Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/653106
accept/reject criteria as agreed upon by first article approval requirements and the purchase order and quotation docu- mentation. Finish performance requirements: The powder coated surface, environ- mental, and physical characteristics shall be within the acceptable limits of the preapproved samples submitted at the time of the quotation. Racking: During production process- ing, an area on all parts shall be used to securely suspend the parts during pro- cessing. As a result, these areas will be void of coating. The customer is responsible for providing and identify- i n g a n y p r e f e r r e d r a c k i n g a r e a s . Touch-up of these minor void areas will not be performed unless otherwise agreed upon prior to production pro- cessing. (First article samples are highly recommended.) Drain holes: The design fabricator is responsible for providing any and all necessary drain holes to allow pretreat- m e n t c h e m i c a l s f r o m b e c o m i n g trapped inside closed areas or from cupping liquids during production processing. Salt spray corrosion: Unless other- wise agreed upon in writing, the finish coating shall pass a minimum 336 hours, single scribe ASTM B117 Neu- tral Salt Spray (Fog) test. Corrosion migration shall not exceed 1/8" in either direction from scribe after 336 hours of exposure. Cross hatch adhesion: Unless other- wise agreed upon in writing, the finish coating shall pass a minimum cross hatch adhesion test using 5 millimeter scribe lines in accordance with ASTM D3359 acceptable rating 5A and 5B for coating thickness of 2.0 to 3.0 mils. Adhesion testing methods will not be performed on customer's production parts unless instructed to do so. We rec- ommend sending sacrificial test panels made from the production metal mate- rials. Specular gloss: Gloss will be tested to the specific information supplied by the powder manufacturer using a 60- degree glossmeter. Acceptance shall be +/-10 gloss units of the approved stan- d a r d i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h A S T M D523-20. Chemical resistance: Follow the guidelines of PCI Technical Publica- tion #8 MEK Solvent Rub test with 50 double rubs using Q-Tip (not gauze) and Reagent A 100 percent MEK. Coating shall show only a slight loss of gloss and color. Tests should be con- ducted using a known cured control sample as the results reported may be subjective due the fact that not all coat- ing chemistries have equal solvent chemical resistance. Packaging and transportation: All parts shall be packaged as received, in containers or on pallets as received, with paper, cardboard, foam, or other packaging materials necessary to pro- tect the finish from damage during transportation in accordance with the quotation agreement. Transportation of all products to and from the coating facility shall be indicated by the terms and agreement of the quotation docu- ment. Certification of conformance (C of C): C of C to the agreed upon written finishing specification, written finish- ing standard, or processing methods and inspection in accordance with the purchase order and quotation docu- mentation shall be provided to the cus- tomer by the finishing contractor for each order upon written request. Definitions: Customer: Person or organization that is procuring the finishing service. Custom coater: Professional metal finishing contractor providing the fin- ishing service. Quotation: Legal document that is a binding agreement listing exactly what shall be done for the exact cost as indi- cated by the document. Pretreatment: Preparation of the spe- cific metal substrate prior to the appli- cation of the coating. Purchase order: Legal document that is authorization from the customer to the coating contractor for specific materials and services required in accordance with the written quotation. Workmanship, design fabrication, and substrate materials: After fabrica- tion of the component, all welds, bolted connections, pem nuts, rivets, holes, cut ends, etc. shall be free of slag, burrs, laser scale, corrosion, excessive oxidation, or other imperfections that would affect the overall appearance and/or performance of the finished product. Design, fabrica- tion, and substrate material selection is the responsibility of the fabricator. Pretreatment: Proper pretreatment process for the select substrate material shall be identified by the quotation doc- ument. Pretreatment may include abra- sive blasting, stripping, conversion coat- ing, hand tool cleaning, grinding, sand- ing, phosphating, chemical conversion coating rinsing, and drying. Process flow diagrams for specific parts are high- ly recommended. Masking: Any area that does not require coating shall be clearly identified on the product print drawing or by dig- ital photography supplied by the cus- tomer. Select masking techniques shall be implemented as necessary by the coating contractor to ensure that coat- ing is not applied to these areas. Mask- ing areas shall be identified by the fabri- cator at the time of the quotation request so that masking costs can be included in the quoted price. Powder coating application: The powder coating material shall be applied in accordance with all of the requirements of the powder coating material supplier or as agreed upon in writing. The powder coating applica- tion shall be in accordance with the requirements supplied by the customer and shall include defined dry film thick- ness range values and proper pretreat- ment of the metal component prior to application of the powder coating. Quality testing: The finish shall pass all of the required quality testing proce- dures in accordance with the written quotation document and or purchase order agreement. For example: color, gloss, texture, cure, and adhesion. Destructive and nondestructive test methods: The finishing contractor shall provide and maintain a quality assurance program that shall include, as a m i n i m u m , a r e c o r d o f q u a l i t y POWDER COATING, March 2016 27