Application Guidelines - Economical Application
Economical Application of Release Agent - Flat Spray & Cone Spray Most barrier type form oils release better if applied in an ultra thin film, results in many beneficial properties. Benefits include easy removal of forms, clean moulds, nearly no bug-holes, stains or dusting, and a significant savings in your cost of release agent.
Over applying release agents dramatically increase your costs. For example, a very high quality release agent may cost $6.00 per litre. But when properly applied in a thin film it is still cheaper per square meter than a diesel oil release agent costing only $1.50 per litre. Typically if a job takes 70 litres of a $1.50Ltr. Diesel as release agent - the job cost is $105.00. That same job needs only 10 Litres of a good $6.00 release agent for a job cost of $60.00 ... you save $45.00 plus reduce environmental exposure.
Use these guidelines to help you achieve economic and performance advantages for spraying thin films of release agents. It also increases owners’ concerns from EPA regulations. (Ultimately, the owner is responsible for any environmental cleanup.)
Applying less to avoid environmental exposure and promote quality requires some attention to good spraying techniques.
- Nozzle
- Air Pressure
- Temperature
- Hazardous Materials
Nozzle Selection
Hollow Cone Tips:
Flat Spray Tips: They make very small droplets which help you produce thin films (less material).
Full Cone Tips: (the most common type) They produce droplets about 300% larger than flat spray tips.
Note: Differences in droplet size from the different tips results from physics involved in tip design, not the fluids used. Also if a droplet is so fine that a light wind blows away the release agent before it falls on the form. The use of this spray tip is applied in environments protected from breezes.
Air Pressure
Spray pressure also affects spray quality. Though a higher pressure produces smaller droplets, a benefit, it also increases the volume flowing through the tip, a negative. At pressures between 30 and 60 psi the volume flowing through the 8001 flat spray tip is sufficient. Pressures between 30 and 60 psi produce a uniformly thin film across the full width of the spray pattern. Below 30 psi the spray pattern is not uniform and the average droplet size increases ... making it difficult and also consumes more release agent. Typically a good manual pump sprayer produces about 35 psi .
Climate / Temperature
Temperature has little effect on factors controlling the spraying process. However, low winter temperatures increase the viscosity (thickness) of oil - ruining the spray pattern. For release agents made with these premium oils, increasing the spray pressure by 5 psi or so overcome any spraying problems caused by thickening.
