Avoidance of Coating Errors

In many painting companies, coating errors involve extensive rework and high reject rates, with claims leading to major repair efforts and an image loss. Both cases involve high costs and weaken a company’s ability to compete. Therefore, to reduce or avoid coating errors and claims, all production steps - from the choice of materials through to the packaging used for the coated products - need to be systematically assessed and optimized from an economic point of view. To do this, generally-applicable and recognized methods and testing equipment should be used. This also applies if expert reports are compiled. An expert report may have major financial consequences for the companies concerned.

A key requirement when it comes to avoiding coating errors and claims is the continuous optimization of the coating process combined with a comprehensive analysis of all weak points in the entire production area. Weaknesses, sources of error, causes and their effects need to be characterized and ascertained with the aid of empirical and analytical test methods.

Errors, weak points, sources and causes of error and their effects are localized and characterized using empirical and analytical test methods. Empirical test methods should be used in the first instance. The complex and costly analytical test methods support the empirical analysis of weak points, helping to determine the cause of errors which cannot be evidently analysed and which have a major impact on the quality or profitability of the production facility. First of all, the status quo has to be assessed and equipment and work-related features and quality values characterized. All processes undergone by products until they are finished and which could affect the quality of coatings are relevant. A methodical procedure can only be developed and interdependencies recognized if all aspects, from the material through to the finished product, are taken into account. To appreciate the frequency of each type of error, counting has to be carried out during the control process or by the operator. The statistics on weak points generated in this way enable priorities for action to be determined. From these results, lists of descriptions of weak points need to be made in order to elaborate and implement a catalogue of measures.