Airless spraying works at very high fluid pressure, and a jet of paint can inject fluid through the skin. It can look like a small cut but it is a serious medical emergency: get immediate medical attention and tell the doctor what the fluid was. Prevention is simple: keep the tip guard on, engage the trigger lock, relieve pressure before service, and never point the gun at any part of the body.
The hazard
An airless sprayer pushes coating through a small tip orifice at very high fluid pressure. That pressure is what atomises the paint without air, and it is also why the spray is dangerous. A jet of paint can inject fluid through the skin. The injury can look like a small cut, which is why people underestimate it.
This page is about preventing it. We are a parts seller, not a medical source, so we do not describe treatment. Your sprayer manual and the coating's safety data sheet carry the model-specific warnings and what to tell the doctor.
Habits that prevent it
- Never put a hand or finger over the tip, and never try to wipe or stop a leak at the tip with your hand.
- Never point the gun at any part of your body or anyone else's.
- Never test the spray on your skin.
- Keep the tip guard fitted whenever the gun is in use.
- Engage the gun's trigger lock whenever you are not spraying, including when you set the gun down.
- Relieve pressure before you clean, service or change a tip, and when you stop work.
None of these depends on skill. They are routines. The point of the trigger lock and tip guard is to guard against accidents, and they do not make it safe to put a hand in front of the tip. A guard does not remove the injection hazard.
Pressure relief before any hands-on work
Switching the sprayer off does not mean the hose and gun are depressurised. Every Titan manual includes a pressure relief procedure: it tells you how to switch off and relieve pressure through the gun and the prime or drain valve for that model. Follow it before cleaning, servicing, changing a tip or a part, and whenever you stop work. We do not give model-specific steps here because they differ between sprayers. Manuals are on our parts manuals page.
Ratings and hose
A spray system is only as strong as its weakest part. Never run any component above the lowest working-pressure rating in the system: hose, gun, tip guard and fittings all count. Titan guns are rated differently, for example the RX-80 and RX-Pro at 3600 psi and the RX-Apex at 5000 psi, and a hose or tip guard rated below the sprayer or gun can become the limit. Use only airless-rated hose, conductive or grounded as the manufacturer specifies.
Our gun, hose and tip kits page lists the complete kits, and the spray guns and tips page is the starting point for the tips and accessories.
Titan's tip guards
Titan rates its tip guards by maximum pressure, and the tip guards page on our site lists four:
Titan tip guards and pressure ratings
| Guard | Type | Titan rating |
|---|---|---|
| 0289228 | No Build Tip Guard | Up to 5000 psi |
| 661-027 | High Pressure Tip Guard | Up to 7700 psi |
| 450-100A | Adjustable Tip Guard | Up to 5000 psi |
| 0153003 | Flat Tip Guard | Up to 5000 psi |
Ratings from Titan's tip guard page. Check the guard's rating against the lowest rating in your system.
Titan says the no-build guard's dimple design allows better airflow and less paint build-up, and that its universal fitting matches most industry-standard guns. A clean guard that is the right one for your gun and tip is part of the safety routine. Replace a guard that is cracked, bent or will not seat.
Trigger locks
Titan guns have a trigger lock that stops the trigger from being pulled while it is engaged. How it works differs between guns. On the RX-Pro, Titan's manual describes pushing the lock from left to right to lock and from right to left to unlock, viewed from the rear. Check your own gun's manual rather than assume that a lock on another gun works the same way. Make a habit of locking the gun every time you put it down or walk away from it, even for a moment.
The RX-Pro ships with both two-finger and four-finger triggers. Trigger parts are on each gun's diagram, such as the RX-Pro page. Replace a lock or trigger that does not work as the manual describes, and do not spray until it is fixed.
Tip guards and Titan airless guns from the catalogue, with current prices.
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The short version
Airless fluid can inject through the skin and that is a medical emergency. Keep the guard on, lock the trigger when not spraying, relieve pressure before any service, and never exceed the lowest pressure rating in the system. Call (713) 931-0006 if you need help matching a guard or hose to your gun.
Need the right guard or hose for your gun?
Give us the gun model and the pressure rating of your hose and we will help match a guard and fittings.
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