Rated pressure
Nominal air pressure in the spray gun.
The general meaning of this parameter depends on the type of instrument (see above). So, in pneumatic models, nominal pressure data is required for connection to an external compressor. It is this pressure that this compressor must create at the inlet to the atomizer; too low values will lead to a decrease in efficiency, too high are fraught with breakdowns and even accidents with injury to others.
In turn, for electric models, the nominal pressure is the air pressure created by the unit's own compressor; the complete atomizer was originally designed for the same pressure. So in this case, this parameter is more of a reference than practically significant; it may be useful only for connecting replacement nozzles to the compressor (or vice versa, for using an existing nozzle with a third-party compressor).
As for specific pressure values, they are primarily determined by the spray system (see below). The diversity here is quite high: the most modest units give out
less than 2 bar,
2-5 bar compressors are quite popular
, 5-10 bar models are relatively rare, and some powerful performance solutions provide a pressure of
100 bar or more.
Air consumption
Nominal air flow rate when the spray gun is operating in normal mode.
This parameter is of key importance for a pneumatic tool (see "Type"): the compressor to which such a sprayer is connected must provide the appropriate air supply rate, otherwise normal operation will not be possible. In turn, in electric models, this indicator is more of a reference — the complete compressor, by definition, corresponds to the characteristics of the sprayer, and it makes sense to pay attention to the flow rate only if the working nozzle of the electric spray gun is planned to be used with a "non-native" compressor.
Nozzle size
The diameter of the nozzle at the outlet of the spray gun.
It is from this nozzle that paint or other working material comes out. And the productivity and spot size at the exit depend on the diameter. Accordingly, larger nozzles are better suited for processing large surfaces, while smaller nozzles provide greater precision and accuracy. Thus, this parameter is directly related to the type of device (see above). There are also
spray guns with a replaceable nozzle, when more than one nozzle is provided in the kit, which expands the possibilities of using the device.
Tank material
The material from which the complete reservoir of the spray gun is made.
— Plastic. Plastic is characterized by a combination of low cost with lightness and reliability. It is somewhat inferior to metal in strength, however, in the case of tanks for spray guns, this is not critical; in addition, the plastic tank can be made transparent, which makes it easier to keep track of the paint level. Thanks to all this, plastic is found in devices of all types and price categories. Among its shortcomings, sensitivity to certain types of solvents can be noted; however, there are resistant varieties of plastic that are practically devoid of this feature.
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Metal. The main advantage of metal tanks is high strength and reliability. On the other hand, they are noticeably more expensive and heavier than plastic ones, and besides, they are not transparent (at best, a built-in indicator in the form of a window can be provided). Because of this, the metal is less common.
— Glass. The glass reservoirs are transparent and allow you to easily control the amount of remaining paint. In addition, this material is chemically inert and compatible with almost any working substance. However, glass has a serious drawback — fragility, which is why it has not received much distribution and is found only in some models of airbrushes (see "View").
