F.A.Q.

The best way to choose optimal equipment? Certainly, the most natural and immediate answer is choosing the best (i.e. the highest performing and most valuable equipment available). But there are certain considerations that enable users to make the most suitable choice in the light of their specific needs and expectations. Ranging from the small T-Basic model with MRS airbrush − dedicated to the DIY segment − to the large, high-performance Cart Turbine CT-18 models − ideal for trade users painting large surfaces −, it’s not at all easy to find ones way around correctly, given the very many possible combinations of RIGO airbrushes, turbines and machines.

 

Let’s look at some aspects that will help us choose correctly:

- What products do we need or want to apply?

- How large are the surfaces we’re dealing with?

- What finish do we want?

- How skilled are we, and how much time do we want to spend improving our techniques?

- Last but not least: is this for work or play (hobby use)?

 

It is true that professional equipment of a high level with equally refined performance will always meet the expectations of both artisan and amateur. However, it is equally true that some HVLP systems of this kind may prove to be too complicated, too expensive, and over-performing for DIY users who (given their limited needs) would not be able to take full advantage of the potentials or fully appreciate the equipment’s performance ratings.

 

That said, there’s a golden rule that applies to all. The artisans’ choice is based on desired performance. They opt for high-end airbrushes and turbines, and the higher economic outlay will be repaid promptly (and fully), given the advantages that such systems will bring to the work at hand (raising our standards, extending horizons and savings both in time and paint products…). Non-trade users, on the other hand, make a reasoned choice based in their real needs and expectations, as well as presumed frequency of use and how deep their pockets are!

 

We should always bear it in mind that all Rigo equipment is combinable and interchangeable, so no choice of Rigo HVLP system can be considered really risky (apart from some exceptional cases). If we choose equipment that is too advanced with respect to our real needs, our skills can develop further. Conversely, should we choose equipment that we find underperforms, we can then upgrade it with accessories and other elements until it fully meets our expectations. Rigo is always ‘spot-on’.

White wine or red wine? Long hair or short? A seaside holiday or hiking in the mountains? These are the great dilemmas of life.... Does the cup go up or down? Or the tank up or down? Users have been puzzling over this for as long as spray-painting airbrushes have been around... There is no definitive answer that disregards personal preferences: if we look at the RIGO HVLP PRO series of airbrushes, all models enable high-level performance and meet the expectations even of the most demanding trade users. In fact, the lower-tank model ACT-AS and the upper-tank model ACT-S share most features, the two models differing only as to where the paint tank goes. But there are some technical features and considerations to be borne in mind that will enable us to make the best choice between these two models.

 

ACT-S top tank airbrushes allow adjusting the pressure of the air tapped from the delivery stream through a valve on the lid, and this means we can fine-tune descent of product from tank to nozzle, thus varying width of spray. With this airbrush, simply by adjusting the valve on the tank lid, we can obtain spray widths ranging from a minimum one or two centimetres to about 30 centimetres, with appropriate choice of air cap and nozzle diameter. However, this feature does not come with the ACT-AS lower tank model. Here, spray-width adjustment is obtained by setting the air and product available.

 

Another unique feature of upper-tank airbrushes is that they are more suitable for use with high specific gravity or high viscosity paint products, because gravity helps the product flow smoothly from tank to nozzle. These airbrushes, put simply, are less affected by proper/unsatisfactory dilution of the product. They are more tolerant of products that are poorly or unsatisfactorily diluted or that are particularly viscous.

 

We also see that choosing lower or upper tank is greatly influenced by the user’s training and technical background. Those who come from the decor sector, or who mainly work in this sector, will use almost always only upper tank spray guns. Users who come from industrial painting mainly choose the lower tank, because this option is more familiar to them.

 

Grossly oversimplifying matters, we can say that ACT-S upper-tank airbrushes are better because they can be appended. ACT-AS lower-tank airbrushes are better because they will stand upright on the floor! In fact, the RIGO turbines with which these airbrushes are used feature an accessory tray with airbrush support suitable for both models. So, the problem of where to place the airbrush has been already solved.

Indeed, solved before we even start!

At least for three reasons:

• Higher transfer efficiency. You will use a smaller varnish quantity compared to a traditional system.
• Limited overspray. Pressure is so low that the paint is gently applied without bouncing off on the surface, thus avoiding any product suspension in the air.
• No humidity in the device. The heat developed by air compression in the fans can eliminate humidity. No device is required to eliminate humidity or reduce its quantity. This results in a better finishing and a corresponding cost reduction.

Beginners do not need to get out of any bad habit, just as it occurs for expert painters. If you are accustomed to using high pressure guns, it will take some time for you to get accustomed to the HVLP system because the technique is a bit different. It is recommended to exercise with the material you intend to use for about an hour so that you get familiar with the various techniques described in the manual. For any question please dial the customer care number

Airless and HVLP are pieces of equipment designed for spray painting.

The paint is driven through a tube to the gun

 

In short, the parallels end here, and there are key differences that must be considered when selecting.

 

Let’s look at these differences

• Air or airless: Airless equipment drives paint through an extremely small nozzle under high pressure. It is airless in that there is no air input or use of air at all. The paint product is atomized by spraying to form a slender vertical beam, Various nozzle sizes enable adjustment of product quantity and spray angle. The very high pressure means application is uniform: large areas can be rapidly coated, as opposed to when the product is sprayed in limited quantities or applied in very thin layers The pressure required to form tiny droplets also means that a significant percentage is “ shot” in such small particles that these are like “smoke” (the particles do not attach to the wall but are dispersed into the air).

Rigo's Cart Turbine HVLP (HVLP = high volume-low pressure) drives paint into the tubes under very much lower pressure than with the airless system (0.5-1-2 up to a maximum of 4 bar, rarely used, and an airless minimum of 80 but reaching 160 bar, i.e. very different values...). Once it reaches the gun, the paint is not sprayed under the pressure but is finely separated by the action of the air produced by the turbine. The turbine generates a cone of low-pressure air (max 0.4 bar) with a high flow rate (up to 2,600 litres per minute); the paint product forms minute droplets held within the cone itself.

Here again we have the formation of this smoke, but to a very limited extent (a very low percentage).

The airless system, applies 55-65% of product to the wall, and the CT 85-90%. Therefore, the wastage is curbed and a greater material yield obtains (greater economy of materials).

 

• application: airless delivers a great deal of the product. An airless gun applies a 15-litre can uninterruptedly in ten minutes or so (this is a rough time estimate, as larger and smaller nozzles speed up and slow down operations, respectively). Re-loading 15 litres into the Cart Turbine ensures uninterrupted runtimes of at least two hours. This means airless application is more rapid, but it cannot be adopted when coating smaller surface areas. If we wish to coat complex and smaller surface areas, such as a heater or radiator or door/window frames, it will be very hard to apply the product with the airless system and avoid running and sagging, and practically impossible to adjust thicknesses. On the other hand, with the Cart Turbine system you can adjust the thicknesses and quantities most satisfactorily!

 

• applicable products: airless systems (only certain models) can also be used to spray fillers or plasters, for smoothly seamless results, too, but they can’t be used to spray coats with inert ingredients such as outdoor quartzes. Cart Turbines can spray coats even with very coarse inert materials.

 

• to sum up: Airless for sheds and very large surface areas, with certain types of product and with limited amounts of finishes available. The versatile Cart Turbines enable application of a broad range of products, finishes and thicknesses.

 

These two solutions therefore differ and are complementary, but they are not interchangeable.

• Painters will use the CT system on construction sites mainly whilst will generally opt for airless to spray in sheds or unfinished buildings only.