Not all thermoplastic road marking equipment are made the same. Besides your Kneading Machine, your road marking Applicator machine is another crucial piece of machinery you will need. In order for your road project to be finished swiftly, not only do you need trained road marking operators but also good quality road marking equipment.
Examine your road marking equipment before purchasing or renting. Check that it is comfortable and ergonomic for your operator to use; is made of durable material; and can handle both ready-to-use thermoplastic paint and drop-on glass bead additives.
Let’s break this down further into a checklist.
Equipment fabrication
Paint container – It should be made of solid quality, corrosive-resistant, energy-efficient stainless steel, with interchangeable chambers for various paints. Its exterior should protect from accidental burns.
Road marking shoe and blade – The marking shoe for brush-type equipment can be calibrated for high precision markings for various industry standard widths whether to make highway lane markings or pedestrian crossings. The blade should be of high-quality steel alloy, like your paint container.
Drop-on glass bead dispenser container/dispenser – When using drop-on glass beads, the dispenser ought to be adjustable to varying widths, just like the marking shoe.
Machine control and mobility
Handles and controls – Does your machinery give you a comfortable grip on the handles? Are the controls within easy reach?
Swivel control – It’s important to have absolute control over the machine’s movements. Look for machines that allow easy maneuvers, enabling you to do striping work close to the curb and do non-straight line work, such as arcs and curves, in addition to perfect straight lines.
Mobility – High rolling resistance could alter the quality of your work, affecting the evenness of paint application and impact the productivity of your road marking team. Your machinery ought to have good wheels that give you a low friction experience – the less friction, the better.
Road marking performance
The success of your professional road application services project depends on a few key factors. The best road marking equipment manufacturers will give you a full-fledged field demonstration of their equipment’s capability. Here are a few more things to look out for.
Material capacity of the paint and glass bead chambers – How many times do you need to reload the paint chamber with thermoplastic paint material and drop-on glass beads to complete the job?
Calibrated paint application – Can you control flow rate and coat thickness of the paint to achieve markings in accordance with industry standards?
Temperature regulation – After melting and mixing the paint and pouring it into the marking machine, does your equipment keep paint temperature steady? Paint that’s too hot not only affects the color fastness of yellow paint. It can also affect the way drop-on beads fall and sink into the thermoplastic material, affecting its retro-reflective capabilities.
Paint applicator options – How flexible is your equipment in handling varying widths, from narrow, to wide, to ultra-wide markings?
Ask these questions and more of your professional road application services provider. The best in the industry will gladly assist and answer all your questions.
