Paint- Interior, or Paint- Both Sides.
2. Following those instructions, the required color of the paint and the numerical paint code will be listed on the label.

Depending on the parts, parts are either hung or laid on the rack while painting.
1. Frames and sash should be hung by hangers from the hooks
  1. Frames with a nail fin should be hung from them to ensure that the hangers do not interfere with the paint on any cosmetic surfaces.
  2. Frames without a nail fin and all sashes should be hung from the surface, which minimizes the possibility of interfering with the paint being properly applied to any cosmetic surface. Depending on the surface being painted, this can typically be accomplished by hanging the parts from either the bead cavity or the glass cavity (see example below).
  3. When hung like this the hanger should wrap the masked side to ensure minimum interference with the cosmetic surface.

Parts that are too large/tall to hang from a hook should be laid on tables.
1. When parts are painted too close to the ground, the sprayer will blow debris up from the ground, causing cosmetic defects in the painted surface.
When painting Screens and other similar products, a Uline Strap can be placed through the inside of the product. This allows for no interference with any of the painted cosmetic surfaces. No more than three rows should be put on a rack at a time.
Bead, SDL, Grids, and other similar products should be laid on the bead tables with the surface to be painted facing up. Depending on the product, the side against the table should be masked.
Before the parts are taken into the paint booth, they should be thoroughly blown off.
1. This is accomplished with an air hose, following all the crevices and surfaces on the parts, including the surface that has been taped off. This helps to prevent any unwanted foreign material and debris from entering the paint booth and being painted onto the parts
Racks should be moved into the booth. All racks should be as close to the exhaust filters as possible, and no more than ten racks should be in at a time.

Cleaning

All parts should be entirely wiped down with the antistatic cleaner. This cleans the parts and discharges any static they may contain, preventing foreign debris from being attracted to them and contaminating the painted cosmetic surfaces.
1. Always wear gloves when applying the antistatic cleaner. This prevents the acetone-based cleaner from drying hands out and prevents fingerprints from being put on the parts showing through the paint.
2. Fold the rag twice and wipe the parts on a flat surface. Then, completely saturate the rag with the antistatic cleaner.
3. Parts should be wiped down in a continuous motion from one end to the other, trying to keep any foreign debris picked up in the rag. Avoid scrubbing the parts when possible.
4. Once the cleaner is applied, the parts should not be painted for a minimum of 5 minutes to ensure that all the cleaner has evaporated before painting. Verify the parts are completely dry before painting. Pay particular attention to the weather strip, which can take a little longer to dry.
5. While this wait time is in progress, paint mixing should take place before proceeding with the painting process. This ensures that the paint is used as soon as it is mixed to maximize the allowed 8-hour usable life of the paint once it has been mixed. Refer to The Painting Mixing Process for the mixing instructions.

Painting

The paint booth must be in “Spray” mode before painting can begin. This sets the booth's temperature to the correct level and turns on the ventilation and air pressure.
Paint guns have four valves to control the way the gun will operate

Valve 1: An air regulator. This regulator controls the amount of air flowing through the gun. The booth also has a regulator that prevents the pressure from going above the 90 PSI setting. PSI for painting should always be between 30 and 60, depending on the type of material being painted.
Valve 2: This is an air regulator. Similar to the first valve, it controls the airflow through the gun and should always be open all the way.
Valve 3: Paint Fluid Adjuster. This valve controls the amount of paint allowed through the gun at a time. It can be adjusted to the painter’s personal preference, but the standard is all the way open.
Valve 4: Fan Adjustment. Opening and closing this valve opens and closes the width of the fan when spraying. It will typically stay open all the way, though with experience, a painter may adjust their settings depending on preference or the material being painted.

Parts should be painted on the rack farthest away from the exhaust first.
When painting parts:
1. Continue moving the gun whenever spraying, and do not start or stop spraying on parts. Holding the gun in one spot on the parts will cause runs/drips that must be fixed after the paint has been cured.
2. Avoid spraying too closely on the ground. The air pressure can cause the dust that has settled on the floor to spread into the air, causing defects in the paint that may need to be reworked. Holding the bottoms of the hanging parts up while spraying that section can help prevent this issue.
3. After a section is painted, go back and thoroughly inspect that section for any areas that did not receive enough paint
4. Do not attempt to rework parts while they are still wet. If more paint is needed, more can be applied, but do not touch the wet parts with rags, hands, or other foreign objects.
Once a rack is complete, it should be moved away from the exhaust and closer to the air intake vents. This helps to ensure that any overspray does not land on the already-painted parts.
Move on to the next rack until all parts in the booth have been painted.
Once the painting has been completed, the parts will either need to go through the 15-minute “Flash” cycle or the 60-minute “Cure” cycle.
1. “Flash” cycles are done after every spray, while “Cure” cycles are done at the end of the day or when the painting is done for that day. Unless instructed by supervision.
2. All painted material should be moved into the booth for a “Cure” cycle. Unless instructed by supervision.

Inspection

A thorough inspection of the parts should be performed after the cure is completed. Inspect for:
1. “Fisheye’s”: These appear as pock(dots) marks that are lighter than the applied paint, lighted because of the white parts underneath.
  1. These defects are commonly found by the weather strip and are caused by not being completely dry from the application of the antistatic cleaner. This is why it is important to ensure the weather strip is completely dry before beginning to paint.
  2. Simply apply more paint to the parts where this defect occurs. If the parts have already been cured, ensure they go through another full cure cycle before further processing.
2. Debris: These defects appear as a painted part with bumps underneath the paint.
  1. The causes of this defect can be that the parts were not cleaned well or that the paint was sprayed too close to the ground, blowing debris up from the floor that was then painted over.
  2. While this defect has some tolerance, the lead should always subjectively review it to determine if rework is necessary.
  3. These defects must be sanded down, and another layer of paint should be applied after the initial cure is completed. Ensure the parts undergo another full cure cycle before further process occurs.
3. Insufficient Paint: These defects will show by being lighter than the paint itself or even a different color depending on the paint.
  1. This defect is caused by an insufficient amount of paint being applied to the parts. It is always better to find this defect while inspecting in the paint booth, as it is the only defect that can be fixed while still painting.
  2. Simply apply more paint to the parts where this defect occurs. If the parts have already been cured, ensure they go through the full painting process again.
4. Drip/Run: This defect will show as paint running down the frame.
  1. These defects are caused by too much paint on an area of the material. Too much paint can be sprayed out of the gun, too close to the material while spraying, or overspray, causing excess paint to run.
  2. These defects must be sanded down, and another layer of paint should be applied after the initial cure is completed. Ensure the parts undergo another full cure cycle before further process occurs.
5. Ripples: This defect will show waves on the material.
  1. This defect is caused by too high air pressure or painting too close to the material.
  2. These defects must be sanded down, and another layer of paint should be applied after the initial cure is completed. Ensure the parts undergo another full cure cycle before further process occurs.