Introduction to Paint Booth Types: Cross-Flow Paint Booths
In this series, we’ll look at some of the most common types of paint spray booths and their functions and benefits. This month’s spotlight is on the Cross-Flow Paint Booths.
What is a cross-flow paint booth?
Also known as a cross-draft paint booth, the airflow inside the booth is horizontal from front to rear. Cross-flow booths come in a variety of sizes and designs, from small models that are about 10’ by 14’, to large truck-sized booths that are approximately 20′ wide and as long as you want.
How does a cross-flow paint booth operate?
In most cross-flow booths, the entry doors are equipped with filters to remove dirt and other contaminants from the air. This helps protect the quality of the finish.
The air enters the booths through filtered front doors and moves horizontally over the item being painted and out through the exhaust plenum in the rear of the booth.
Benefits of a cross-flow paint booth
Cross-flow booths are extremely popular because they offer several unique advantages:
- Affordability
- Easy installation
- Simple design that works on any flat floor
- Easy maintenance/repairs
- Minimal training to operate
- Versatile applications
It’s an economical alternative in shops that are extremely clean. Since the air moves into the booth from the front doors, if the shop isn’t clean, it will deposit dust and debris on the finish. The filters on the door catch a lot of the contaminants, but if the shop is dirty, the filters will need to be a higher quality and changed often. As such, it’s important to minimize contaminants in the air as much as possible, which can be difficult in high-volume shops.
Considerations of a cross-flow paint booth
A consideration when thinking about a cross-flow booth is if there is a need to heat the booth. Unlike a lot of its counterparts, the cross flow can’t be heated with our Sure-Cure AMU. The intake air entering through filtered doors makes it difficult. In other styles, the air is heated before entering the plenum. The cross-flow doesn’t have an intake plenum, making it ideal for shorter spaces, but impossible to control the heat through an AMU. These booths can be used with heat lamps as a less effective curing option.
Another thing to consider is the safety of the booth. While all of our booths meet NFPA 33 requirements for safety, our cross-flow booth is also ETL-certified. This makes it much easier with your local inspector, fire marshal or insurance agent.
Common uses of a cross-flow paint booth
Cross draft paint booths are most common in the automotive industry, but can be used in many different applications:
- Sanding
- Finishing vehicles, especially large trucks
- Automotive repair/refinishing
- Motorcycle refinishing
- Metal fabrication
- Furniture finishing
- Industrial manufacturing of equipment and parts
Cross-flow paint booths are extremely affordable and versatile, making them a popular option for many shops.
Upgrade your shop’s productivity with a cross-flow paint booth
If you’re looking for a paint booth that makes it easy to get a high-quality finish on your products, a cross-flow booth may be the right choice. It’s easy to install, affordable, and a preference of many painters.
A paint spray booth provides a safe environment to spray while significantly improving productivity and the overall quality of the finished product. We offer a wide range of paint booths in several sizes and styles, including ETL-certified models. We can even customize a booth to your exact specifications. To see what style will work for you, call 888-312-7488.
