Larimer offered us a quickie tutorial outlining the benefits of DAA piping system. “To achieve optimum clean dry air, SATA offers filtration that cleans air down to 0.01 micron particle size, yet offers high CFM capabilities of up to 129.6 CFM. Through Dan-Am Company (SATA’s distributor in North America), we feature DAA smooth walled aluminum piping system with high CFM flow, clean contaminant-free interior pipe walls, with high flow fittings that do not cause restriction of air. It’s easy to install with push on connections, and very versatile. SATA filters and DAA create a clean air system that meets the requirements of today’s shops. By allowing the higher CFM storage capacity and by lowering friction, the compressor can work much less and it’s also an excellent way to conserve energy.”
SATA & DAA products, including the DAA aluminum piping system, are currently featured at the PPG Training Center in North Kansas City, Missouri, and at the Sherwin-Williams Training Center in Burr Ridge, Illinois, Larimer said. “Both facilities have seen a large increase in air flow since using our piping and the end result is that they’re experiencing much cleaner air, both to paint with and breathe. It all contributes to superior paint jobs, waterborne or solvent.”
Marty Dewey is a Training Manager at the Sherwin-Williams Auto-motive Training Center. With 27 years working in various capacities with the paint manufacturer, he knows compressed air. “Now, with the country moving to waterborne, techs say they need clean air more than ever, but the fact is, whether you’re using waterborne or solvent, dry clean air has always been one of the determining factors,” Dewey said. “Anything that will make waterborne work better will also make solvent work better, so it doesn’t matter where you’re located or what you’re using—the need for dry, clean air is universal. The body shops that have been most successful can cite clean air as one of the reasons for that success.” Dewey has seen a significant difference since incorporating DAA’s newest piping earlier this year.
“Dan-Am Company and SATA have given us some great support providing up-to-date spray equipment and DAA piping, so we can use it in our training sessions. They feature all of the current technology, which is important, because we don’t want to train people on products that are 5–6 years old. Dan-Am Air’s newest aluminum piping systems are affordable and easy to install.
“Their aluminum piping is guaranteed for 100 years,” Dewey explained. “Our old piping was 14 years old and we were starting to see corrosion and rust coming through the lines. We had to change filters all the time to battle it. Once we put in all the SATA filters and Dan-Am Air piping those problems disappeared and now our compressor runs 90% less. We didn’t know that the old system was leaking air, but it evidently was, so we’re very pleased with the new DAA piping & SATA filtration.”
Kevin Clark is the Director of the Kansas City Business Development Center for PPG Industries and he’s also impressed by the new DAA aluminum piping system currently being used in his facility. “We had Dan-Am Co. put in all of our air lines and SATA filters five months ago when they came out with the new aluminum system. We’re the first PPG training center to go with this piping and after installing it we checked the system. We went from approximately 60 CFM to 75–80 CFM at peak (120 lbs) and we’re still at the same numbers.
“With waterborne, adequate CFM is vital, because of all the blowers and dryers required,” Clark said. “If you’re running two or three blowers at the same time, sufficient clean air is a big deal. Our waterborne classes have doubled since last year. We teach the critical importance of plenty of clean dry air to paint these cars with waterborne. For us, DAA aluminum piping & SATA filtration are a big part of that.”
