Coatings in industrial production: essential controls

The industrial world's commitment to quality requirements makes testing an essential phase in the life of a product. Verifying that a product complies with the customer's specifications has therefore become a "natural" step. More than ever, users need guidance in choosing which tests to perform so that the testing leads to credible results.

A specific difficulty with coating inspections is that the operation is performed on a product that has reached its maximum production cost. The final step must therefore be carried out with discernment. Three checks appear to be essential and apply to all coatings: appearance, adhesion, and thickness. The other checks described relate to the specific properties of the coating: although corrosion resistance is relevant to most of these coatings, the increase in industrial applications broadens the range of specific properties to be checked; this check is therefore developed below. .

It is important to emphasize here the role of non-destructive methods applicable to any manufactured part, which provide highly representative results.