HVLP Gravity Feed Gun Cuts Material and Labor Costs by 50 percent

CUSTOMER: Farm equipment finisher

GRACO EQUIPMENT: Finex Air Spray Guns

CHALLENGE: Chemical fertilizers are highly corrosive to metal. Because of this, farm equipment can deteriorate quicker than it should.

Rust annually costs the agriculture industry over $2 billion in unplanned repairs, downtime and equipment value. An estimated 40 million tons of unrecyclable corroded steel is lost each year.

Instead of repainting corroded equipment, the farming industry recommends preserving the original factory finish. That’s why Classic Blast, a Missouri-based finishing operation, uses Permanon. The low viscosity, water-based coating prevents rust by reducing paint’s ability to absorb moisture.  

Permanon’s effectiveness hinges on its applicator. The sprayer must:

• provide the right atomization
• be easy to use
• be inexpensive enough to justify use every six months to a year

SOLUTION: While researching applicators, Classic Blast’s owner contacted Graco and learned about the Finex Air Spray Gun.

Designed for small projects and touch-up repairs, Finex is made with Graco’s high quality standards. It’s also half the size and can cost less than a standard industrial air spray gun.

Among the many nozzle and tip sizes available for Finex guns, he could find the right combination to effectively apply Permanon, extending the life of customers’ farm machinery.  

RESULT: Classic Blast’s owner found the right combination in the Finex HVLP gravity feed spray gun with a 1.3 mm nozzle. With it, his service could spray the perfect thickness of Permanon without having to wipe down excess material. This reduced labor and material costs by 50 percent.

Since 2005, Classic Blast has used the Finex gun to apply Permanon on over 1,200 jobs. In addition to farm machinery, it’s also been used on cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, boats, motors and airplanes, saving machinery owners thousands of dollars and multiple headaches from rusted equipment every year.

“I’ve used Graco for years and will continue to because of their commitment to customer service and to providing high quality products that meet their customer needs wherever they are at.”

^{Jim Deardorff, owner, Classic Blast}