USI Italia, one of the world's leading spray booth manufacturers, used NACE 2002 to introduce its latest spray booth, the USI Chronotech, to the U.S. market. This newest generation of spray booths has been "road tested" throughout the world and features a revolutionary step in the paint curing process that saves a considerable amount of energy while producing greater throughput than traditional spray booths.
With USI Chronotech, USI Italia has perfected its Automated Quick Paint/Curing System. The system directs high volume, filtered and heated air vertically throughout the booth. This, combined with either programmed exhausted or recirculated air cycles, provides the most efficient way to cure paint, holding down energy costs and improving throughput.
With greater air circulation, USI Chronotech reduces curing time by more than 30%. USI says the typical shop will be able to paint two or three more cars per day than it did with a traditional spray booth. This latest technology also eliminates the need to acquire additional costly equipment, such as blowers, air accelerators, or infrared dryers.
USI Chronotech's Automated Quick Paint/Curing System, is designed for painting and curing using only high velocity filtered and heated air, and works effectively with any type of paint: high solid, solvent base or water-borne.
It's all in the details
The advantages of a fast air-curing cycle with a temperature of only 200 degrees are considerable. You can cure all automotive body types, steel and aluminum, without damaging sensitive areas such as tires, plastic trim, sealants, and electronic components. Plus there is never a chance of causing the clear coat to dye back.
A sophisticated yet easy-to-use computer system monitors all key processes. The system automatically balances pressure in the booth, controls motor speed, adjusts the gas heating system, monitors and changes the speed of turbofans, and switches between recirculating or exhausting the air flow.
The USI Chronotech handles air volume up to 20,500 CFM with 1.5 million BTU/hr heating capacity while consuming less energy than conventional spray booths that typically deliver only 13,000 CFM air volume and 1.2 million BTU/hr.
USI Chronotech's multispeed controllers with variable frequency drive also offer a clear advantage, saving energy costs by consuming less power. For example: 15HP/230 V Motor with Inverters, Rated current 42 A, Starting current 42 A; Direct start motor 10 HP/230V, Rated current 28 A, Starting current 180 A; Star-delta start motor 15HP/230V, Rated current 48A, Starting current 190A.
The variable speed controllers pre-establish the percentage of air exchange during the bake phase thus enabling the exhaust fans to work at a reduced rate . The system also automatically adjusts pressure in the booth to compensate for temporarily clogged exhaust filters and continually monitors the exhaust unit efficiency, signaling when the filters need to be changed.
Direct fired burner
USI Chronotech's Direct Fired Burner offers several advantages as compared to heat exchanger systems: Desired set temperature and metal temperature are quickly reached. The set temperature is more stable because there are no heat inertia problems that are common with conventional combustion chamber systems.
There is no need for a burner stack and environmental pollution is reduced. Water vapor condensation and its incumbent related problems are eliminated. And, since there is no combustion chamber, the need to service and clean the chamber is eliminated.
It all adds up to a spray booth that's less costly to run while producing greater throughput, says USI Italia. For further information on this or other equipment from this company, see the website at www.usiofnorthamerica.com.
