John D. Geberth, Jr.
G
eberth is a self-made man, having started Titan Tool with his father in a small garage in Clifton in 1969. Five years later, he began working on an idea for an adjustable airless paint spray nozzle for use on an airless spray gun. The first adjustable spray nozzle was sold in 1975 and he received a patent for he product the following year. The Titan Adjustable Self-Cleaning Paint Spay Nozzle, using airless atomization instead of the commonly known air spray method, is important for commercial paint applications. Airless spray methods are faster and more efficient at application rates of up to a gallon per minute. The new product, easier to clean and operate, revolutionized the airless paint-spraying industry.
The invention allowed the painter to adjust the spray pattern width anywhere from 2 inches to 22 inches, and the spray orifice from .009 to .021 by the simple rotation of an adjustment knob.
The device employed only six different spray tip combinations to cover the same applications that previously required about 100 different tips. It has generated sales of more than $140 million since its introduction.
Geberth holds 18 U.S. patents and approximately 50 foreign patents for products related to airless painting. In June, 1991, Geberth, age 49, sold Titan Tool and continues to work there part time as a consultant.
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