What does the paint finishing phase involve in the manufacturing process?

The paint finishing phase is one of the final stages of the manufacturing process before filtration and packaging.

Following the dispersion and grinding stages, the product is finished or completed. During this phase, the final liquid components of the formulation—such as resins, emulsions, or solvents—are primarily incorporated using mixing systems with agitation turbines.

Unlike the previous stages, finishing generally requires gentle agitation, tailored to the product’s characteristics, to ensure these components are incorporated uniformly and to achieve proper homogenization.

The goal is to achieve the defined properties of the final product—such as viscosity, density, and color—before the subsequent filtering and packaging stages.

At Oliver + Batlle, we provide mixing equipment ccapable of combining both the dispersion and finishing stages of paints and related products. We also have highly efficient finishing tanks recommended for mixing, dilution, addition of liquids, tinting, and completion of products without the incorporation of solids.

What processes are involved in the finishing of paintings?

The mixing performed at the end of the manufacturing process includes several stages such as:

Product finishing: mixing of the dispersed product with liquid end components by means of stirring;
Dyeing: mixing of the finished product with dyes or colouring pastes;
Storage: mixing of the finished product to keep it in suspension before filling.

What factors should you consider when choosing a paint mixer?

The selection of a mixer should be based on the product characteristics and process conditions. Among the key parameters to consider are the product volume, viscosity, and rheological behavior.

Viscosity alone does not define the product’s behavior during agitation. In thixotropic products, for example, viscosity decreases when shear stress is applied and tends to recover when that stress is removed. For this reason, understanding the product’s rheological behavior is essential for defining the appropriate agitation conditions.

Other aspects of the process must also be considered, such as the product’s tendency to settle, the incorporation of final liquid components, and cleaning requirements—especially when the same tank is used to manufacture different products.

All these factors play a role in determining the impeller geometry, the agitation speed, and the power required for each application.

What type of turbines can be used for paint finishing?

The choice of impeller is one of the key elements in the configuration of an agitation system. Its geometry determines factors such as the type of flow generated, the capacity for incorporating liquids, the degree of homogenization, and ease of cleaning.

For this reason, the impeller should not be selected based solely on viscosity. It is necessary to consider the product’s rheological characteristics, the volume to be processed, the agitation speed, and the specific requirements of each process together.

As we saw in our article on dispersion, dispersion and mixing serve different purposes within the manufacturing process. In the finishing phase, the agitation system configuration should primarily promote the incorporation of liquids and the homogenization of the product.

Sabre type turbine

The sabre type turbine facilitates a smooth motion and axial flow in the paint finishing tank. This type of turbine is commonly used for finishing all paint types that incorporate synthetic resins, emulsions, solvents, or slurries.

This configuration provides high liquid incorporation and homogenization capacity, as well as ease of cleaning.

Double-flow sabre type turbine

The double-flow sabre type turbine turbine generates a smooth motion with a downward axial flow in the central area and an upward flow at the tip.
It is commonly used for finishing medium-viscosity paints that contain synthetic resins, emulsions, solvents, or slurries.
It offers high liquid incorporation and homogenization capacity, while also being easy to clean.

IBC folding arm sabre turbine

The IBC Sabre turbine with folding arms generates smooth motion and axial flow. It is suitable for homogenizing medium- and low-viscosity paints and for finishing processes involving low-viscosity products containing synthetic resins, emulsions, and solvents.
Its design provides high liquid incorporation and homogenization capacity, with moderate ease of cleaning.

Inclined-blade turbine

The inclined-blade turbine provides a smooth, axial-flow action and is suitable for finishing medium-viscosity paints that contain synthetic resins, emulsions, solvents, or slurries.
This configuration offers high liquid incorporation and homogenization capacity, as well as ease of cleaning.

Anchor or mini-anchor turbines

Anchor and mini-anchor turbines are used in the finishing of medium-viscosity paints by incorporating synthetic resins, emulsions, solvents, or slurries. They are also suitable for products prone to sedimentation.This type of turbine generates a gentle motion with both tangential and axial flow components and provides high liquid incorporation and homogenization capacity.
On the other hand, they are less easy to clean than other turbine geometries, a factor that must be taken into account, especially in multi-product processes.

Other types of paint finishing turbines

For medium- or high-viscosity applications, other turbine geometries can be used, capable of generating different flow patterns depending on the design and the product characteristics.
These configurations are more difficult to clean, so they are particularly suitable for single-product tanks.

How can you optimize the paint finishing process?

Optimizing the finishing phase involves adapting the agitation system to the product’s characteristics and the process requirements. There is no single configuration that works for all formulations: batch volume, viscosity, rheological behavior, and the characteristics of the components to be incorporated all influence the selection of the agitator and impeller.

The impeller geometry, agitation speed, and power must be defined collectively to achieve uniform incorporation of the liquid components and proper homogenization of the product. Operational aspects such as ease of cleaning should also be part of the selection criteria.

A proper configuration allows the formulation to be completed and the required final properties to be achieved before the filtration and packaging stages. During this phase, final adjustments defined by the quality control laboratory—such as color, viscosity, and, in the case of water-based paints, pH—can also be made.

At Oliver + Batlle, our technical-sales team analyzes the characteristics of each application to define the mixing and finishing solution that best suits the needs of the product and the production process.