Which spray gun component is primarily responsible for controlling the flow of coating through the nozzle?

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The main idea here is how the spray gun meters the liquid to the nozzle. The fluid control valve is the part that actually regulates how much coating can pass through. It opens and closes the fluid passage as the trigger and needle move, setting the amount of liquid that can flow toward the nozzle. When you loosen the fluid control, more coating can flow, producing a heavier film; when you tighten it, less coating passes, giving a lighter spray.

The air cap and the nozzle shape the air pattern and atomization, not the amount of liquid. The air cap directs the airstream to breakup the coating into a fine spray, while the nozzle is the exit orifice through which the liquid leaves. The trigger simply initiates flow, but the precise control of how much coating gets through comes from the fluid control valve.