The new Axalta Coating Systems Training Academy in Welwyn Garden City, UK, is now up and running, with Junair Spraybooths at the heart of the operation.

Building on the long-standing relationship between the two companies, the facility has a dedicated spraybooth, training room and mixing area for each of the three global refinishing brands, Cromax®, Spies Hecker and Standox. The new booths also include the very latest energy reduction technology.

Michael McInnes, Technical Manager, Low Bake Systems, for Axalta Coating Systems in the UK, says, “We have worked with Junair Spraybooths for many years. Their products are of the highest quality and the service they provide is second-to-none, so we knew Junair could help us create a dynamic, leading-edge training environment, while also making it as energy efficient as possible.”

Grahame Kitchin, Sales Director, Junair Spraybooths, comments, “From the onset of this exciting project we worked very closely with the team at Axalta to understand their specific requirements for this new installation. The overall design and the equipment that we recommended were all aimed at not only enhancing productivity and offering the highest quality paint finish but also reducing energy usage.”

Each of the three large spraybooths that have been installed at the Training Academy is fitted with three leaf fully glazed door sets to provide an extra-wide opening. There are viewing galleries down the lengths of the booths, which offer a clear view of the activity within. The spraybooth floors are fully extracted and balanced, using Junair’s unique EVAC design, which sits flush with the building floor and ensures refinishers get the highest quality paint finish. For maximum energy efficiency, the spraybooths use Junair’s advanced auxiliary air movement system, called QADs, which supplies heated and filtered airflow from the corners of the booth. This system has been proven to speed up the drying process by up to 35 percent. The spraybooths are fitted with a fully automatic variable airflow system, which requires no operator selection. This automatically reduces the airflow through the booth in each operating mode resulting in reduced fuel and electricity usage. LED lighting has also been installed in the three spraybooths to provide bright, clean light and replicate natural daylight while also being the most energy-efficient lighting method available.

Outside the spraybooths, two preparation stations have been created, providing a clean filtered workspace where refinishers can prepare the vehicles before they enter the booths.

Each of the three brands also has its own dedicated double-skin paint mixing room. These also incorporate viewing windows above the mixing benches, again to provide clear visibility into the rooms. Two separate gun-cleaning rooms have also been installed.

Junair has installed radiant heating throughout the bodyshop along with more LED lighting to further reduce energy costs by as much as 80 to 90 percent when compared to traditional lighting and conventional light bulbs.