Advances in technology have lead to vast changes in Dry Film Thickness (DFT) testing methods. These changes have not only improved the overall user experience and repeatability of measurements, but also have necessitated changes in international standards. Traditionally, industries used both visual and analog devices in conjunction with paper reporting systems to ensure that QA/QC requirements were being met. In the early 1980's, the microprocessor became widely available for application in portable test equipment. Manufacturers, in conjunction with the technology industry, developed the first electronic inspection tools. With the advent of affordable mainframes and the swell of PC availability and usage, instruments were, for the first time, able to be linked in real time to DOS programs. The era of electronic Statistical Process Control (SPC) was born. Due to physical and networking limitations, electronic SPC was primarily used in factories and other large-scale production facilities. Gradually, the market demanded that data capture be made more portable, and instruments with onboard memory and data download capability were introduced which ushered in the age of inspection instruments with features heretofore only found in computers.

Subject
Test methods, Coating inspection, Protective coatings, Substrates, Laboratory data, Probes, Gauges, Calibration, Inspectors, Inspection, Instrumentation, Dry film thickness, Surface profile
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2014
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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