Xylene Alternative for Striping Equipment Cleaning
Clean and well-maintained road striping equipment is essential for performance, preventing clogs and extending the machine’s operational lifespan. With routine maintenance, you can avoid dried-paint buildup, ensure crisp, accurate lines, and reduce unnecessary downtime caused by poor application, repairs, or equipment failures. AcraStrip provides an environmentally friendly industrial solvent for striping machines, effectively removing buildup to protect the investment in high-quality equipment and improve worker safety by allowing operators to spot signs of wear and tear in critical components easily.
AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto as a Traffic Paint Equipment Cleaner
AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto is a non-hazardous, eco-responsible, xylene alternative for striping equipment cleaning. Developed in partnership with the U.S. EPA DFE program, it is designed to remove both cured and uncured solvent-borne and waterborne coatings. We recommend its use on paint guns and traffic paint equipment, allowing you to replace harmful, traditional solvents, such as xylene, mineral spirits, and paint thinners, with a solution that is:
- HAPS-free
- Non-flammable, non-toxic
- Aqueous
- Biodegradable
- pH neutral
- Recyclable
For more information on the performance of AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto in your road striping equipment, contact AcraStrip.
Challenges Caused by Traffic Paint Buildup in Equipment
Traffic paints are high-viscosity materials that cure rapidly, leading to a variety of common issues with road striping equipment. When these compounds are not effectively managed, they can cause clogging in lines and spray tips, as well as residue buildup that affects performance, resulting in downtime due to poor cleaning. Additionally, using harsh solvents may damage critical components, which could mean a greater loss in productive time.
Replacing Xylene and Other Traditional Solvents with Eco-Friendly Alternatives
Typically, xylene has been used to remove buildup from road striping equipment due to its high solvency, which easily removes traffic paints. However, as a volatile organic compound (VOC), xylene use raises significant health and regulatory concerns, prompting road crews and municipalities to seek safer, effective alternatives. Using Acrastrip as an alternative is much safer than xylene, mineral spirits and paint thinners which pose health and safety risks. AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto was developed as a xylene alternative for striping equipment and cleaning.
Using AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto to Remove Traffic Paint Across Equipment
AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto can be used in airless striping machines, line striping sprayers, pumps and hoses, as well as tanks and reservoirs to remove:
- Oil-based traffic paint
- Solvent-based coatings
- Dried paint buildup
- Overspray and residue inside equipment
How to Use Eco-Friendly Traffic Paint Equipment Cleaner
To effectively remove traffic paint buildup, AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto can be used after jobs or during routine maintenance to restore equipment to optimal performance. There are methods for cleaning spray tips and lines, as well as for removing paint from tanks and components.
Flushing Lines
- Acrastrip works at room temperature but can be heated for cured paint stripping. Wipe off the intake/suction tube of the pump, remove all filter media, and submerge the tube in an ample supply of AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto at a 50% dilution with water.
- Flush the pump at no less than 65 PSI, and utilize an air purge to follow the paint line when possible, to ensure total evacuation of the solution before charging the line with the next coating.
- Continuously circulate the solution through the pump and line until clear.
- Submerge guns/tips into a 50/50 dilution with water of Acrastrip into a clean 5-gallon pail or ultrasonic unit which is even quicker.
- Once parts are submerged check on them in 3-5 minutes to assess effectiveness before either removing or hitting with a light brush.
- Once the parts that need cleaning have been submerged/soaked adequately, they should be rinsed with water or hit with an air blast or other mechanical process.
Cleaning Spray Tips and Components
Tank Cleaning
Using the Acrastrip 600 Auto solution diluted 50% with hot water to accelerate the clean application and spray the tank with high psi or fill it and spray rinse after.
Benefits of AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto as a Harsh Solvent Alternative
Choosing AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto as a traffic paint equipment cleaner offers operational and safety advantages. It can replace xylene and other harsh chemical solvents to deliver:
- Longer equipment life
- Better spray consistency
- Safer handling for crews
- Improved working conditions
- Less downtime
Contact Us About Our “Green” Industrial Solvent for Striping Machines
Produced by the U.S. Polychemical Corp, AcraStrip has been trusted for over 30 years to provide environmentally responsible cleaning alternatives to harsh chemical solvents. With AcraStrip 600 Mod Auto, we provide an effective xylene alternative for striping equipment cleaning, without harmful chemicals that pose health and safety risks or damage critical equipment. Our non-flammable, non-toxic, biodegradable solutions offer an easily recyclable and cost-effective replacement to meet your cleaning requirements. For more information, request an SDS; you can also contact us to order or request a sample.
