Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine March/April 2022 - 33

PLATING AND ANODIZING: TESTING
Developments In The Testing Market
BY ALYSSA KERSLAKE
E
ngineers use various means
to evaluate the thickness of
coatings and the quality of
a plated metal finish. These
include electrical or magnetic fields,
ultrasonic technologies, and specific
specialized optical systems, among
other things. These energy fields cause
some form of resonance in the coating
or finish. By monitoring the instrument
registers' response, it is possible to
determine how thick or smooth the
coating or finish is.
To guarantee that everything meets
specifications in the coatings industry,
inspection and verification are
essential at each stage. Everything from
the preparation of the coating surface
to monitoring climatic conditions to
evaluating dry film thickness, visual
assessment, and gage-based testing will
be done to assure process control and
the best possible outcome.
Additionally, ergonomics and
wireless connection are receiving
increased attention in this industry
area. Although not every facility has
or requires such a connection, it is
slowly but steadily moving toward that
direction. Defelsko is a major supplier
of testing instruments. The company
gave us its perspective on how the
market is currently developing.
1. Have you added any new
features or capabilities to your
product line for electroplating
or metal finishing?
Over the past few years, DeFelsko has
brought several innovations to the
electroplating and metals finishing
industries:
Often, coaters want to take
measurements right after the part
leaves the bath or oven when the part is
still extremely hot. Most conventional
probes would be damaged under those
conditions. The PosiTector 6000 FXS
Coating Thickness Gage features an
Xtreme probe with Alumina wear face
and stainless steel braided cable for measuring parts in hot environments up to 250 deg.
C/500 deg. F.
Duplex coatings, where paint is applied over zinc plating (galvanizing), provide some of
the most comprehensive services lives in the industry. The PosiTector 6000 FNDS Duplex
probe measures the individual layer thicknesses of zinc and paints in a duplex coating
system with a single measurement. It is ideal for measuring the three types of zinc used in
duplex coating systems - hot-dip, electro, and zinc spray metalizing (thermal spray zinc).
When taken out of duplex mode, the instrument can be used as a conventional ferrous/
non-ferrous gage to measure the thickness of coatings on all metal substrates.
The best representation of coating thickness is obtained by averaging a series of
readings. To quickly quantify large surfaces, all PosiTector 6000 coating thickness probes
offer fast continuous readings of over 60 readings per minute, reducing inspection time.
Fast mode increases the measurement speed to over 90 readings per minute. When paired
with a PosiTector Advanced gage body, all PosiTector 6000 probes feature three different
Scan modes increasing the measurement speed to over 180 readings per minute. Scan
modes allow the user to take multiple readings in rapid succession and record average,
standard deviation, and min/max thickness without lifting the probe.
Coating Thickness Gages for Non-Metal Substrates
NEWDesign and Features
Non-destructively measures protective
coatings on concrete, wood, plastic,
composites, and more.
n Ready to measure-no adjustment required
for most applications
n Proven non-destructive technique conforms
to ASTM D6132 and ISO 2808
+1-315-393-4450 n
1-800-448-3835
techsale@defelsko.com n
www.defelsko.com
March/April 2022
33

http://www.defelsko.com

Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine March/April 2022

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