Piggable Paint Supply and Distribution Systems

Piggable paint systems incorporate a means of forcing a foam plug (the pig) through a piping network to recover maximum residual paint.  All system hardware including piping, valves, and fittings must facilitate this.  In addition, there must be a means of inserting the pig into the system, propelling the pig, and removing it.  Although specialized products such a pig launchers and catchers are available, they are not necessary for efficient system design and operation.

Advantages

The recovery of residual paint in the supply and distribution system for later use holds potentially substantial economic and environmental benefit.  The extent of this potential depends upon the internal volume of the network, the cost of paint and disposal, and the frequency which the system must be purged.  The main run of a piggable piping system is installed in a single loop with the same ID throughout.  Paint temperature and pressure at each drop is more consistent and repeatable than conventional systems.

North American Paint Application piggable systems are, by a large margin, the most efficient available.  Complete color change times are less than 5 minutes and require minimal labor.  After the paint is reclaimed, our purging process minimizes both time and material to flush and evacuate the system.  Loading paint is fast and easy.  This level of efficiency not only decreases the cost of operations, the speed and flexibility allow for fewer paint supply and distribution systems needed to support the production paint process.

Disadvantages

All components of piggable systems must pass a pig.  In most cases, this requires a new paint supply and distribution system.  In the paint kitchen, inserting and removing the pig can be a little messy.  This method does not reclaim residual material inside pumps, filters, surge suppressors and other necessary system components through which the pig cannot pass.

Installation of tubing requires the use of sanitary or compression fittings that will pass a pig.  All fittings must align with the tubing and orbital welds, if used, must be inspected and reamed for burrs.  90 degree and other bends must be gradual.  During fabrication and installation, care must be taken not to deform or collapse the internal cross-sectional geometry of the tube.

Piggable style color stacks must be used.

Efficient Flexible Color Paint Supply and Distribution

The North American Paint Application Company is the world leader in the design of efficient paint supply and distribution systems requiring the flexibility for multiple colors.  Although piggable systems offer superior performance, existing systems can achieve good performance and benefit from cost effective alternative methods for reclaiming residual paint.  Existing pipe networks may not need replaced.  Neither foam plugs or other foreign material is forced into the pipe network.  And because residual paint can be largely reclaimed from the pump, from the filters, and from all system components, less paint  may be wasted.

This process utilizes compressed air to push paint from the system.  Because little manual intervention is required, the whole process of reclaiming the paint, purging the lines, and loading the next color can be largely automated.

Efficient Paint Supply System Flushing and Loading

One of the primary purposes of piggable or flexible color systems is to allow for the supply of multiple colors or materials that share share the same pipe network.  Thorough and efficient flushing of these systems is very important to prevent cross color contamination, minimize operational costs, and maintain high productivity.

To achieve this, all components of the system should have streamlined internal geometries, free from cavities, crevices and other areas where paint can accumulate and solidify, or is otherwise not cleanable.  This includes pumps, filtration, surge suppression, and regulation.  Unnecessary restrictions must be eliminated.

Because these networks can have substantial size and length, straight solvent purging can require both significant amounts of material and time, and still be ineffective.  The mechanism by which we purge these lines does not utilize straight solvent purging.  We utilize a turbulent mix of air and solvent for fast and powerful scrubbing action.  It is the most efficient and cost effective method of purging available and uses a fraction of the material in a fraction of the time when compared to straight solvent purging.  It requires minimal labor and can be completely automated.

Loading paint efficiently can have a significant impact on material usage and quality.  First, the system should be designed with minimum internal volume.  This minimizes the amount of paint required for loading.  Second, after purging is complete all residual purging solvents should be removed from the system.  This allows paint to be loaded without without waste and without thinning.

Designing special color systems for efficient flushing and loading is an extremely important factor in achieving the highest level of performance from your paint application system.

System Integration

Ultimately, the correct color must be loaded to the applicator in a timely manner.  If you have existing paint supply systems, existing color and purge stacks, and existing 1K, 2K, or 3K flow control equipment, integrating piggable systems to obtain the color flexibility and performance you require can be difficult with unexpected results.  At one major truck manufacturer visited recently, poor system design and integration reduced total paintshop throughput by 10-15%.

Seamless and efficient integration into complex systems is essential and requires a special knowledge paint processes.  We guarantee results.

System Evaluation

Which type of paint supply system can best support your paint operations?  How many systems are required?  What modifications to existing are required?  How can these flexible systems be integrated into paint operations reliably and with maximum flexibility?

We will gladly discuss with your business the benefit of efficient paint reclamation and purging of flexible color systems.  Efficient and effective implementation of these systems require a special knowledge paint processes.  We can recommend modifications to existing systems or design new installation.  We can provide designs for your use or we can offer turn-key services.  We promote a paint system audit for a comprehensive assessment of paint system operational efficiency.  This audit can focus on efficient methods for paint reclamation but often identifies other areas where significant efficiency can be realized.  

This service offers enormous potential value to North American businesses and their communities.  We also recognize that a healthy, efficient paint shop is good for your business and ours, and therefore make every effort to keep audit costs low.

If you value such an audit, contact us.  For even small paint shops, payback for our audits are generally measured in hours or days.  While on site, we can also document as-built system installation and provide for a very reasonable fee, quick turn-a-round on as-built pneumatic, affluent, or electrical drawings and flow schematics.

Feel free to give me a call to discuss . . . Joe @ (708) 663-8705.

North American

Paint Application Company

info@napaint.com

www.napaint.com

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