Wet-film and powder thickness

When applying liquid or powder coatings, it is possible to determine the final dry film thickness by measuring the uncured film thickness.

Applying too much paint not only wastes time and materials, but also affects the performance and final effect of the product. Too thick a wet film can cause the coating to crack during cure; too little paint increases the risk of the substrate not being adequately protected, resulting in rust spots.

In the powder coating industry, ensuring the correct level of adhesion and appearance of the final product depends on the thickness of the powder prior to the curing process. Too much powder and adhesion will suffer, too little powder and the coating will fade and lose gloss.

Three methods of measuring wet film thickness are:

• wet film comb

• Pfund Thickness Gauge

• wet film wheel

Either way, the coating thickness is measured and the dry:wet ratio of the coating is used to estimate the dry film thickness.

Wet film measurements are non-destructive, but measuring powder thickness, whichever way you come into contact with the uncured coating, will squeeze the powder and affect the thickness. The revolutionary Elcometer 550 measures the thickness of the uncured coating to determine the thickness of the cured powder using a non-contact method, ideal for measuring powder coatings on the production line.