Step 4 - Coating thickness

High performance coating systems require that each application is of a specified thickness when dry. The thickness of the coating is normally measured in microns (one micron is one thousandth of a millimeter).

Wet film thickness
In order to assess the thickness of the coating whilst the application is ongoing a wet film thickness gauge can be used – the wet film thickness reading can be used as a guide to estimate the dry film thickness.

Dry film thickness
Once the coating is dry there are two methods of measuring the dry film thickness: destructive and non-destructive. The most popular method is non-destructive using a dry film thickness gauge. Dry film thickness gauges use physical properties to accurately measure the thickness of the coating quickly and easily in locations chosen by the operator.

Different gauges have different performance capabilities, some basic gauges are used simply to check the film thickness and cannot store or analyse readings, more sophisticated gauges can record multiple readings, the information can be stored in the gauge, and downloaded to a computer for analysis and long term storage.