The overall quality of your paint booth finishes is partly dependent on your paint mixing room. Poor quality paint jobs are mostly attributable to contamination and even poor maintenance practices. In the particular context of contamination in mixing rooms, there are a number of factors that usually come into play. This may include airflow contamination and paint contamination. Both of which have been comprehensively proven to be detrimental not only to your paint shop’s operations, but your paint operators’ overall health and safety. In the latter consideration, even when your paint mixing room is well ventilated, your team will still be exposed to toxic chemicals due to the room’s closed and confined design.
The usual activities carried out in a mixing room including opening and shutting paint containers, mixing paint, or even operating recycling systems always release toxic chemicals into the air. So prolonged exposure to this toxic air will wreak havoc on your paint operators’ health and even productivity attributable to constant sick days. In terms of both cleanliness and safety, it is always wise to treat your paint mixing room in the same way you do to your spray booth unit. Here then are a few tips on how you can adequately maintain your mixing room to ensure you avoid the negative effects to your facility’s finishes and your team’s health and wellbeing.
Install an appropriate ventilation system in your paint mixing room
Generally speaking, the most suitable ventilation setup for a paint mixing room should integrate both local along with general ventilation. This goes a long way in enabling the system not only expel contaminated air out of the room, but also allows fresh air to be drawn in consistently. Local ventilation systems come complete with exhaust vents, ductwork, and fans.
The first tend to be installed in close proximity to where paint mixing activities are conducted and potential sources of hazard. The ductwork is designed to effectively relay toxic fumes out of the mixing room. Lastly, the fans installed in a paint mixing room are normally positioned downstream of the hood. They set to work drawing air from the workspace and dispelling it out of the room.
Keep your paint mixing room clean and clutter-free at all times
It is important to make sure your paint mixing room is always free of dirt, dust, paint spills, and even general clutter. When you permit dirt to build up in your mixing room, it will eventually find its way into the paints you mix. To be in a position of preventing this, you should ensure the room is cleaned thoroughly after every mixing activity carried out in it. This includes getting rid of empty paint containers, which if left to accumulate will result in clutter, and ultimately give rise to tripping hazards happening in the room.
Paint spills ought to be cleaned up instantly in strict accordance with safety requirements. Make sure to keep toners clean by ensuring their spouts are cleaned as soon as they are utilized and then placed on the mixing bank. Scales should as well be kept in a clean and neat condition and well-calibrated. Their pans and paint tables should be cleaned on a regular basis too. Finally, it is always prudent to incorporate a thorough inspection of your paint mixing room at least after every 6 months. When your mixing room is always kept clean and organized, its various equipment will work at peak performance for longer. It will also significantly boost the overall efficiency of your paint operators over time.
Integrate proper waste handling policies
When you integrate effective waste reduction policies in your paint mixing room, you will be doing your part to protect the environment. You will gain substantial cost reductions on the materials you use and waste disposal expenses. First of all, ensure you only mix the amount of paint and coatings that are necessary for each paint job which is carried out in your shop. This will help you reduce materials costs. Also, store leftover primers along with base coats for reuse. Lastly, consider investing in computerized paint mixing systems to make it even more simpler to mix diminutive quantities of paint and keep track of leftovers that you can then reuse.
ZPar International is a leading manufacturer of paint booth accessories including paint mixing rooms and more. We also offer high-quality paint booths like industrial spray booths that incorporate diverse airflow configurations.