FAQs

Yes, all the ECO systems will spray Plasti Dip. Generally, most manufactures will thin the coating to a viscosity that will spray though a 3-stage turbine without any problems. Our ECO-3 should do the job nicely. I would recommend using a finer nozzle rather than larger as you will end up with finer results. The E7000 spray gun comes with a 1.3mm, that should a nice job, the next size up is 1.8mm. If you use the E7500GT spray gun, then you could use a 1.5mm, but I think the 1.3mm will do a nice job for you. For traditional automotive paints you will definitely need a more powerful turbine. The problem you will encounter with the ECO systems is that they are fixed pressure, so if you buy a 3 stage that will work great with the dip paints, but not so well with clear coats. On the other hand if you buy a 5 stage, it will work nicely with the clear coats, but give you excess overspray with the dip paints. This is where our TurboPro systems are nice as they are completely adjustable and designed to spray the clear coats with normal thinning. The TP2000 has all the needle, nozzle and air cap combinations necessary to spray anything from Plastic Dip, Base Coats, Candies, and all Clears, just as the manufacture recommends them to be thinned. With variable speed control and a digital pressure display you have all the power at your fingertips to be able to achieve the perfect finish with any coating every time. You can see more of the TurboPro systems on our website at www.TurboProHVLP.com

We would recommend the B-HS air cap for plastic dip. Normally the standard B Cap is shipped with the spray gun, but depending on the dealer you purchase from you may be able to get it switched out so you don’t have to purchase an additional cap. Yes, our E7500 spray gun can connect to a standard air compressor and be used to spray auto finishes. You will simply need a quick connect to thread into the turbine handle coupler and you will be set for compressed air. May we suggest that you look at the TurboPro models if you want to be able to spray auto paint in addition to the plastic dip. Not only will you get better results with the plastic dip with out TP2000, but you will also be able to use that system to spray just about any base and clear coat without the need for dirty compressed air. You can use your turbo system to achieve much better transfer efficiency than with a compressor.

Yes,the ECO-5 can spray dip, base and most clears. The ECO models just don’t have a way to reduce the pressure for the dip as you won’t need all the power for the base or dip materials, only the clear. The TurboPro 2000 is a variable speed system with digital pressure display that will enable you to be able to control the air pressure within 0.10 PSI. This model also has a Throttle back control which enables higher pressures than the ECO systems. The main difference in the ECO models is the size of the case, filtration, the power of the overall system and warranty. The TurboPro systems have been specifically designed for body shop use and are capable of spraying the auto materials much better than the ECO or any other standard turbine system. There is really nothing on the market as powerful or accurate as the TP2000. The TP2000 comes with a 2 year + 1-year warranty if you register your warranty within 30 days of purchase. The ECO comes with our standard 2 year warranty.

We have not tested the Dip coatings with the ECO series yet, but it has plenty of power to do it, so should be a problem. The 1.5mm will also work, but you may want to try a 1.3mm or 1.0mm to see if you get better looking result. My feeling is you will like the coatings sprayed at a finer atomization. You could purchase the OS control for the 7500 spray gun and that would help in reducing overspray with the more powerful motor. The main differences in the TurboPro and the ECO is the power of the motor and filtration. The TurboPro is made for business usinging it everyday, where as the ECO systems are designed for more occasional use. Yes, for what you are doing we would recommend the TurboPro of the ECO, but understand that the cost is much different. For an entry level system you will get fine results with the ECO. It will be much better than the cheap plastic units that are generally sold for spraying the dip coatings and will spray your base and clears as well.

You do not need any other fittings, other than the compressed air coupler that you want to use for your compressor. The E7500GTO spray gun that comes with the ECO-3 is a gravity only gun that already has a female 1/4″ thread up the inside of the turbine handle coupler. This will allow you to attached the male quick connect of your choice without the need to purchase any additional parts from us. We do not sell the compressed air connector, you will need to purchase that locally for the style of air quick connects you have on your compressor. The connect should just screw into the end of our turbine connector.

You will only need about 20PSI, but the gun requires about 11CFM to work well. You will need at 2-stage 5 HP compressor with a 60 gallon tank if you want to be able to spray a car with it. Otherwise you will be constantly waiting for your air pressure to come back up.

The TP show time will only spray base and adhesion promoter. They say it will spray clears, but you will have to reduce them way beyond what the manufactures recommend. The same is somewhat true of the ECO-3. While you do have way more power than the TP Showtime you will still not have enough to spray most clears without additional reduction. If you want to be able to spray the materials without any changes to thinning then you will need to look at our TurboPro 2000 as this is the only system on the market that will spray clears the same as a compressed air spray gun. Any other system out there will only reduce the results or orange peel.

The primers and base coats are usually not a problem as they are thin to begin with. Some base coats like R-M will not spray very well at all with any Turbo spray system. Most will work very nicely. Single stage paints should not be a problem either as you can thin them a little more.

Those should work well, I know the PPG envirobase will spray without any problems. I’ve not had any problems with the PPG materials in general.

Yes, that is correct, you will be able to spray these coatings with your ECO-3 and then use your compressor with the E7500GTO spray gun to spray your clears.

Apollo TrueHVLP™ spray guns offer transfer efficiency rates which EXCEED all known Government codes, including California SCAQMD 1136. Please ask us to send you a copy of our independent laboratory tests.

Years of thorough testing, input from professional finishers and computer aided design (CAD) have delivered Maxi-Mizer™ TrueHVLP™, a spray gun that is perfect in weight, balance, style, size and performance. These guns fit snugly into your hand with smooth trigger action. Apollo TrueHVLP™ spray guns are widely used in all industries from automotive to woodworking, by amateur and professional finishers alike. Customer satisfaction is the measure of success with Apollo TrueHVLP™ spray guns. Superb design and manufactured from the best quality materials, Apollo TrueHVLP™ Air Conversion Spray Guns consistently out perform other HVLP spray guns. In studies and tests, Apollo comes out on top. We fully guarantee our spray guns for two years.

HVLP Air Conversion spray gun designs vary widely. Many HVLP guns are actually modified conventional spray guns. Most HVLP conversion spray guns consume large amounts of air and can require a large (5 horse power or larger) dedicated compressor to provide enough air to run them. The Apollo A5100 series air conversion spray guns are designed much like a turbine spray gun, not a conventional spray gun. All air ports and passageways throughout the gun are 1/2 inch or larger. The unique design of the A5100 series spray guns (patent #5279461 and #5429307) require less air pressure and cfm (7 cfm @ 45 psi) than other HVLP air conversion spray guns, thus enabling them to run off a small 3 hp air compressor or larger. Apollo 8000 series spray guns are designed like a conventional spray gun with all the benefits of Apollo TrueHVLP™, but using your compressor. Best of all, the performance and results are equal to any HVLP turbine system. In fact, the 5100 series gun will instantly convert to run off any make turbine system as well. The A5100 series and 8000 series spray guns will spray any sprayable material from stains to latex house paint, contact adhesive, Multi-Spec, Zolatone, and all automotive, aircraft and marine finishes, but only the 5100 can convert back to your turbine. The 8000 series guns are only made for use with your compressor.

With the 5100 series spray gun, an internal, spherical air expansion chamber together with an “air-miser” valve enables compressed air to be converted, within the spray gun, to TRUE high volume air. Apollo TrueHVLP™ conversion spray guns perform identically to an HVLP turbine spray gun, plus they reduce air consumption by 50% . This patented feature enables the Apollo TrueHVLP™ spray gun to run off a 3 HP or larger air compressor. Spray control, atomization and speed are identical to the finest conventional spray guns; PLUS you have all the benefits of TrueHVLP™. With the 8000 series spray gun, unique design provides you have the option of gravity feed, standard cup or production along with Apollo TrueHVLP™ efficiency. Spray control, atomization and speed are identical to the finest conventional spray guns; PLUS you have all the benefits of TrueHVLP™.

The Apollo TrueHVLP™ 5100 series and 8000 series conversion spray guns are very simple to operate and easy to maintain. They have full spray pattern control which can be adjusted from an 1/8″ line to a 15″ fan depending on your choice of spray gun. Alternative size tips,needles and air caps are available for specialized coatings. The air pressure used at the handle can be varied from 20 psi to 80 psi (producing 2 psi – 10 psi at the air cap). This means you can spray virtually all sprayable coatings, including waterborne, latex and adhesives.

TrueHVLP™ refers to any HVLP spray gun that will provide sealed air pressure under 10 psi and follows the design principals of air turbine spray guns, i.e. large air passage ways. Other HVLP spray guns that measure dynamic pressure (flow pressure) 10 psi or less are usually modified conventional high pressure spray guns. There is no question that in most instances, TrueHVLP™ Spray Guns would offer maximum efficiency and the lowest air consumption. TrueHVLP™ Spray Guns will operate off of a standard air compressor or any turbine with equal performance. Apollo TrueHVLP™ Conversion Spray Guns work off compressed air or any make of air turbine system. As long as your compressor is able to produce 7CFM @ 45PSI, constantly, you will have no problems spraying most materials.

There are three parts to a “turbine system”; 1. The turbine or motor which drives your air supply 2. The air hose which carries the air 3. The spray gun There are a number of factors to consider when trying to compare different brands and models. These factors are: The size and power of the turbine; The quality of the motor; The case housing design. The size and power of the turbine motor is directly related to the type of materials that you are able to spray. The smaller the motor the less power it has and thus it will have the power to only spray thin bodied materials, or materials that can be thinned down at least 30% with no problems. The more powerful the motor the wider variety of coatings you are able to spray. Apollo has a wide variety and sizes of turbines to choose from. The quality of the turbine motor used is very important. You can always be assured that at Apollo Sprayers we use only the best quality, all aluminum, ball-bearing motors, manufactured in the USA by Ametek-Lamb. Case housing design is extremely important. Smaller cases are not designed for achieving maximum turbine motor life. A small case does not provide sufficient air circulation. This will cause the turbine motor to run hot. Heat eventually leads to premature bearing failure. All Apollo turbine sprayers are manufactured with at least two independent air filters and louvered vents on two sides. All units carefully designed to the exact specifications required by the turbine manufacturer to provide maximum life expectancy. Air hoses used with HVLP turbine systems are either 5/8 inch or 3/4 inch in diameter. Most turbine systems use air hoses that are 3/4 inch in diameter. These hoses tend to be bulky and heavy. They can cause operator fatigue and they lack flexibility. Apollo’s standard size hose is a comfortable 5/8 inch and comes with a 4 foot flex whip on the spray gun end. This smaller diameter hose with the flex whip greatly helps to relieve wrist fatigue associated with long spray jobs. It also allows the operator to turn the gun in virtually any position with ease. Hose length can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Be careful not to get too long or too short an air hose for the size turbine you buy. Apollo custom matches each turbine size with the correct size air hose. Apollo air hoses have an internal spiral helix to maintain shape and full air flow. The third and probably most important part of the “turbine system” is the spray gun. How your spray gun is constructed and the tolerances used are critical in achieving high performance and having easy, trouble-free maintenance. Apollo HVLP spray guns are pressure die cast in high grade aluminum, then machined to aircraft tolerances. Spray guns with “O” rings and plastic parts will increase the service and maintenance required. Apollo spray guns have no “O” rings or plastic parts, very few gaskets, making cleanup quick, easy and thus reducing maintenance. With the demands of modern solvents and waterborne coatings, stainless steel wetted/fluid parts are critical. Aluminum, alloys and other metals will cause serious corrosion and contamination to your spray gun and coatings. Apollo spray guns are constructed using only marine grade stainless steel for all wetted/fluid parts, including the spring and plate in the air cap assembly, the trigger and all screws. A5000 series and A5100 series There are two types of turbine spray guns, bleeder and non-bleeder type spray guns. Bleeder spray guns allow the air to continually flow through the gun as long as the turbine is running. Non-bleeder type spray guns have an internal valve, which shuts off the air flow when the trigger is released. Some HVLP turbine systems offer a bleeder type spray gun (Apollo 5000 series), Others are supplied with non-bleeder spray guns. (Apollo 7500 series). It is important when a non-bleeder type spray gun is supplied with a turbine spray system that an air relief valve be installed internally or externally. This is important so that no back pressure to the motor is created which can cause heat build-up or motor seizure. (Apollo xx25 series turbines are all fitted with an appropriate air relief valve. Apollo also offers an external air relief valve so that The Atomizer 7500 series spray guns can be used with any turbine system, old or new). The obvious question asked; is one better than the other? Both offer excellent performance. Bleeder style spray guns are slightly simpler in design while non-bleeder spray guns can have a few additional components. The choice is up to the finisher. Most people who have used bleeder style spray guns will tell you that they perform beautifully and are easy to operate, clean and maintain. At the same time, many finishers who have sprayed with conventional type spray guns are more comfortable with a non-bleeder style spray gun. Apollo’s 7500 series non-bleeder spray gun has received two awards as best new HVLP spray gun in 2007. (Sequoia – AWFS, August 2007 and Popular Wood Magazine, December 2007).