Fim Thickness, Film Hardness

VII

Film Thickness

A film that is too thin may show bare steel through the coating or it may not have the performance properties required of the finished film. A film that is too thick may not have correct color or gloss, it may have too much texture, it may be too thick for a fit to another part or it may be just a waste of money. Film build control is important to help deliver consistent results and avoid these problems. Understanding the application variables and the particular powder material being used can help to control film build and maintain a consistent level of quality. Film thickness gauges can be used to measure the finished film in mils or microns. This is a valuable tool to monitor the process for efficiency. Some gauges are capable of measuring ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Others are designed for one or the other. Gauges used for ferrous metals are often magnetic. Magnetic gauges offer quick, accurate, non-destructive measurement on steel surfaces. Different types of gauges are made for aluminum, copper, zinc, brass and other non-magnetic surfaces. Usually, these type of thickness gauges measure the strength of eddy currents induced in the metal by a probe containing a conducting coil. A third type of film thickness gauge is the Tooke gauge. A Tooke gauge cuts a small, precise groove in the coating and measures the film thickness from the visible cross section of the coating film. These gauges are less commonly used because they create a surface blemish in the film.

Film Hardness

The film hardness will affect its brittleness, its resistance to moisture penetration, its flexibility and resistance to scratching. The desired film hardness relates to the use of the product in the field. Film hardness is measured to confirm proper cure of the material and to monitor product quality. Hardness is often measured with the pencil hardness test. A specific set of Faber Castell wooden testing pencils is used with leads that have progressively harder tips. The pencil is pushed into the coating at an

Powder Coaters Manual 1/98

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VII

Flexibility, Impact Resistance

angle to determine how hard the lead has to be in order to break through to the coating to the metal substrate (ASTM D3363). The hardness is defined by a numerical value equal to the hardest pencil that will not break the surface.

Flexibility

The flexibility of the coating can be important if the field use of the part will cause it to be stressed by thermal changes or handling. A conical mandrel bend test is used to test the coating for flexibility and adhesion. 1. The panel is placed between the mandrel and the drawbar. 2. The test panel is folded around the tapered fixture in a uniform 180 bend using a manually operated arm. 3. The panel is inspected for cracks along the bend. 4. If cracks appear, they are measured from the small end of the bend to the far end of the crack. The amount of crack that is acceptable is determined by the use of the product. If the part will not be subjected to stresses in the field the standard may be several inches. If the part is used for a product that has a post-coating forming step or if it is used in an environment that will subject it to stresses then the standard may be no cracking. Conical mandrel bend testing is also an indicator of adhesion loss as described later in this chapter. Another test for flexibility is the Erichsen slow penetration test. The panel is subjected to deformation by a ram. The ram is driven slowly into the back of the panel. Flexibility is measured by how far the ram travels before coating cracks.

Impact Resistance

Impact tests can be performed as direct impact or reverse impact. Both tests use a Variable Height Impact Tester. The panel is placed on a surface under a tube. A cylinder of a precise weight is dropped down a tube onto the panel surface from different heights. For direct impact, the coated side of the panel is facing up and the cylinder is dropped onto it. For reverse impact the panel is turned down and the

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Powder Coaters Manual 1/98