Coating Testing

The product will inevitably be affected by the environment or other objects during transportation or use, resulting in partial functional failure of metal workpiece, such as oxidation, wear, corrosion, etc. The quality of the coating layer has a vital influence on the corrosion resistance，wear and abrasion resistance, degradation resistance, heat resistance, flam resistance, water resistance, electrical conductivity and even the reliability of the product. Therefore, the measurement and control of the coating is critical for control of the metal quality.

STEMart can carry out a series of coating testing on metal workpiece to help manufacturer identify the quality of the coating, improve coating technology and process, improve the surface performance and extend the service life of their products.

Test Capabilities

• Coating thickness testing
  • Metallographic method: Suitable for measuring the local thickness of metal coating and oxide film.
  • Coulomb method: Suitable for measuring the thickness of single-layer and multi-layer metal coatings, such as Au, Ag, Zn, Cu, Ni, C.
  • X-ray spectrometry: Suitable for measuring the thickness of the metal coating that needs to be analyzed in the electroplating and electronic circuit board industries. Including: Au, Ag, Sn, Cu, Ni, Cr and other metal element thickness.
  • Magnetic induction method: Suitable for measuring non-magnetic coatings over ferrous substrates and magnetic coatings over non-magnetic substrates.
  • Eddy-current method: Suitable for measuring non-conductive coatings on non-ferrous conductive substrates, non-ferrous conductive coatings on non-conductive substrates and some non-ferrous metal coatings on non-ferrous metals.
  • Beta backscatter: Non-destructive method for measuring the coating thickness of metal and non-metallic coatings, such as Au, Ag, lead-tine alloy and so on.
  • Microscopical method
• Coating weight testing
  • X-ray fluorescence method: Suitable for determining the coating weight of metallic coatings, such as tin mill products, zinc or zinc iron coatings, aluminum zinc-coating, zinc-aluminum coating, and zinc-nickel coating.
• Adhesion property testing: Assess the coating adherence of the coating layer on metallic substrate with salt spray testing, humidity testing or Olsen dome testing.
• Coating structure analysis
  • Analysis of structures in micrometer level
    • XRF directly check
    • X-section + SEM/EDS
  • Analysis of structures in nanometer level
    • FIB + Super SEM/TEM-EDS
• Coating composition analysis:
  • Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF): Determine the composition of single- or multi-element metal coatings applied by chemical or electrochemical processes.
• Coating porosity testing
  • High voltage continuous DC method: Test the porosity of non-conductive coatings on conductive substrates.
  • Nitric acid vapor method: Determine the porosity in gold coatings.
• Coating failure analysis
• Abrasion and wear testing
• Impact testing
• Adhesion testing
• Corrosion testing
• Surface and morphology analysis

For more information about our coating testing services, please contact us.