Industrial spray nozzles help clean, sanitize, lubricate, cool, coat, and spray equipment, machinery, industrial finished goods, and everyday consumer products. Although all industrial spray nozzles serve the same purpose, they’re not all made the same.
In this article, we’ll highlight all of the different types of spray nozzles we offer at DropsA, what they’re used for, and how to select the right type.
DropsA’s Nozzles
Spray Valve
Our standard air-assisted spray valve provides a consistent supply of air-oil or air-grease mixture and activates once the lubricant is injected into the pump. They’re great for preventing excess lubricant that attracts dirt and is commonly used to lubricate belts, rollers, gears, and chains, apply anti-corrosion coatings to metal surfaces, and apply cutting oils and coolants during machining, drilling, and milling processes.
Spray Valve 1132330 Series
These pneumatic spray valves are specifically designed for the rail industry, where lubricating wheel flanges with a thin, evenly dispersed, and consistent coating of grease or oil is of critical importance. This lubrication helps to reduce friction between wheels and flanges while also lubricating the rail while cornering.
Blade Shape Spray Valve
As its name implies, our blade shape spray valves provide a blade-shaped oil or air-oil spray. As with all nozzles, the range of the spray and how much the nozzle lubricates depends on the pump and the pressure that the pump is providing. Blade shape spray valves are ideal when applications need lubricant evenly applied across flat or wide surfaces, such as in conveyor belt systems, or when coating metal blanks before stamping or forming processes.
Cone Shape Spray Valve
Cone shape spray valves provide a consistent spray to a targeted area in a conical pattern. This makes it ideal for applying lubricants to circular components, intricate parts, or specific surface locations. It provides a more targeting coating than blade shape valves.
Band Saw Nozzles
A band saw nozzle is specifically designed to keep your band saws well lubricated during cutting, helping to reduce friction and the temperature of the blade and material being cut. Band saw nozzles have three to five spurt outlets to ensure maximum coverage of your saw blades during operation.
Single-Pipe Nozzle
Single-pipe nozzles are ideal solutions when you want a repeatable amount of lubricant through a flat conical spray. The air-oil nozzle is similar to other industrial nozzles in terms of its ability to deliver a specific amount of spray to a targeted location. They’re commonly used for spot lubrication or deep hole lubrication.
Coaxial Nozzle
These spray nozzles typically come with a flat cone that delivers a precise amount of air-oil mixture. They’re capable of providing a thin and uniform coating of lubricant, so they’re great for applications that don’t require a lot of lubricant. Additionally, because they use air assistance, they help atomize high-viscosity lubricants.
Coaxial Nozzle With Threaded Head & Shape Spray
Threaded coaxial nozzles provide the same benefits as traditional coaxial nozzles but are also designed for quick and easy installation.
Selecting the Right Nozzle
Selecting the proper nozzle begins and ends with your needs and applications:
- Coverage: Define the surface area that needs coverage and the width or circumference the lubricant or liquid must cover. Is the surface area wide? Are you spraying a circular part? Do you need to provide highly targeted lubrication to one single point? Ensure you’re choosing a nozzle that can provide the coverage and pattern you need.
- Fluid Delivery: Determine if you want a spray or a mist and how either will be delivered onto your surface or substrate. For example, mists are typically ideal for parts that only need minimal lubrication. Determining how the liquid will be delivered also helps you understand the spray, stream, or drip pattern you need, whether that’s full cone, blade/fan, or mist.
- Flow Rate: Calculate the GPM that your pump and controller must provide to the nozzles. First, establish how much lubricant you need to apply at each point and then calculate the total area that needs to be lubricated. If you’re not sure what your flow rate should be, contact one of our application specialists at DropsA.
- Lubricant Type: Ensure you’re lubricant type will work with the nozzle you’ve selected. Oils and greases are more viscous than water, so your chosen nozzle must be capable of delivering a consistent supply. The more viscous a liquid is, the slower it will flow. If you’re using a high-viscosity oil or grease lubricant, you’ll want to use an air-assisted spray valve, which can help prevent clogs. You’ll also want to be sure that the nozzle you choose is made for the lubricant you will be using (grease versus oil).
- General Application: Certain spray nozzles, like our 1132330 Series and band saw nozzles, are made for specific equipment and parts. Our 1132330 Series Valve is made for lubricating wheel flanges, while our band saw nozzle is made for lubricating band saws.
Find the Right Industrial Spray Nozzle Today
DropsA has been designing, innovating, and manufacturing spray nozzles and automated lubrication systems since 1946 and has been ISO-9001-certified since 1995. Our entire focus is to provide the highest-quality lubrication solutions for our customers regardless of their market, industry, or requirements.
You can view our complete line of products here. Please contact us today if you have questions about industrial spray nozzles or need help selecting the right type for your application.