Airless atomizes coating with fluid pressure and the tip orifice alone. Air-assisted airless adds a small amount of air so the coating breaks up finer at lower fluid pressure. On the Titan MultiFinish 440 you can run either: airless at 500 to 3300 psi, or MultiFinish mode at up to 1000 psi.
How airless atomizes
In a plain airless sprayer the pump pushes coating at high pressure through a small opening in the tip, and the pressure alone breaks the stream into a fan of droplets. Two things shape the result. The tip's orifice size controls how much coating is delivered, with thicker coatings generally needing larger orifices and fine finishes using smaller ones. The fan angle controls the width of the pattern.
Because everything depends on the tip and the pressure, a worn tip shows up quickly: the orifice widens, pressure falls, the pattern turns coarse or streaky and more coating is used. Plain airless is the mode to look at when you need to move material.
How air-assisted airless atomizes
Air-assisted airless uses fluid pressure plus a small amount of compressed air at the gun. The air helps break up the coating, so the finish can be finer at a lower fluid pressure than plain airless needs. Titan describes the approach, in its AirCoat copy, as giving fine atomization with higher transfer efficiency. Titan's MultiFinish 440 and AirCoat both carry an onboard compressor to supply that air.
Neither approach is better in general. Plain airless gives you speed and suits heavier coatings. Air-assisted airless trades some speed for a finer finish on stains, lacquers, enamels and latex. Pick the one that fits the coating and the surface.
The MultiFinish 440 modes in numbers
The MultiFinish 440 is built on Titan's 440 airless platform and can spray in either mode. The pressures below come from a single search excerpt of Titan's manual, so confirm them in the full manual on our manuals page:
MultiFinish 440 modes, per Titan's manual
| Mode | Pump pressure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airless | 500 to 3300 psi | 3300 psi is the machine's maximum fluid pressure |
| MultiFinish (air-assisted) | Recommended up to 1000 psi | Set the pressure control knob to about 400 psi on the fluid gauge to start; the air regulator controls atomization air |
Titan's advice for MultiFinish mode is to use the lowest pressure that atomizes the coating well. We do not give the compressor's air pressure, because published figures disagree.
AirCoat uses the same idea
The Titan AirCoat (0508074A) is an air-assisted airless system as well. Dealer listings give it a 2800 psi maximum, 35 psi air pressure and a maximum tip of 0.017 in., with an onboard compressor and both air-assisted and airless modes. Its gun is the same GM 3600 used on the MultiFinish 440. The AirCoat main assembly page lists its parts.
Picking the mode and the tip
- Start from the coating. Thicker material generally needs a larger orifice; fine finishes use smaller ones.
- On the MultiFinish 440, begin in MultiFinish mode for stains, lacquers, enamels and latex, which are the coatings Titan lists for it, and use the lowest pressure that atomizes well.
- Switch to airless when you are moving more material and the finish does not need to be as fine.
- Stay inside the tip limit: the MultiFinish 440 listing gives a maximum tip size of 0.023 in.
- If the pattern degrades in either mode, check the tip for wear before changing the pressure.
Parts that matter for each mode
Both modes depend on the fluid side: the tip, the gun filter and the pump filters. Air-assisted mode adds the air side.
- Tip. 695-415 Reversible Tip or 0526209 AirCoat Tip ACF 9/20, depending on the gun version. See the GM3600 reversible tip gun page.
- Gun filter. 0089959 Filter, 100 Mesh, Yellow.
- Air filter. 0524378 Filter Element, Compressor, on the Compressor Assembly page along with the gauge, relief valves and tubing.
Parts for each mode:
The Short Version
Plain airless atomizes by pressure and tip alone, and air-assisted airless adds air for a finer finish at lower fluid pressure. The MultiFinish 440 runs both, using the manual's figures of 500 to 3300 psi in airless and up to 1000 psi in MultiFinish mode. Keep the tip, gun filter and air filter in good shape in whichever mode you use.
Not sure which parts your sprayer needs?
Call (713) 931-0006 with your model and serial number and our parts team will confirm the tip, filter and air parts before you order.
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