Coating components for electronics, medical devices, consumer vehicles or aerospace equipment requires meticulous practices. Understanding what causes coating failure can help you master your techniques for more durable finishes when applying sealants, paints and adhesives.
What Causes Coating Failure?
Coating issues result from one or multiple factors. Imperfections in a finished product mostly relate to application errors and applying coats in an unsuitable environment.
It may take a manufacturing team time to pinpoint the exact problem. Completing routine inspections in the workplace and verifying workers are properly trained to complete responsibilities are solid first steps in coming up with a bond failure solution.
Common Causes of Coating Defects in Manufacturing
Here are a few elements or practices that lead to coating defects, along with coating failure prevention techniques:
Improper Storage Methods
When the correct temperatures are ignored inside a manufacturing facility, coatings deteriorate or apply unevenly. Leaving electronic chips, circuit boards, vehicle parts or medical instruments in locations that are too hot or cold can result in bubbling, cracking, or failing to adhere to the treated surface.
Watching out for humidity is necessary for strong bonds and coatings. Many professionals install humidity monitors when atmospheric moisture in the air fluctuates near the equipment.
Careless Handling
Manufacturers have a responsibility to treat components and finished products with care. Coatings can be damaged when original goods are transported to different rooms or vehicles.
Wearing protective gloves and making sure items are packaged to absorb shock from accidental drops can be the difference between having a flawless coating and one that is less than ideal.
Differing Techniques
All employees must apply coatings in the same fashion. Training is of the utmost importance in a manufacturing facility — whether someone relies on spraying or brushing equipment to apply coats, the way someone goes about the process may yield different results.
Specify the length of time engineers or technicians should expose surfaces to solutions and the distance at which equipment should be from surfaces.
Overly Thick or Thin Coats
The thickness of surface coats impacts strength. Manufacturing teams must be aware of the types of surfaces they are treating to determine the best application method.
Some surfaces may require several coats for a satisfactory finish and aesthetic. These details should be figured out long before treating goods in large quantities for cost-savings.
Incompatible Coatings
Not all surfaces accept coats, finishes and primers in the same way. Choosing a solution that is incompatible with a substrate is one of the common causes of coating defects.
It’s possible for a material to reject a coating based on the ingredients. Taking the extra step to prepare surfaces properly and research materials goes a long way.
Insufficient Curing Times
Coatings need to adhere to the surface before experts can move items along in the production process. If there is trouble with coats dripping, cracking or changing color, it could be that items were rushed to the next stage of production before curing.
Companies fabricating parts and specialized equipment should explore options for curing stations that allow products to sit in a controlled environment until curing is complete.
Contact With Contaminants
Anything that sits between a surface and a coating has the potential to interfere with adherence. Precautions need to be in place so that airborne particles like dust, dirt or shavings do not settle on the surface you’re working on. Coatings should be applied far away from other operations taking place, especially when workers are cutting or spraying unrelated materials.
Improper Surface Cleaning
Many manufacturing experts perform cleaning procedures to reduce the chances of surface imperfections. Rushing this process or using outdated cleaning methods puts manufactured goods in jeopardy.
Using argon plasma to clean surfaces is often the right decision for international companies and engineers searching for solutions.
Surfx Technologies, LLC for Plasma Cleaning and Activation Products
Surfx Technologies creates argon plasma machines for high-volume manufacturing. Whether a company creates electronics or automotive parts, we provide solutions for surface cleaning and activation to increase the quality of coats and bonds.
We are a cut above competitors in the industry thanks to our fully patented technology that allows users to increase the speed of surface treatments while focusing on precision. Our machines use plasma with oxygen or hydrogen to clean surfaces with a reduced chance of surface damage — even sensitive electronics and chips.
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Surfx Technologies helps you reduce residues and contaminants on surfaces inside your manufacturing space.
Browse our available products and contact our professionals to schedule a demo with us.