Multipart material needle for a paint spray gun, front needle of a material needle, paint spray gun, and method for exchanging a front needle

A material needle, which extends along a longitudinal axis, for a paint spray gun comprising a material nozzle, wherein the material needle is insertable into a guide channel of the paint spray gun and is displaceable along the longitudinal axis in order to open and close a nozzle opening of the material nozzle by means of a defined needle stroke movement, the material needle comprising:

• a front needle, which is at a front of the material needle in an axial direction, and a rear needle, which is at a rear of the material needle in the axial direction,
• wherein the front needle and the rear needle are releasably connected together in order to guide axial forces via an axial form-fitting connection,
• wherein the axial form-fitting connection is formed by front form-fitting elements, which are arranged on the front needle, and rear form-fitting elements, which are arranged on the rear needle,
• wherein the front and/or the rear form-fitting elements are elastically deflectable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis in order to release the axial form-fitting connection,
• wherein the axial form-fitting connection is secured against being released by a securing member which prevents a deflection of the front and/or rear form-fitting elements perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis,
• wherein the securing member comprises an externally sliding bearing surface of the front needle and/or the rear needle in order to interact with a corresponding sliding surface of the paint spray gun in a form-fitting manner.