Graco announces Reactor® product improvements

Graco recently made some product enhancements to the Fluid Temperature Sensor, and to the immersion heaters used on all Electric and Hydraulic Reactor fluid heaters. Improvements to both products involve using fewer parts and simplifying the design in order to reduce possible issues and leak points.

Fluid Temperature Sensor (FTS)

Graco eliminated additional fittings that were necessary to install the FTS in-line with Reactor heated hoses. Now, the metal bodies of both the molded FTS and the FTS spacer are machined with the proper thread connections. One side of the FTS is machined with a female JIC thread and the other side with male JIC threads. No changes were made to the thread type or to the hose fittings. The changes to the FTS are retro-fittable to all hoses in the field. The easiest way to install the new FTS is to attach the male hose end to the FTS first, then install the female hose end to the FTS.

Graco has also changed the molding process used on the FTS. The new FTS has a cleaner, more aesthetically finished look, including the Graco logo molded into the part.

Immersion Heaters

The immersion heaters used on all Reactor fluid heaters have been changed from a two-piece design to a one-piece design. The old design required a fitting reducer nut, which included an o-ring, to be used with each immersion heater.

The new design eliminates the need for a fitting reducer nut by incorporating the reducer nut as part of the immersion heater saving time and money on maintenance. No changes were made to the thread type used on the fluid heater block. This change is retro-fittable to all fluid heaters in the field.

To install the new immersion heater into a fluid heater block currently using the old style immersion heaters, the fitting reducer nut must be removed from the fluid heater block before installing the new immersion heater.

A summary of old and new immersion heater parts numbers is as follows:

• 15B138 is superseded with 16A110 and o-ring 124132
  
• 15B139 is superseded with 16A111 and o-ring 124132
  
• 15B140 is superseded with 16A112 and o-ring 124132
  

Please contact your local Graco Area Manager for more information.

What am I forgetting?

By Barry Taft, Graco Technical Assistance

How to prepare your spray foam equipment for long-term storage

Ever walk away and wonder, “I know I’m forgetting something?” This article will tell you what to consider at the end of the season before walking away.

If you are leaving your foam or coating equipment idle for more than three or four weeks, it is important to flush the reactive material out of the machine and purge it with a quality storage fluid. Every spring the Technical Assistance group gets many calls on how to clear a solidified ISO in the hose, gun, or proportioner equipment. Replacing the hose line because of improper flushing and storage is an expensive undertaking in both hose replacement cost and labor when you are trying to get up and running the following season.

To properly flush your equipment, you must contact your chemical supplier to select the proper urethane grade solvent that will not react with their formulation. Typically it will be a Glycol Ether based solvent, completely moisture-free. Believe it or not, Graco gets several calls each year related to proper flushing fluid – wondering if they can use some concoction their friend or brother-in-law said will work great for this purpose from MEK to transmission fluid to Mr. Bubble and water. While all these chemicals will not affect the equipment-wetted parts, they will react to isocyanate used in most foam and coating material formulations. What ever you use, you must be sure to properly dispose of chemicals in accordance with local jurisdiction requirements and to follow proper safety precautions while flushing.

When flushing your equipment, you should pull all filters and screens and place your feed pumps into the flush solvent. Next, cycle the proportioner pumps to agitate the material through the system until the solvent runs clear. Be sure to properly mark our waste container to not mix the “A” with “B” material, as they will still react at a diluted state. Wash all screens separately and re-install after flushing. After the system has run clear and you are sure of adequate flushing, chase the flush material out with a storage fluid. Common storage fluid is again completely moisture-free and typically a plasticizer that will not gel or react with any trace chemical left in the system. Graco TSL “Throat Seal Liquid”, DOP (Dioctyl Phthalate) or other commercially available plasticizers are commonly used. The key here is that it’s completely moisture-free.

After filling the pump with storage fluid, it would be a good time to stall the proportioner at 1000 psi (7 MPa) (69 bar) fluid pressure and examine the entire system for any packing leakage or loose fittings that should be addressed. It’s also a good time to correct any situations that may have arrived when you were just too busy working.

You may wish to consider general maintenance items such as replacing hydraulic oil and filter if required, and cleaning and replenishing the ISO pump lubrication system. Check to see if the drive belt is in good condition, check for any loose electrical connections, inspect the motor brush as well as the feed pump and supply line strainers. Do a general inspection of the heated line – checking the electrical and fluid temperature sensor connections, and making sure there’s no ripped insulation. You should also properly service the spray gun and feed pump, and any auxiliary equipment.

End of season maintenance is crucial before you walk away at the end off the spray season, or before the next job comes along. Remember, a little effort now will save time, money, and frustration later.

Be up-to-date on the latest manual revisions

If you were always wondering where to find manual updates, but didn’t know where to look, then wonder no more! A regular article will appear in this Foam E-Newsletter featuring a list of the most recent manual changes. Here is a link to all coatings and foam manual updates from January to August, 2010.

Click here for a comprehensive list.

Graco in the media

Graco equipment has been mentioned recently in SprayFoam magazine’s website,www.sprayfoam-mag.com and also in their printed publication. Click on the links below to read the articles.

SPF Professionals Insulate Santa Monica’s Striving First Net-Zero, LEED Platinum Home


Old Walls Stand Up to Harsh, Wet Winds


George Washington Slept Here


Cold Storage Know How


It looks like snow

Graco holds HPCF Top 20 Distributor Conference

The HPCF Top 20 Distributor Conference was held in Minneapolis the week of Aug. 23, 2010. The conference was kicked off with a welcome reception followed by two days of meetings and a boat cruise on the Mississippi River. The Top 20 Distributor conference provided an avenue for attendees to share information, network and provide their perspective on market needs.

In a post-conference survey, 75 percent of distributors said the conference exceeded their expectations. “Never have I witnessed a group stay so focused on a objective. The HPCF team wanted to create a win-win environment for our distributors. After months of hard work by Channel Marketing, Product Marketing, Communications and Sales, the goal of strengthening our long-term relationships with key distribution is complete,” says John Tate, HPCF North American Sales Manager.

New Graco Area Manager

Graco is excited to introduce Joe Hearon as the new Graco Area Manager for High Performance Coatings & Foam (HPCF) for theU.S. Southeast territory, covering most of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

Joe has worked at Graco for seven years, and prior worked for Gusmer. Joe’s talents for training and working closely with key distributors will only add to his future success as a HPCF Area Manager.

Joe and his wife reside in Florida.

Upcoming events – UTECH North America 2010

Stop by the Graco Booth (#610) at UTECH, October 11-13, 2010 at The George R. Brown Convention Center, in Houston, Texas.

For more information, check out the UTECH website: www.utechnorthamerica.nl/

Click here to see the UTECH floorplan (PDF, 2.3 MB)

Looking forward to seeing you there!