Engineered for extreme industrial corrosion protection, our pneumatic airless spray pumps deliver the raw power needed to spray today’s heaviest high-solids coatings. Powered entirely by compressed air, these heavy-duty rigs multiply fluid pressure effortlessly, ensuring a smooth, continuous flow even through exceptionally long hose runs.
Storm Machinery’s range of pneumatic pumps are the definitive choice for rugged environments like shipyards, structural steel fabricators, and heavy-duty spray booths across South Africa.
OUR AIRLESS SPRAY EQUIPMENT
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Technical Guide for Pneumatic Spray Pumps
Pneumatic airless spray pumps are the undisputed industry standard for high-output, industrial-grade coating applications. Unlike electric units that rely on mechanical drivetrains, pneumatic systems utilize compressed air to drive a reciprocating fluid piston, offering unparalleled power density and intrinsic safety in hazardous environments.
Understanding the mechanics, pressure ratios, and displacement volumes of these pumps is critical to matching the correct unit to your coating’s viscosity and your job site’s production demands
How Pneumatic Airless Pumps Work
At the core of a pneumatic airless pump is a simple, highly efficient thermodynamic and mechanical process: Force Multiplication.
- The Air Motor: High-pressure compressed air enters the air motor through a directional spool valve. This valve rapidly cycles, directing air alternately above and below a large-diameter air piston, forcing it to move vertically up and down.
- The Connecting Rod: The air piston is directly coupled via a connecting rod to a smaller-diameter fluid displacement piston located in the lower fluid section.
- Fluid Displacement (The Lower Section): As the fluid piston moves up (the intake stroke), it creates a vacuum that draws coating material past a lower check-valve (foot valve ball). On the downstroke, the lower check-valve closes, and the upper check-valve opens, forcing the trapped fluid out of the pump section at extreme pressure into the fluid hose.
Atomization: Because no air is mixed with the paint (hence “airless”), atomization occurs purely through mechanical sheer force when the high-pressure fluid is forced through the minute orifice of the spray tip
Understanding Pump Ratios
When evaluating industrial pneumatic pumps, you will always see them designated by a ratio, such as 47:1, 63:1, or 95:1 (found in our SX Series). This ratio is the fundamental mechanical advantage profile of the pump.
The Pump Ratio Formula:
Pump Ratio=Surface Area of the Fluid Piston Surface / Area of the Air Motor Piston
Because the surface area of the air motor piston is vastly larger than the surface area of the fluid piston, the input air pressure is multiplied by that exact ratio.
- Example (63:1 Pump): If you supply the air motor with 6 bar (approx.87 psi) of compressed air, the fluid section will multiply that pressure sixty times, delivering an output fluid pressure of 378 bar (approx.5,482 psi) to the spray gun.
Typical coatings
Pneumatic spray units are designed to handle high-solids epoxies & linings: They seamlessly handle high-build protective coatings such as Jotun (Jotamastic series), Sigma / PPG (SigmaCover), and local heavy-duty industrial formulations from Specialized Coating Systems (Speccoats) or Plascon Automotive & Industrial.
Disclaimer: Always verify the required tip size and minimum fluid pressure against the paint manufacturer’s Product Data Sheet (PDS). If you are unsure on your pump ratio, chat with our technical team for a precise breakdown. All third-party product names referenced on this page are the property of their respective trademark holders. Reference to these commercial coatings is for informational and machine-compatibility purposes only and does not imply official endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation between Storm Machinery and the respective paint manufacturer.
Disclaimer: Always verify the required tip size and minimum fluid pressure against the paint manufacturer’s Product Data Sheet (PDS). If you are unsure on your pump ratio, chat with our technical team for a precise breakdown. All third-party product names referenced on this page are the property of their respective trademark holders. Reference to these commercial coatings is for informational and machine-compatibility purposes only and does not imply official endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation between Storm Machinery and the respective paint manufacturer.