Used to apply a variety of coatings and finishes, airless sprayers work by forcing paint through a small tip to atomize the paint and create a flat fan of the sprayed material. The main parts of an airless sprayer include the sprayer gun assembly, the spray tip, the material container, the pump, motor and pump assembly and the hose.
Sprayer Gun Assembly
The sprayer gun assembly controls the flow of the spray material with a valve or a flow control knob. The assembly resembles a handgun with a handle and a trigger. Pulling the trigger opens a valve and the paint flows through the spray tip onto the surface to be painted.
Spray Tip
The spray tip of an airless sprayer helps to control the spray. There are two types of spray tips, the flat tips and reversible tips. Flat tips come in many sizes and are cheap but require a special housing and cannot be reversed. Reversible tips when clogged can be turned 180 degrees. Then, with a simple trigger pull, the clog can be cleared. Small tips will enable the pump to work less and provide better control. However, larger tips are good for varnish, oil-based enamels, acrylic and latex paints.
Material Container
The material container holds the liquid that needs to be sprayed. Attached to the top of the material container is a suction tube with a filter. The suction tube placed into the paint is attached to the pump head to draw up the paint. The filter catches any large particle contaminants in the spray material
Pump Assembly
The pump encased in pump housing is one of two types of pumps used in airless sprayers. A piston pump with pistons, packing and check valves creates a vacuum to pull up the paint into the chamber and then pushes it into a high-pressure hose. A diaphragm pump, however, uses pistons to move a diaphragm which pulls up the paint and pushes it out of the hose. Check valves in both designs direct the flow of the spray material from the chamber to the hose and prevents the spray material from back pumping.
Motor
All airless sprayers will have motors to run the pump. The motors can be either gas or electric. Gas engine motors are better for portability.
Hose
Larger airless sprayers with motors will have high-pressure hoses and special connectors. Hoses are available in 50-foot lengths and are extendable with adapters. Smaller hand-held sprayers may not have hoses.
