Problem Solved — Printmaking Class Transformed with GFS Bench Booth

Problem Solved — Printmaking Class Transformed with GFS Bench Booth

GFS Bench booth with items

When a printmaking lab at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus was gutted earlier this year, Berel Lutsky wanted only one thing — a safe, high-quality paint booth for his students.

Before the renovation, students worked under a chemistry lab fume hood that Lutsky retrofitted with an explosion-proof fan motor. It was far from ideal, and he could tell the imperfect equipment hampered students’ creations.

“It wasn’t great,” said Lutsky, a professor of art. “It was a pretty common fume hood and didn’t have filtering elements to filter anything out.”

The printmaking lab is now twice as large and features a 5-by-4-foot Bench Paint Booth from Global Finishing Solutions (GFS). It features an integrated, raised booth bench, adequate airflow and high-efficiency filtration. Lutsky takes comfort in knowing his students are now working in a code-compliant environment.

Each semester, his class of 14 to 18 students uses the paint booth to spray paints and solvents, mainly with garden-variety spray paint and occasionally an acrylic paint that resembles a floor wax. They spray plates that they then etch, as the paint gives the plates a speckled effect. They also use lithography — a printing process using a metal plate on which the image areas are worked with a greasy substance so the ink adheres to them, while the non-image areas are made ink-repellent.

Lutsky worked with the university’s architects and Grainger, a supplier of GFS products, to turn his vision of acquiring the benchtop paint booth into a reality.

“I was given a blank slate to work with,” Lutsky said. “The university told me to put in whatever I needed, and I got to do most of the planning. I knew we needed a paint booth that was well built and code compliant.”

High-powered fans and motors create consistent airflow in the Bench Paint Booth, giving students a cleaner workspace for a better paint job. The manometer monitors overspray buildup on exhaust filters, and a fluorescent light fixture in the ceiling provides a brighter painting environment.

“There is a lot less turbulence in the Bench Booth compared to our previous setup,” Lutsky said. “The Bench Booth has a nice airflow through it, so we use it to dry other coatings as well. It is also lit inside, whereas the old fume hood was not. Having lighting in there has really helped eliminate shadows when students are spraying.”

Lutsky hopes more students become interested in printmaking now that the renovated building offers a top-notch workspace, with safe, efficient working conditions. The Bench Booth from GFS truly has transformed Lutsky’s class – a fixture for creativity for years to come.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS?

Let us know your product requirements, and we will put you in touch with a distributor in your area.

RELATED POSTS
News

Top 5 Blog Posts of 2023

As we look forward to what 2024 has in store, we pause to look back on 2023. In case you missed them, here are our top five blog posts of 2023.

Read More »
Automotive Refinish

GFS at SEMA 2023: Edge Up Your Paint Shop

GFS is excited to return to the SEMA Show to meet with body shop owners, managers, technicians and automotive refinish professionals. Visit GFS Booth #31067 from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, 2023 in Las Vegas to learn how GFS can enable your shop to be more productive, efficient and profitable, while achieving flawless paint finishes.

Read More »
Automotive Refinish

Excellence Reimagined: New Auto Refinish Paint Booth From Global Finishing Solutions Introduced to Market

GFS is proud to introduce the Edge Paint Booth, which provides industry-leading features with an updated, modern design, while being backed by a manufacturer with decades of experience in the automotive refinish industry. Masterfully designed for today’s collision repair centers and paint shops, GFS Edge delivers advanced controls; precise, adjustable lighting; and premium contamination control to consistently produce excellent paint finishes and improved throughput.

Read More »
Automotive Refinish

Ultra XS Paint Booth a “Wow Factor” for Ministry Helping At-Risk Teens

Targeting junior high and high school students, the Crossover Restoration Foundation aims to provide an avenue for at-risk teenagers to turn around their lives. The past seven years, JB Baldridge has worked to get the ministry up and running. He finally is nearing that point, thanks to the addition of an Ultra XS Paint Booth from GFS.

Read More »
Automotive Refinish

“Potential is There for More Throughput” with Dual-Bay CTOF Booth at ABRA Faribault

With a shop expansion underway at ABRA Faribault, three things were priorities for body shop general manager Aaron Kasparek — increased flexibility, more space and better contamination control. Check, check and check, mostly thanks to a dual-bay Ultra XD Closed-Top Open-Front (CTOF) Booth from GFS that was paired with an Ultra XD Paint Booth and Ultra XD Paint Mix Room in hopes maximized productivity boosts the bottom line.

Read More »

Newsletter Signup

Global Finishing Solutions will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at info@globalfinishing.com. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our privacy policy. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.