Quality assurance

Quality assurance in surface technology is a key component of industrial production processes, as coatings are decisive for the function, corrosion protection and service life of components. The aim is to ensure stable and reproducible processes that reliably achieve defined coating properties.

Decisive foundations are laid as early as the pre-treatment stage. Cleaning and activation processes are controlled using parameters such as bath concentration, temperature, conductivity or wetting behavior. Deviations at this early stage have a direct effect on the adhesive strength and uniformity of the subsequent coating.

During the coating process itself, the focus is on monitoring process-relevant parameters. These include current density, voltage, bath chemistry and dwell times in electroplating processes as well as application parameters and flow in processes such as cathodic dip coating. The aim is to achieve uniform coating formation without defects, inclusions or localized undercoating or overcoating.

The final test comprises non-destructive and destructive methods for evaluating the coating quality. Typical test parameters are coating thickness, adhesive strength, porosity, roughness and corrosion resistance. In addition, visual inspections and climatic or electrochemical tests are used to map component performance under real operating conditions.

With increasing digitalization, inline-capable measurement methods and data-based process monitoring are gaining in importance. They enable deviations to be detected at an early stage and help to reduce rejects and use resources efficiently. As a result, quality assurance in surface technology is evolving from a pure final inspection to an integral part of process management.