► Which nozzle for my paint spray gun?

What to take into account in the first place?

The nozzle, along with the aircap, are the heart of your manual spray gun. The aircap will determine the shape of the fan (flat fan, round fan, hollow cone...). In order to ensure that each nozzle of our wide range built in our production plant gives the best results, we follow a precise machining process that guarantees repeatable flow rates and paint jet shapes. Our nozzles are built with carefully selected materials (stainless steel, carbide...) to guarantee constant production for their lifetime.

There are many different things to consider when selecting the appropriate size spray tip for each job. In order to get the most out of your paint sprayer, you’ll need to make sure your nozzle size and angle fan pattern shape is correct. If you use the wrong size, it will have a high impact on your operations and your paint will likely clump up or go on unevenly. The aircap will determine the fan type: flat shape, hollow cone, round shape.

• First, examine the coating that will be sprayed. Heavier coatings will require a larger orifice size than lighter ones. For example, primers are usually thicker than the accompanying paint so you should use a 1.7 or 1.8 mm tip to prime most surfaces. Most painters will stay in the range of 1.2 to 2.0 mm unless the paint being applied is specialized.
• In second, consider your project surface area. This determines the appropriate fan width that your sprayer will produce, that is, the shape in which the product will leave the gun nozzle. Airless spray guns have more control over the fan width than conventional spray guns because the coating is forced through the tip without being atomized by air. This causes the tip to have a large impact on the fan width and shape. Most boat projects consist of large surfaces and so a wide fan will increase the spray coverage and also provide the ability to spray close to the surface without too much build up. Smaller surfaces will require a small fan width to reduce overspray. This also makes it possible to spray further away from the surface without too much falloff because the fan is more focused.

What tip size will you choose for your spray gun depending on your applications?

For AIRSPRAY spraying systems , the best spray quality can be reached for a particle speed unit of 1.5m/s to 5 m/s. The following chart will helps you find the most apprpriate nozzle for your application (for instance, for a flow are of 120cc/min, the best nozzle choice would be 0.9 and 1.0)

Even if we offer an extended range of nozzles, hereafter are the most common sizes for most paints:

• 0.8: Fine mist, good for painting films or screens
• 1.2: Fine finishes, clear coats and stains (for wood applications)
• 1.4: Clear coats, base coat or one coat paint options
• 1.6: Generally good for most paints, General-purpose- medium viscosity coatings and lacquers. Be warned: not ideal for light coatings as there is a risk of orange peel.
• 1.8: Primers you need to quickly apply
• 2.2-2.5: Resins, gel coats, thick paints.

Worth to know: our latest generation of Fpro spray guns are equiped with our Vortex technology which allows to paint complex shapes parts in one layer (versus the 2 - 3 layers required by competition) with a high quality finish and perfect paint coverage. Since Vortex reduces the product flowrate, we recommend to choose a nozzle diameter higher than the usual one (for example choose a 1.8 diameter size nozzle instead of a 1.5 diameter size)

For AIRMIX® spraying systems, choosing the right nozzle depends on the flowrate and the fan width dimensions you want to get. You need also to consider the maximum operating pressure. Our tip chart will give you the ideal tip for your specific need. We suggest you read carefully our documentation and never skip main content!

For AIRLESS® systems, as for AIRMIX® tips, you need to consider the  flowrate and the fan width dimensions you want to get, as well as the maximum operating pressure (since there is no air atomizing), A great thing about airless nozzles in particular is that you can choose the standard or the reversible design, meaning that if one side gets clogged with paint, you can easily remove it by rotating it and switch your nozzle to the other side and continue working.