The importance of regular nozzle maintenance in spray systems. Keeping on top of flow rates as a means of spotting nozzle wear

Product

Spray nozzles may be a small component of complex processes but their performance is critical to success. Nozzles that are not thoroughly inspected and regularly evaluated for wear or damage can cause operations to fail or lead to thousands of pounds in wasted resources. The cost of lost product resulting from quality control problems, from use of additional chemicals and energy, unscheduled production downtime and extra labour quickly escalates.

Most spray problems are avoidable through a simple nozzle maintenance programme which checks for wear or damage and enables timely replacement.

Flow rate monitoring

Monitoring the flow rate of a nozzle is one means of identifying if it showing signs of wear or damage. As per the table below, a 10% increase in the orifice of a spray nozzle from wear or erosion can result in flow rate increasing by 20%. This soars to 50% if nozzles are worn by 20%.

Evaluating nozzles by eye alone (or using the tried and test method of a bucket and stopwatch) is inaccurate and time-consuming.

A simple tool for measuring flow rate

The SC-2 is a small portable and easy to use nozzle spray calibrator, useful for installation and setup as well as maintenance checks for other similar nozzles in a production line.

About the Spray Calibrator

The SpotOn® Sprayer Calibrator SC-2 delivers quick and precise flow rate measurement for individual spray nozzles. It can accurately check flow rates between 0.08 and 8.52 litres per minute, ensuring even spray distribution and reducing spray media wastage.

Design Features

o Fast and simple operation: Readings in about 10 seconds per tip
o No manual calculations or app download required: automatically calculates and displays tip flow rate in litres per minute and 
tip wear in %
o Quickly identifies spray nozzle tips: Industry guidelines recommend tip replacement once flow rate exceeds that of the new tip by 10%
o Accurately measures true tip flow rate: nozzles can only be properly calibrated and confirmed with this knowledge

Key Benefits

o Prevent wastage – Identify nozzle tip wear early and optimise spray efficiency
o Improve end product quality – Ensure even spray distribution for better application accuracy
o Quick & Easy to Use – Single-handed operation for hassle-free calibration
o Fast & Accurate – Measures flow rates in seconds, from 0.08 to 8.52 L/min
o Compact & Portable – Lightweight design for easy storage and transport

To find out more, click here.

To learn more about how to maintain spray nozzles, download the guide here.