Summer time is plant maintenance time. Many manufacturers need to shut down for a week or two of maintenance and re-tooling, but for manufacturers, like BEX, who sell direct to their industrial partners… it just doesn’t make sense.
It’s often during cleaning and maintenance that worn parts are detected, and those parts need replacing…fast! Suppliers who are able to respond quickly to their needs are vital to helping them get back up and running efficiently.
Keeping nozzles clean and checking for wear is an important aspect to maintaining efficiency and quality output of machinery. Nozzle wear isn’t always obvious, so here are some tips for maintaining and checking nozzles.
Clean Nozzles Regularly
Regular nozzle inspection will help identify nozzles that need cleaning to prevent problems. Nozzles should only be cleaned with soft tools or with chemicals approved for the type of nozzle material. Orifice edges and many surfaces can be easily damaged, which affects nozzle performance. New spray nozzles will always perform better than a cleaned nozzle and could save the cost of lost productivity or poor product quality.
Finished Product Quality
When spray nozzles are in environments that are impossible to monitor in real time, such as spray booths, a poor quality finish may indicate a closer inspection is required.
Pressure
A decrease in system pressure could indicate excessive nozzle wear. An increase in system pressure could indicate that some nozzles have become clogged.
Distribution
All nozzles have a specified spray pattern, distribution, and spray angle. If performance is not as expected, it could indicate that the nozzles are worn or plugged.
At BEX, we don’t shut down in the summer, which means we can supply the right part, when it’s needed. We maintain our equipment regularly so we can be there when our customers need us the most.