Coatings Inspection Division
For over seventy years, Elcometer has been a world leader in the design, manufacture and supply of inspection equipment to the coatings industry. Whether you are measuring surface profile, surface cleanliness, dry film thickness, porosity, adhesion or gloss; or testing the abrasion, scratch resistance or elasticity of a coating - Elcometer's extensive and versatile range of equipment provides the complete solution to your coatings inspection requirements, whatever and wherever they might be.
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Abrasive & Blast Inspection
Blasting parameters: A number of important parameters need to be monitored during the blasting or water jetting process, these include: air pressure (at the nozzle), nozzle diameter, blast media contamination & pH values in order to avoid recontamination of the substrate during blasting.
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Surface Roughness
Surface Roughness: these consist of a stylus attached to an arm which moves over the surface to record and measure the roughness over a specified distance, recording peak-to-valley average.
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Climate, Dewpoint & Relative Humidity
Monitoring climatic conditions, such as temperature, relative humidity, dewpoint and moisture, is often vital to the successful application of a coating and are critical to the resulting quality and performance of the coated product.
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Moisture Measurement
Moisture: The presence of moisture within a material will result in poor adhesion, premature coating failure and poor appearance. For example, applying a powder coating to a damp wooden panel will cause steam to be created when the panel passes through the curing oven, thus causing damage to the coating. It is not sufficient to simply ensure that the surface is dry by touch. The surface of the substrate is often the driest point due to evaporation. It is important to establish the moisture content within the substrate itself. The moisture measurement can either be taken using a Pin moisture meter or Pinless (Contact-Type) moisture meter.
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Oven Temperature Profile
Temperature profiling provides an effective method for measuring the actual environmental and product temperature during the cure process - essential for ensuring quality finish and a successful cure of a powder coating.
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Wet Film & Powder Thickness
When applying a liquid coating, by measuring the uncured film thickness, it is possible to determine the eventual dry film thickness. Applying too much coating wastes time and materials. It can also affect the performance and finish of the product. Too much wet film can cause the coating to crack as it cures; too little coating increases the risk that the substrate will not be sufficiently protected, leading to rust spots.
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Dry Film Thickness
Dry film thickness, coating thickness or paint thickness as it is often known, is probably the most critical measurement in the coatings industry. It provides vital information as to the expected life of the substrate, the product’s fitness for purpose, its appearance and ensures compliance with a host of International Standards. In 1947, Elcometer launched one of the world’s first non-destructive coating thickness gauges, the Elcometer 101 Coating Thickness Gauge. For more than 6 decades, the design and production qualities of this rugged and reliable instrument have been the watchwords for all our products and these philosophies are still held today. Elcometer has a comprehensive range of Dry Film Thickness gauges to meet all of your coating inspection requirements.
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Material Thickness
The Elcometer range of ultrasonic material thickness gauges has been designed specifically to be easy to use, calibrate, take readings and create inspection reports. With a wide range of measurement modes including: Pulsed Echo (PE), Echo Echo ThruPaint™ (EE) and Velocity Mode (VM), and a wide range of intelligent dual element transducers, the new ultrasonic non destructive thickness gauges can measure the material thickness of virtually any material such as metals, plastics, glass, epoxies and ceramics.
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Adhesion Testers
From the largest man-made structures to the smallest household appliances, most manufactured products have a protective or cosmetic coating. Premature failure of this coating can, at the very least, result in additional costs of rework. Adhesion testing after the coating process will quantify the strength of the bond between substrate and coating, or between different coating layers or the cohesive strength of some substrates. Routine adhesion tests are used as part of inspection and maintenance procedures to help detect potential coating failures.
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Surface Profile
Surface profile: The degree of profile on the surface affects a coating’s overall performance and determines aspects such as adhesion, coverage and overall volume of coatings used. If the profile is too large the amount of coating required increases, otherwise there is a danger that the peaks remain uncoated - allowing rust spots to occur. If the profile is too small there may be an insufficient key for adequate adhesion.
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Surface Cleanliness
Surface cleanliness: Soluble salts & ion specific contamination (sulphates, chlorides, nitrates etc.) which are often invisible to the eye, together with amine blush (for amine cured epoxy coatings) can result in premature coating failure, resulting in high re-coating and maintenance costs. Elcometer has a range of test equipment for assessing surface cleanliness prior to applying a coating.
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Pinhole & Porosity
Premature corrosion of a substrate is usually due to a coating failure. A major cause is the presence of flaws in the finished coating. Collectively referred to as porosity, the main types of flaws are:
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Inspection Kits
Elcometer offers one of the widest ranges of inspection equipment available. Our products are used across numerous industry sectors. In all cases, there is always a need to undertake a number of specific inspections during quality control assessments - as one parameter can affect another.
