HVLP or LVLP Spray Gun- for Automotive/Woodwork: Which is Best for You?

HVLP or LVLP Spray Gun– for Automotive/Woodwork : Which is Best? Read the article to make the right decision about this.

Among the large selection in the sales network of the proposed models for spraying paint and varnish coatings of HVLP and LVLP technologies, it is very difficult to choose a spray gun without special skills and theoretical knowledge.

To buy the right and necessary spray gun for painting a car, the user needs to know the features, advantages, and disadvantages of each of them, which one is better, for which type of work is intended.

Some are guided by the reviews of friends and acquaintances, others read useful, informative literature about paint sprayers.

In order to help you figure out which spray gun to choose and buy for applying the paint composition to the car, it is necessary to familiarize the user with these devices in detail.

The most widely used and popular models are pneumatic spray guns of HVLP and LVLP technologies.

Paint sprayers for professional use

The HVLP pneumatic spray gun is characterized by a high volume at low pressure. Such pistols were created in the late 80 -ies of the last century. Their purpose is to protect the environment

The air channel of the device has a special structure, which is why the paint is sprayed as follows: there is low pressure at the outlet, almost 0.7 atm, and high pressure at the inlet, about 3 atm. Therefore, the transfer of the material is 70%. The rest is lost in the air.

In addition, the HVLP spray gun at the output has a small speed of flight of paint or varnish.

This property is an advantage of this model because there is a saving of material at the output.

In this case, a small foggy cloud is formed, but the composition should be sprayed at a close distance from the treated surface — no more than 15 cm. This is the main difference between the HVLP sprayer and the LVLP spray gun.

Before you buy this pneumatic spray gun for painting cars, you need to familiarize the user with the advantages and disadvantages of the device.

Advantages of the HVLP paint sprayer:

• High saving of paint and varnish. Almost 70% falls on the surface.
• High performance.
• Does not harm the environment, the formation of a small fog cloud.
• Leaves no garbage.

Disadvantages of the spray gun:

1. High air consumption (over 360 l / min). Because of this, powerful and productive compressor equipment is needed.
2. The large diameter of the airline.
3. Using the air filter. During the operation of the compressor, water and oil inclusions enter.
4. Inconvenience when applied to hard-to-reach places. The distance to the surface to be treated is not more than 15 cm.
5. The required level of knowledge of the painter. If the application of the material is delayed, streaks and layers may occur.

Paint sprayers for household use

The LVLP system spray gun (LVLP) is considered a professional, paint spray gun of the latest technology, the latest development that has absorbed the best characteristics of the HVLP system.

LVLP spray guns are characterized by low volume and low pressure with gravity feed for painting various surfaces, in particular, cars.

The sprayer is good because it has a pressure of no more than 1.2 atm at the outlet and up to 2 atm at the inlet.

The paint transfer efficiency is more than 70%. The main difference from other systems is the low air consumption up to 200 l / min.

The spray gun works better than other sprayers, at a distance of 25-35 cm from the treated surface, so its use makes it possible to paint hard-to-reach places.

Advantages of LVLP paint sprayers:

1. The accuracy of the application.
2. Low air consumption.
3. High material transfer efficiency.
4. Wide, uniform spray torch.
5. There are no vibrations, no turbulent swirls.
6. Resistance to changes in pressure.
7. Small fog cloud formation.
8. High-speed operation.
9. High performance.

No shortcomings were identified.

Choosing a spray gun

In order to buy a paint sprayer, you need to know for what purposes it will be intended and with what frequency it will be used.

If the work is planned sporadically or by a novice motorist who wants to paint the car body on their own, then the universal LVLP spray gun is suitable. If it is needed for professional use, then experts recommend buying an HVLP spray gun.

When choosing a device, they are guided by the following parameters:

1. The volume of the tank: In low-cost models, the tank volume is 50 ml. In spray guns with capacious receivers up to 600 ml, the characteristics are much higher.
2. The location of the tank: The container can be placed in 2 positions: top and bottom. At the top-the paint is fed under the force of gravity. At the bottom-the suction force of the sprayer itself is created. A spray gun with a lower tank is much more convenient. During the application of paint with a gun, you can vary, as well as put it on the table.
3. The power of the engine: When choosing models, they are guided by a power of up to 1.3 kW.
4. Pressure, Basically, it is up to 8 bar: At higher pressure, the compressor shuts down. For more powerful and expensive spray guns, the pressure reaches up to 10 bar.
5. Performance: The main indicator that you need to pay attention to. For the correct choice, it is necessary to multiply the performance declared by the manufacturer by a factor of 0.65. Focusing on the result, you can choose the right compressor.

In comparison with HVLP technology, the LVLP spray gun wins in many respects. It is more practical, versatile, and relatively inexpensive. It is also not difficult to buy it due to its prevalence and wide use.

Setting up the spray gun

After purchasing the device, the user often wonders how to set up a spray gun for high-quality painting.

Setting up paint sprayers is based on 4 operations:

1. Preparation of the paint: This procedure consists of the correct dilution of the coloring composition with a solvent or activator, in the selection of the finished material. The solvent is added to the paint in small portions, observing the changes in the composition, using a measuring ruler or a separate container. To avoid risk and problems, it is easier to buy ready-made paint in the optimal ratio with the activator.
2. Adjust the size of the torch: The required width of the torch depends on the area of the surface to be treated. To apply paint to small areas, set a small width of the torch, after checking the work on the test surface. For full painting of cars, set the maximum width.
3. Setting the air pressure: For proper adjustment, it is necessary to pre-adjust the spray gun by applying short, trial injections with a smooth increase in pressure. They are guided by the drips, the size and shape of the drops, and the level of splashing. If the droplets spread out and the print is large, the pressure is very low. At high pressure, the print of the applied test material has the shape of an eight. If the print resembles a pear, a banana, then this indicates some malfunctions in the system.
4. Regulation of the supply of coloring material: A high level of submission is not set at the very beginning of the work.

Otherwise, the configured spray gun will not give the expected results and will spoil the treated surface. A reduced feed level is preferable, as it can be increased as needed.

Before transferring the work to the car, it is better to practice on the tested surface and conduct more than one trial experiment.

Last word …………

These two spray guns are of high quality, it depends on what you use or where you use them and it depends on your own preferences.

If you want to paint spray on your kitchen cabinets or car spray, check out our paint sprayers for a review.