Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/692967
POWDER COATING, June 2016 23 The purpose of a pragmatic finishing specification Custom coaters are often asked to provide profes- sional advice and guid- ance for the best finish possible on projects with a variety of fin- ishing related requirements. Under- standing the requirements for the end use of the product and the purpose of the protective coating is critical to the processing and material selections. Coating processes and materials selec- tion choices for critical projects should be systematically reviewed for the best available options. This is accomplished by knowing and understanding the product's end use finishing require- ments. Repeat and ongoing projects that require metal finishing should be given special attention in the beginning stages of the planning process. The selected finishing process or processes and the finishing materials selections should be well thought out, planned, tested, and documented by way of a fin- ishing specification. Selecting processes and materials Custom coaters often hear their cus- tomers describe what they believe their finishing requirements are in terms of color and gloss only (aesthetic value). Perhaps this trend is due to the cus- tomers' ignorance or misperception that all coatings and coating processes will net the same quality of finish. Not addressing critical finishing require- ments or understating finishing require- ments in terms of functional and deco- rative attributes may lead to customer dissatisfaction and potential legal trou- ble. This is particularly true in cases where the service life of the finish is crit- ical to the overall quality of the product. The caution flag should be raised when the only stated finishing requirement is "coat any black" or "use the most cost- effective coating" or "use whatever you're running today." Finishing processes and finishing mate- rials selections can be complicated when you consider the many factors that affect the useful life of the finish. The objective is to select the correct process- es and materials to meet the require- ments of the finish based upon the expected service life of the product and the environment in which the product will reside. In legal terms, we refer to this objective as "Fit for Purpose." When a clear understanding of the functional and decorative requirements of a given substrate material are disclosed and the reasonable expectation of the service life requirements are discussed, the correct processes and materials can be selected. For long-term projects, this informa- tion can be organized into a basic or a comprehensive finishing specification. Professional custom coaters should always qualify their proposals with a defined listing of processes and materi- als and all other activities based upon the customer's real needs. The cus- tomer's finishing requirements may be very different from their initial input if they fail to realize that there is much more to the finishing process than just the appearance attributes. Process flow diagrams are useful tools for visualizing the processing steps. Focusing on planning instead of pricing Designers, architects, fabricators, and material suppliers have no problem understanding that all projects or jobs require planning. The planning for any job requires the creation of drawings, prints, and written specifications that are required to complete the project in accordance with the proposed design, the intended use, and the expected ser- vice life for the environmental condi- tions that the project will be exposed to. Without this information, their pro- jects would never make it from concept to realization. The focus and emphasis of this planning unfortunately seems to fade (no pun intended) when it comes time to address or specify finishing processes and finishing materials. After all, it's just color! Right? Metal finishing is not a single static process as some would believe. Metal finishing is a series of processes and materials engineered together to yield a predictable result. For every process, every material, and every activity, there is a cost. Until all of the processing and material information is known, the cus- tom coater should refrain from any dis- cussion regarding price. This may prove to be difficult at times when the cus- tomer is only interested in the cost and is pushing for pricing and lead time information to complete their projects. When process and materials informa- tion is not clearly defined, any quoted price would have to be based upon many assumptions. Assumptions and conditions used to calculate costs should be clearly defined in writing on the quotation document. Factors such as special racking, custom color match, primers, masking, thickness tolerance, packaging instructions, and transporta- tion are just a few of the details that drive cost. Finishing specifications should be draft- ed with clearly defined quantifiable quality goals that are realistic and achievable. The specification can be general in nature or very specific with regard to processes, finishing materials, and control values complete with well- defined accept/reject guidelines. . Coater's Corner Coater's Corner Michael W. Cravens Powder Finishing Consultants and IKON Powder Coating