Spraying Systems Co. (www.spray.com) published a new white paper that examines the causes, ramifications and remedies for clogging in cooling, cleaning, coating and other spray applications. The paper, Change the Way You Spray to Minimize Clogging, reviews the most common reasons spray nozzles clog and the cost of such incidents. The expenses associated with product and process quality problems, reduced production time and excessive maintenance time are also examined, and an example is provided to help readers calculate the cost of clogging in their own applications.
The main focus of the white paper is on how to minimize clogging. Many solutions are presented ranging from simple to sophisticated. The use of strainers, often an easy way to minimize clogging, is discussed, and several different types of strainers are reviewed. Also addressed are nozzles with unobstructed flow passages, self-cleaning nozzles and nozzles with specially designed spray tips to reduce clogging and bearding.
For spray applications using viscous liquids or requiring a high level of precision, the paper details more advanced ways to minimize clogging including heated spray nozzles and systems, automated spray systems that use pulse width modulated flow control and spray controllers and acoustic monitoring systems that detect nozzle clogging.
The paper is available for download at www.spray.com/noclogging.
