What are Air Assisted Airless Spray Guns? Are there any advantages to using one?

Air Assisted Airless spray guns are a great asset in the field when you need some more control over your spray pattern while still laying down a large amount of material. It differs from airless in a couple of key ways. Primarily, the pressures that AAA equipment operate at are much lower than traditional airless. Airless equipment traditionally involves pressures anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 psi while AAA involves around 1,500 psi or below. Air Assisted Airless spray guns also have a different air cap that introduces a small amount of compressed air to the outer edges of the spray pattern. This small amount of air smoothens out the “tails” of the spray pattern. A tail in an airless spray pattern is best described as a large gradient along the edges of the pattern. This is caused by the amount of fluid coming out and the high pressures at which it is being sprayed. The compressed air tightens up the edges and gives you a tighter pattern. In addition, the lower fluid pressure gives you a finer finish (not as fine as traditional air spray) and is less wear and tear on your equipment.