Development in Coating Inspection Data Management

 
Automation of the coating inspection process can achieve significant cost saving and allows test results to be presented in a consistent and coordinated manner. Modern digital test equipment allows readings to be stored and data to be transferred to computer-based software programmes. There have been recent developments in both software and gauge design, which make paperless quality assurance a reality for industrial coating applications. This paper describes the latest design and operational features of coating thickness gauges, dewpoint meters, surface profile gauges and new gauges for appearance testing for gloss and colour. It describes how data can be easily transferred from the memory of these gauges in to personal computers running data management software. The creation of reports combining test results from a broad range of both digital and non-digital test methods will be discussed with particular emphasis on the preparation of pre-formatted report forms.