Cupping testers are employed in the testing of the elongation and deformability of lacquers and protective coatings applied to metal substrates. This sort of test is essential because it allows one to test the durability of a lacquer or protective coating before the coating is applied to a product.
The cupping tester operates by using a punch to push upon the unpainted side of a coated panel until the painted side shows signs of deformation (cracks) in the coating. It is when cracks start to appear that the lacquer or coating's durability can be recorded, this durability is known as the coating's flexibility rating. [1]
The test can also be performed according to a predetermined depth. For example, if a coating needed a certain flexibility rating, then the tester would be set to a depth in accordance with that rating, without the need to deform the coating until it fails.
There are a variety of cupping testers, ranging from the manual to the fully automated, and from single substrate to multiple substrate testers. However, generally they consist of a solid metal base which forms a circle over which the coating is tested. There is a punch that will go up to and through this metal hole in order to apply pressure to the coating and substrate. In addition to these core components, there is usually an included magnifier which helps to determine the point of major deformation. These components can be arranged in a variety of ways, but these components remain consistent in all designs. [2]
Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many colors—and in many different types. Paint is typically stored, sold, and applied as a liquid, but most types dry into a solid. Most paints are either oil-based or water-based and each has distinct characteristics. For one, it is illegal in most municipalities to discard oil-based paint down household drains or sewers. Clean-up solvents are also different for water-based paint than they are for oil-based paint. Water-based paints and oil-based paints will cure differently based on the outside ambient temperature of the object being painted Usually, the object being painted must be over 10 °C (50 °F), although some manufacturers of external paints/primers claim they can be applied when temperatures are as low as 2 °C (35 °F).
Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade due to the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmented as desired. It is sold commercially in various shades.
Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity.
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture. Stucco can be applied on construction materials such as metal, expanded metal lath, concrete, cinder block, or clay brick and adobe for decorative and structural purposes.
Japan black is a lacquer or varnish suitable for many substrates but known especially for its use on iron and steel. It is so named due to the history of black lacquer being associated in the West with products from Japan. Its high bitumen content provides a protective finish that is durable and dries quickly. This allowed japan black to be used extensively in the production of automobiles in the early 20th century in the United States. It can also be called japan lacquer and Brunswick black. Used as a verb, japan means "to finish in japan black". Thus japanning and japanned are terms describing the process and its products.
Shot peening is a cold working process used to produce a compressive residual stress layer and modify the mechanical properties of metals and composites. It entails striking a surface with shot with force sufficient to create plastic deformation.
A primer or undercoat is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensures better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provides additional protection for the material being painted.
A transparency meter, also called a clarity meter, is an instrument used to measure the transparency of an object. Transparency refers to the optical distinctness with which an object can be seen when viewed through plastic film/sheet, glass, etc. In the manufacture of sheeting/film, or glass the quantitative assessment of transparency is just as important as that of haze.
Pontypool japan is a name given to the process of japanning with the use of an oil varnish and heat which is credited to Thomas Allgood of Pontypool. In the late 17th century, during his search for a corrosion-resistant coating for iron, he developed a recipe that included asphaltum, linseed oil and burnt umber. Once applied to metal and heated the coating turned black and was extremely tough and durable.
Automotive paint is paint used on automobiles for both protective and decorative purposes. Water-based acrylic polyurethane enamel paint is currently the most widely used paint for reasons including reducing paint's environmental impact.
Alternating current field measurement (ACFM) is an electromagnetic technique for non-destructive testing detection and sizing of surface breaking discontinuities. It was derived from the methods used in eddy-current testing and works on all metals, ferrous or non-ferrous. Since it doesn't require direct electrical contact with the surface it can work through thin coatings such as paint. This practice is intended for use on welds in any metallic material.
Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots on plants, and is usually a sign of disease or malnutrition. Many plant viruses cause mottling, some examples being:
Anti-scratch coating is a type of protective coating or film applied to an object's surface for mitigation against scratches. Scratches are small surface-level cuts left on a surface following interaction with a sharper object. Anti-scratch coatings provide scratch resistances by containing tiny microscopic materials with scratch-resistant properties. Scratch resistance materials come in the form of additives, filters, and binders. Besides materials, scratch resistances is impacted by coating formation techniques. Scratch resistance is measured using the Scratch-hardness test. Commercially, anti-scratch coatings are used in the automotive, optical, photographic, and electronics industries, where resale and/or functionality is impaired by scratches. Anti-scratch coatings are of growing importance as traditional scratch resistance materials like metals and glass are replaced with low-scratch resistant plastics.
A Hegman gauge, sometimes referred to as a grind gauge, grind gage, or grindometer, is an instrument which indicates the fineness of grind or the presence of coarse particles and agglomeration in a dispersion. It is commonly used to determine how finely ground the particles of pigment dispersed in a sample of paint are. This is important because many types of solid materials must be ground into finer particles in order to be dispersed in liquids. The resulting properties of the dispersion vary based on the size of individual particles and the degree which they are dispersed.
Cladding is the bonding together of dissimilar metals. It is different from fusion welding or gluing as a method to fasten the metals together. Cladding is often achieved by extruding two metals through a die as well as pressing or rolling sheets together under high pressure.
Encasement is the coating over, covering or "encasing" of all building components, interior and exterior. This includes all roofing and toxic hazards materials, such as asbestos, lead-based paint, mold/mildew and other harmful substances, found in buildings. The technique of encasing all building components, including unsafe ones, with green coatings is by far the most efficient way to reduce the harmful effects on people and the environment while lengthening the life of buildings. It is an economical alternative to other abatement methods such as removal, disposal and replacement.
According to EN 13523-0, a prepainted metal is a ‘metal on which a coating material has been applied by coil coating’. When applied onto the metallic substrate, the coating material forms a film possessing protective, decorative and/or other specific properties.
Drawdown charts are rectangular pieces of non-fluorescent paper which are used to test a variety of coating properties. These properties include opacity, spreading rate, penetration, and flow & leveling behavior. This non-fluorescent material has to be especially rugged in order to maintain its structure and give reliable readings, as the coatings tested are often corrosive or abrasive. These charts are necessary in the testing of any coating as they give reliable and accurate readings for any type of coating before the coating is applied to the intended material.
The color measurement of a liquid is the evaluation of that liquid's color properties. This is usually done through visual means, but can also be done by through automated means. The former provides approximate data, while the latter can provide objective data on the color properties of any given liquid.
Architectural coatings or paints are paints and other coatings used to paint the exteriors and interiors of buildings, often called exterior wall coatings or external masonry coatings. Clear varnishes and lacquers are generally excluded. Such products are usually designated for specific purposes such as roof coatings, wall paints, or deck finishes. Coatings are eco-friendly building material that increases the efficiency of energy used and reduces impact on human well-being and the environment. The coatings are typically applied with brushes, rollers or sprayers. Wall coatings are generally not suitable for amateur or DIY application as the installation of a wall coating typically requires not only training and skill, but specialist equipment such as a paint spraying machine. Most masonry surfaces can be treated an exterior wall coating, such as render, pebbledash, stone, stucco or brick. Most coatings are designed to be microporous in nature, allowing captive moisture within the wall to evaporate outside, whilst not allowing the passage of water to be drawn inside the building, thus largely providing a secondary feature apart from decoration, and that is to weatherproof a wall, and to stop damp forming inside the building. These coatings are intended for on-site application and do not include "factory-applied coatings for building products such as vinyl siding or aluminium window frames [that] may ultimately be used for architectural end-uses".