1. Latest Advances in Dry Film Thickness Measurement Techniques
Craig Woolhouse
Elcometer

2. Coating Inspection Trends
Modern Project Specifications require inspection at all key stages of the application process
Surface Profile
Surface Cleanliness
Climatic Conditions
Dry Film Thickness
Adhesion
Appearance

3. Coating Inspection Trends
Modern Project Specifications require inspection at all key stages of the application process

4. Coating Inspection Trends
Modern Project Specifications require inspection at all key stages of the application process
This requires increased inspection throughout the whole coating preparation and application process

5. Coating Inspection Trends
Modern Project Specifications require inspection at all key stages of the application process
This requires increased inspection throughout the whole coating preparation and application process
We also need to provide evidence that this work is being done

6. Coating Inspection Trends
Modern Project Specifications require inspection at all key stages of the application process
This requires increased inspection throughout the whole coating preparation and application process
We also need to provide evidence that this work is being done
This evidence is in the form of electronic reports

7. Coating Inspection Trends
Equipment to record data must be
Rugged
Accurate/Reliable
Calibrated/Certified
Batch Memory/Time & Date Stamped
Traceability/Serial Number
Elcometer have developed a range of gauges in response to these market demands

8. Coating Inspection Trends
Blast Surface Profile
Digital Profile Gauges with memory and wireless data transfer

9. Coating Inspection Trends
Substrate Cleanliness
Digital Chloride Salt Gauges with memory and wireless data transfer

10. Coating Inspection Trends
Environmental Conditions
Digital Dewmeter Gauges with memory and wireless data transfer

11. Coating Inspection Trends
Dry Film Thickness
More of this later…..

12. Coating Inspection Trends
Coating Adhesion
Digital Pull Off Adhesion Tester with memory and wireless data transfer

13. Coating Inspection Trends
Coating Appearance
Digital Glossmeters with memory and wireless data transfer

14. Coating Inspection Trends
To organise the volumes of data collected during inspections Elcometer have developed: a data management solution
ElcoMaster Software – PC and Laptop
ElcoMaster Mobile Software – iOS and Android
Provides one standard platform for all Elcometer gauges
USB/Bluetooth/Cloud/ /Live data

15. Data Management – ElcoMaster™ 2.0
Coating Inspection Trends
Data Management – ElcoMaster™ 2.0
Developing ElcoMaster™ Software
Elcometer looked at other software products in the market
We based the visual appearance and data structure on applications
We designed a ‘one click’ intuitive menu based on Satellite Navigation products

16. Dry Film Thickness Developing the Elcometer 456

17. Contents What does the gauge do? History Gauge Design and Display
Developing the Scan Function
Elcomaster
Elcomaster Mobile

18. Contents History of DFT Gauges
History of DFT Gauges
What does a dry film thickness gauge do?
How does it do it?
Current Gauge Design and Display
Developing the Scan Function
Elcomaster
Elcomaster Mobile

19. History of digital gauge design
1970’s – analogue gauges with some early digital displays
1980 – first microprocessor designs
Mid 1980’s – “hand held computers”
1990 – hand size gauges with data transfer and basic software support
2011 – wireless communications & software support

20. What does the gauge do?
Since the introduction of the mechanical coating thickness gauge in the 1940’s, dry film measurement has allowed comparison of individual measurements to a coating specification
The introduction of digital coating thickness gauges made the process easier, more accurate and repeatable
Modern gauges allow users to automatically:
compare thickness values to a coating’s specification
Highlight when the result is away from the specification
display trend graphs and statistical analysis of the coating data
store data together with the date and time the reading was taken
transfer data wirelessly to a computer or cell phone
record the GPS coordinates of the measurement location

21. How does it do it? First Principles ….
Electronic gauges can only measure on
metallic substrates
If the substrate is magnetic ( ferrous ) then the
gauge uses Electromagnetic Induction
If the substrate is non-ferrous ( non magnetic )
then the gauge uses Eddy Current technique
Moisture in building and building materials including wood, brick, plaster, concrete is of interest if the materials are to be coated but it is also a requirement for surveying and appraisal.

22. How does it do it? Electromagnetic Induction
Coils inside the gauge generate a low frequency magnetic field.
The variation of the field is proportional to the distance between the probe tip and the substrate
A measurement coil measures the magnetic field
Moisture in building and building materials including wood, brick, plaster, concrete is of interest if the materials are to be coated but it is also a requirement for surveying and appraisal.

23. How does it do it? Eddy Current
Coils inside the gauge generate a high frequency magnetic field.
These induce Eddy currents into the substrate
The strength of the Eddy currents are proportional to the distance between the probe and base material
The Eddy current magnetic field strength is then measured
Moisture in building and building materials including wood, brick, plaster, concrete is of interest if the materials are to be coated but it is also a requirement for surveying and appraisal.

24. Current Gauge Design 456C Coating Thickness Gauge
Fourth generation 456 dry film thickness gauge.
Enlarged readings on bright, colour LCD
USB and Bluetooth data output to ElcoMaster ™ 2.0
Secure probe connection for increased durability
70+ readings per minute
A number of optional accessories are available for the 456. The jumbo handgrip is for operators who wear thick industrial gloves. The V-adapter is for round surfaces such as pipes. The portable printer connects to the gauge with a cable where as the Infrared printer is a line-of-sight remote connection over about 0.5M using the Infrared port of the gauge to transmit.

25. Current Gauge Design Considerations: Substrate:
Ferrous or Non-Ferrous Metals
Coating Type
Has to be different to the substrate
Data Logging / Memory
Batching facility
Probe Type
Separate, Integral, PINIP
Thickness to be measured
Range up to 30 mm
These are the basic questions that need to be answered when helping a Customer to chose a coating thickness gauge.

26. The Elcometer 456 is the most popular of the Elcometer coating thickness gauges.
It is available as Basic, Standard or Top software options with either integral or separate probes and F, N or dual FNF operation.
This is the Elcometer philosophy of Customer choice in operation.

27. Current Gauge Design Elcometer 456C
Ferrous, Non-Ferrous and Dual FNF gauge and probe types
Other Options
Basic – Statistics but no data logging
Standard – Store one batch of 1,500 readings
Top – 250,000 readings in nameable batches. Scan probe
Standard & Top have USB and Bluetooth output
The Elcometer 456 is the most popular of the Elcometer coating thickness gauges.
It is available as Basic, Standard or Top software options with either integral or separate probes and F, N or dual FNF operation.
This is the Elcometer philosophy of Customer choice in operation.

28. Current Gauge Design Elcometer 456C Data Transfer Bluetooth technology
Each gauge is uniquely coded & addressed
Code in Bluetooth menu on gauge
No mix-up with other PC’s or software
Alternatively, a wired USB connection may be used to transfer data and power the gauge
A number of optional accessories are available for the 456. The jumbo handgrip is for operators who wear thick industrial gloves. The V-adapter is for round surfaces such as pipes. The portable printer connects to the gauge with a cable where as the Infrared printer is a line-of-sight remote connection over about 0.5M using the Infrared port of the gauge to transmit.

29. Developing the Scan Function
Gauge Reading and Processing Speed
Measurement speeds have increased significantly from 40 readings per minute in the 1990’s to 70 readings per minute in the current standard Elcometer 456
Q: Why this is important especially if only a small number of readings need to be taken at any one location?
A:The measurement speed is used by manufacturers to indicate how quickly an accurate reading can be taken and therefore how soon subsequent readings can be taken

30. Developing the Scan Function
Developing things further…..
Other than the time it takes to move to the next measurement location, the limiting factor for increasing the measurement speed is the time required to lift the probe off and replace it back on to the coated substrate.
If the inspector can set the gauge to take a pre-determined number of readings, without the need to lift the probe off the surface, then the measurement speed can be increased even further
Additionally, if the probe could be ‘dragged’ across the coated surface without damaging the probe or the coating then the need for prescribing the number of readings to be taken over a defined area can be questioned  

31. Scan Probe Technology
Introducing the new Elcometer 456 with Ultra/Scan Probes

32. Scan Probe Technology
Introducing the new Elcometer 456 with Ultra/Scan Probes
The new Elcometer 456 Ultra/Scan Probe has a scan mode reading rate of more than 140 readings per minute - enhancing the speed and accuracy of field based dry film coating thickness measurement
Each Ultra/Scan Probe has been designed to take a ‘snap on’ replaceable end cap, so that the sliding action required to achieve a scan of a coated surface does not cause any wear to the probe tip, crucial to maintaining the accuracy of the probe over its life
Using the Elcometer 456 Ultra/Scan Probe patented offset feature, the thickness of the cap is excluded from any coating thickness measurement and, as the cap wears during use, the wear effect is also accounted for. The gauge will even display a warning message when the wear cap needs to be replaced

33. Developing the Scan Function
Scan Mode
When selected, Scan Mode allows users to slide the probe over the entire surface area. As the probe is lifted off the surface, the gauge displays the average, highest and lowest thickness values over the entire scan
Each set of three readings is then stored into memory, together with the date and time of the scan. The values can also be displayed on the gauge’s display as a run chart
During each scan, the Elcometer 456 displays the live thickness reading together with an analogue bar graph which graphically indicates the thickness relative to both the nominal thickness and any user defined thickness limits 

34. Scan Mode
Scan Mode stores the average, highest and lowest readings over a test area
During a scan the live reading together with an analogue bar graph is displayed
The Run Chart displays the average, highest and lowest readings for each scan
Put simply, the user can now simply ‘drag’ the probe continuously across a coated surface and view the average, highest and lowest readings, as well as whether they are inside or outside any pre-determined limits - immediately  

35. Auto Repeat Mode Auto Repeat Mode
In Auto Repeat Mode, as the probe slides across the surface, more than 2 readings are taken every second, with each individual reading stored in the memory of the gauge
With a reading rate of 150 readings per minute the Auto Repeat Mode significantly speeds up the inspection of large areas of coatings which require the recording and analysis of individual readings

36. Auto Repeat Mode
Auto Repeat Mode measures and stores into memory over 140 readings per minute
The gauge displays the statistical values as each individual reading is taken
The Run Chart displays each individual reading allowing the user to identify trends
In “Auto Repeat Mode” the gauge automatically reads at a rate of 140 per minute until the probe is removed from the substrate and each individual reading is stored into the memory.  “Auto Repeat Mode” can therefore be used to significantly speed up the inspection of large coated areas

37. Developing the Scan Function
Working with Standards and Test Methods
International Standards and Test Methods often describe the number of individual gauge readings to be taken in a spot or over a defined surface area
SSPC PA2 standard requires three gauge readings to be taken per spot measurement and five spot measurements over a 10 m² area. Using the Auto Repeat function the gauge automatically meets this requirement
In this way, the user no longer has to lift the probe thus reducing the time it takes to measure according to PA2 by up to 40%

38. Inspection Report Writing Software ElcoMaster and ElcoMaster Mobile

39. ElcoMaster Features Data Management Software - “Paperless QA”
Data Recording – Material Thickness, Profile, Salt, Climate, DFT, Adhesion and Gloss gauges supported
Data Transfer – via Bluetooth or USB
Data Storage and Access
Data Analysis
Bespoke Reporting and Presentation

40. ElcoMaster Features Data Recording
Using Digital Data Collection Gauges
Data Transfer
Via Bluetooth Wireless Communication
Via USB connection

41. ElcoMaster Features Data Analysis Material Thickness Surface Profile
Surface Cleanliness
Climatic Conditions
Dry Film Thickness
Adhesion
Appearance

42. ElcoMaster Features
Data Presentation – DFT worksheet example

43. ElcoMaster Features
Data Presentation – Bespoke Inspection Report

44. ElcoMaster Features Apple and Android smartphones and tablets
Bluetooth Connectivity
data
Phone/Tablet Features
GPS Location
Camera

45. ElcoMaster Features
Cloud Computing

46. Latest Advances in Dry Film Thickness Measurement Techniques
Thank you for your attention
Questions?