HVLP Turbines for Automotive Painting Guide
HVLP Turbines provide portability and eliminate the need for a separate air compressor. While they are popular and common for wood finishing and interior house painting of small projects, we are often asked if an HVLP turbine can be used to apply automotive paints. The short answer is that you can use a HVLP turbine with automotive paints. To ensure good outcomes it is important to consider the specifics of the turbine you choose to ensure ideal outcomes.
HVLP Turbines Advantages and Disadvantages
Before we provide certain models as recommendations, first will go over why choose an HVLP Turbine over a traditional compressed air spray gun. The biggest reason to use a turbine HVLP over a compressed air HVLP is that a turbine HVLP doesn’t require a large compressor to operate, only the small turbine box that it comes with. Generally it will be more affordable to buy a HVLP turbine then it will be to by a compressor with enough CFM output and a quality compressed air HVLP Spray Gun. The biggest downside to a HVLP turbine compared to a compressed air HVLP spray gun is that a turbine will usually have more limits on air pressure control (depending on the model you choose). Additionally, turbines can generate heat as they create the air needed for spraying which can introduce another thing to deal with when spraying. However, if you choose a turbine that is designed to reduce heat or take occasional breaks while spraying then using a HVLP Turbine will be no problem. A final limitation that can occur is that a compressed air HVLP spray gun can usually atomize a bit better than a HVLP turbine.
Choosing the Ideal HVLP Turbine for Automotive Painting Factors to consider
So you have read through the pros and cons of using a HVLP turbine vs compressed air HVLP spray gun and have decided a HVLP Turbine will be best. Important factors to consider about the specific HVLP turbine to choose. First is the number of turbine stages that will be best. Second will be the tip and air cap options available and finally is the air filter stages that the turbine has. Will go over each of these in depth.
HVLP Turbine Stages for Automotive Painting
The number of stages a HVLP turbine changes the amount of air pressure that the Turbine can produce. With more turbine stages comes a higher psi at the spray gun tip which translates into better atomization. Additionally, increased turbine stages help increase the paint pattern size while spraying. You can check out our video on 3 vs 4 vs 5 stage HVLP turbines to see the difference here. For automotive painting a 5 stage HVLP turbine will be ideal as it will provide the greatest pressure and largest pattern, which with automotive painting is important so that the paint can be broken up very fine with a good pattern. You may be able to use a 4 stage HVLP but it will be a bit harder to get a Class A finish with a 4 Stage HVLP turbine.
Tip Size and Gun Type for HVLP Turbines for Automotive Painting
Gravity spray guns provide greater control compared to a siphon spray gun and so a gravity feed spray gun is what will be best for automotive painting with an HVLP turbine. For automotive paint we usually recommend a 1.2 or 1.3 mm tip for clearcoats while for base coats a 1.5 or 1.8 will be most appropriate.
Turbine Filters and Features to Consider
Turbines draw air into them through a filter. Having the air that the turbine uses free of any debris is important to ensure you don’t get dust or other contaminant in your finish. In general the higher number of filter stages for the intake air the better as this will prevent dust or contaminant from getting in the spray gun’s air .
Our Favorite HVLP Turbines for Automotive Painting
Now that you know the various details to consider when choosing an automotive HVLP turbine, below you will find our favorite recommendations along with why we think they are some of the best Automotive HVLP turbine choices available.
Apollo Power 5 Plus Turbine with the A7700 Gravity Fed Spray Gun
Apollo offers 4 tips in this Turbine kit along with two air caps. The two air caps are designed for high solids and low solids coatings. The multiple tips that are included giving a full 5 stage of power allows easy atomization of any automotive finish. Additionally the unit has 4 filters to clean air thoroughly. The Power 5 also has a pressure dial to allow you to turn down the pressure.
Apollo Precision 5 Plus
The Apollo Precision 5 is similar to the Power 5 in that it contains the multiple tip and air cap set that the Power 5 plus does. The Precision 5 also has 4 filters for intake air cleaning and a full 5 stage turbine power. The Precision 5 features two additional features that the Power 5 doesn’t. First, the Precision 5 has an auto off on the turbine that idles the turbine down when not spraying to prevent excessive heat builduip. Additionally it has a visual gauge and a pressure control that allows you to see the actual PSI your spraying at, which can help you reduce overspray.
Graco 9.5 Pro Contractor 5 Stage HVLP Turbine
The Graco 9.5 HVLP turbine includes 3 tips giving it flexibility for a variety of automotive finishes. It doesn’t have the variety of air caps that the Apollo does making it a bit less customizable. The Edge II gun that the 9.5 comes with features a disposable bag system which allows for inverted spray and fast cleanup of your project. The 9.5 also has a pressure dial and auto off feature, but it doesn’t have a display that shows the actual psi being generated. The air intake filters are premium but only dual stage filters.
Fuji Mini Mite 5 with T75 Gravity Fed Spray Gun
The Fuji Mini Mite series is an affordable way to get 5 stage HVLP performance at a budget friendly price. While the Mini Mite doesn’t include additional tips or a pressure dial, it does provide a full 9.5 psi output which makes it a great way to get the power you need for automotive finishing. The dual filters provide adequate air filtration for automotive finishing. The T75 comes with a 1.4 tip so add in a 1.8 tip to round out your kit and you can be ready to go for automotive spraying.
Final Thoughts
HVLP turbines provide portability and performance. They can be a great option to complete automotive painting projects when you don’t have a large enough compressor to consider other options like a compressed air HVLP spray gun. By considering the turbine stages, the number of filters, and tip sizes on the spray gun, you can ensure a great finish with a HVLP turbine.