Gema Manual Spray Gun Breaks Through Power Barrier

Gema’s OptiFlex Pro manual spray gun uses new technology to give it the industry’s highest charging power at 110,000 V / 110 µA, while complying with safety regulations. When designing the OptiFlex Pro, Gema engineers focused on power, ergonomics and performance.

“Gema targeted technological breakthroughs in areas the powder coating industry has not seen with manual guns,” says Jeff Hale, Gema director of marketing. “There’s been a ceiling in our industry in terms of the amount of power that a powder gun was able to generate. Introducing a gun that has more efficiency, more power for charging — that’s a significant breakthrough.”

The PowerBoost technology enables coaters to increase transfer efficiency, charge more powder and finish coating jobs faster, resulting in higher productivity. There are also enhanced power and control options to help coaters achieve a quality finish with any powder. “Powder coaters want flexibility,” Hale says.

The gun features an updated body design, nonstick material components and an optimized internal powder path. Externally, the ergonomic, lightweight gun has a good grip and enables coaters to coat efficiently and faster. “We focused on total ergonomics of how it fits and feels as you’re coating,” Hale says.

Internally, the inside diameter of the powder path remains constant and the transition between the different parts of the gun is very smooth, which helps prevent powder buildup inside the gun and facilitates cleaning. The result is a consistent, uniform application of powder.

The injector was also redesigned so it’s all one piece. “We introduced a single cartridge replacement part,” Hale says. Each time a user replaces the insert, it brings the injector back to original factory condition because it’s replacing the entire powder path inside the injector.

A Precise Charge Control (PCC) feature allows for more precise electrostatic regulations with parameters set at smaller resolutions as low as 0.5 µA. “A PCC mode controls the application by controlling current, not voltage,” Hale says.

For increased control and performance, the gun offers connectivity. This allows managers and coaters the ability to check productivity and maintenance data, and call up configuration and system information via smartphone.

This gun enables coaters to use a variety of powders with different formulations and characteristics.