Imron users, need some advice

L

Laksha

Got a new job recently as an industrial painter. We do a lot of military spec parts, mainly shipping/storage containers. We've got one series of containers that the customer wants painted in Imron Elite.

This particular container is about 12' long, 5' high, and about 5' wide. Looks like a giant caterpillar, holds a jet turbine engine.

Anyway, they want it primed with 615s Vari-Prime and then topcoated with the Imron. Containers are shot blasted prior to paint.

Problem i'm having is getting the required mil thickness. The Vari-Prime goes on really thin, so i'm having to make up the thickness with the topcoat (without running https://snaptube.cam/ 9apps it) and covering the blasting texture. I have to go by the requested paint products, so it has to be Vari-Prime, then Imron.

We run pressure pots and I haven't quite got the settings set to where I can spray, get the thickness and not get runs. Boss wants it done with one coat, i'm thinking I need to do 2 coats.

Anybody got any advice? The learning curve of going from basecoat/clear with not a whole lot of mil thickness, to enamel with a lot of mil thickness hasn't been too steep, but I am having a few problems. Boss is happy with my work, though.

Thanks.
 
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Got a new job recently as an industrial painter. We do a lot of military spec parts, mainly shipping/storage containers. We've got one series of containers that the customer wants painted in Imron Elite.

This particular container is about 12' long, 5' high, and about 5' wide. Looks like a giant caterpillar, holds a jet turbine engine.

Anyway, they want it primed with 615s Vari-Prime and then topcoated with the Imron. Containers are shot blasted prior to paint.

Problem i'm having is getting the required mil thickness. The Vari-Prime goes on really thin, so i'm having to make up the thickness with the topcoat (without running it) and covering the blasting texture. I have to go by the requested paint products, so it has to be Vari-Prime, then Imron.

We run pressure pots and I haven't quite got the settings set to where I can spray, get the thickness and not get runs. Boss wants it done with one coat, i'm thinking I need to do 2 coats.

Anybody got any advice? The learning curve of going from basecoat/clear with not a whole lot of mil thickness, to enamel with a lot of mil thickness hasn't been too steep, but I am having a few problems. Boss is happy with my work, though.

Thanks.
I'm going to guess that your customer set the "required mil thickness". If possible, have your boss set you up with a phone conversation with the customer's in-house paint shop. They'll either tell you how they achieve the mil thickness, they'll tell you they don't even measure mil thickness, or tell you some other enlightening tidbit, like that they ignore the spec, or shoot a sealer coat of DP-40LF, etc. Their advice should empower you to paint it the way they want it in spite of what your boss wants.
 
Anytime you have issues like this your first place you should start is with the Technical Data Sheet of the product you are using. They are all online now, you just have to google the product name and "TDS".

Easiest way to determine what is involved to get the required mils is to refer to the TDS of the products you are using. Looking at the 601S TDS it states:
Recommended Dry Film Thickness: 0.8 - 1.0 mils in 2 coats

Imron Elite (not sure which one you are using but mils are the same for (ea and ex)
Suggested Dry Film Thickness: 1.8 – 2.2 mils

So if we add that up you need to have a final millage of 2.6-3.2 mils. (assuming you are coating bare steel) Now the only way properly to verify mil thickness is with a calibrated gauge that is certified and has papers proving it's calibration and when that was. I would imagine that your job has one because doing Military spec stuff would require it. If not count on 2 coats of 601S and 2 coats of Imron will be needed to meet the Manufacturers reccomended mil thickness which would fall inline with the customers required mil-spec.
To the required mil thickness and not have runs, you are going to have to shoot two coats of Imron. I don't see any way around that. I expect the fact that your Boss wants you to shoot it in one coat is more about saving labor and material, and upping production than the product being able to achieve required thickness in one coat.
Present this info to your Boss and then go from there. If he still wants you to get there in one coat tell him runs are going to be an unavoidable byproduct of that.

Also there is even info in the Imron TDS on how to setup your pressure pot.



601S TDS

 
I'm no expert on the materials in question, but it seems a bit much to ask for a 1-coat topcoat unless there is a technique for a 1.5 coat or double coat process. That will still use more material than 1 coat. Skimming the tech data that Chris provided, it seems like a double coat technique is recommended. If boss man's concern is over time or labor cost, the double coat technique will satisfy, but if the concern is material use, well, there's really no way around using the right amount of product to get the mils.
 
If you are on Instagram do yourself a favor and message this guy. He is the IMRON go-to guy!

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