A
Abrasion: When friction grinds, wears, or rubs away an object’ surface
Abrasive: Special material (i.e. flint, sand, aluminum oxide, steel grit, silicon carbide, garnet) used to treat a surface
Additive: Substance that is included in a mixture to either give desirable properties to the mixture or suppress any properties that aren’t desirable
Adhesion: A force that binds substances together that are in close proximity or in contact with one another
Adhesive Strength: How powerful the forces are that are between a substrate and a coating
Adsorb: To take in on the surface only
Air Feed: A process by which coating media are carried to the surface that is being coated via spraying
Alkaline Wash: Cleaning parts with a buildup of contaminants via a solution with a high pH
Aluminum Oxide: A medium that is used to roughen surfaces or clean them before being coated through particulate blasting
Average Particle Size: A particle’s average diameter, as determined by testing
B
Back Ionization: A condition in which a buildup in excess of charged particles stops additional media from depositing on a substrate during electrostatic coating. Also called electrostatic rejection (See: Faraday Cage Effect).
Base Material: The substrate that is being coated
Binder: A polymer that serves as an adhesive that joins matrix coatings elements
Blasting: Cleaning or texturing a surface by a stream of abrasive particles that are airborne, used to prepare material. The medium chosen is selected because it matches the substrate’s properties and any material that needs to be removed.
Bond Coat: A layer of preliminary material that is applied to improve the adherence of the spray deposit. Also known as a primer
Bond Strength: The strength of the connection between a coating and the substrate to which it is applied
BTU: British Thermal Unit, a unit of measure that measures heat energy and how much energy is put out by a heat system of an oven
Burn-Off: Removing existing coating that has been cured in place. The temperature of the substrate is raised above the coating’s degradation point until the coating is broken down
C
Cartridge Filter: An air filter, cylindrical in shape, that is used to separate particulate in the air for potential reuse
CFM: Cubic Feet per Minute; measures air volume in context of any equipment that produces an airflow
Coating: Applying coating media on a substrate. Can also refer to the deposit that has been applied
Code Compliant: A process or device that meets standards and can be assumed to be safe and successful
Code Inspector: A person who has the responsibility of ensuring that processes and devices meet certain standards, and who has enforcement powers within a jursidiction
Conductor: Any material that enables electrical current flow
Corrosion: Metal decomposition in which metal oxides are formed when oxygen joins with metal ions. Also called oxidation
Crosslinking: When polymer chains are combined through the curing process in thermosetting plastic resins. The degree of crosslinking determines how tough and chemically resistant the coating is after it is cured
Cyclonic Exhaust: A media recovery unit that uses a centrifugal force process to separate particles from the air
Curing: Using a physical or chemical process to convert or otherwise prepare a substance into a final form. Bonding a substrate to a coating using heat is one example. Also used to describe how heat exposure is used to develop specific properties in a given material
Curing Schedule: A combination of curing time and curing temperature that is needed to cure a material
Curing End Point: When a material that is going through the curing process is determined to have developed desired properties
D
Defect: A feature that causes a component to not meet minimum specifications or standards due to an unintentional effect
Degrease: Removing grease, oil, or wet lubricants from a substrate
Dip & Spin: A technique used to apply coating in which a basket containing parts is placed in a bath to coat it, then removed and subjected to spinning to remove any excess media
Dry Blending: When dry materials are blended together without melting either
E
Edge Coverage: The ability of a coating to build on, flow over, or adhere to sharp edges, corners and angles
Elastomers: Elastic substances that resemble rubber
Environmental Regulations: Laws, regulations, or statutes at the local, state or federal level that are designed to protect the environment and the health of humans
Epoxy: A resin that is flexible and is created by polymerizing an epoxide
Exhaust Booth: An enclosure in which air is induced to flow across the workspace before moving to the outside atmosphere as exhaust. This airflow removes gases, fumes, or airborne particles. Also called a paint booth or spray booth when used for coating
Exhaust Plenum: A device, shaped like a box, that draws air through the workspace before being exhausted into the outside atmosphere. This is used to remove gases, airborne particles, and fumes, like powder coating overspray
Extruder: Device that is used to raise a given material mixture to its melting point before squeezing it into an elongated shape
F
Faraday Cage Effect: An effect that occurs when charged particles are repulsed due to a substrate’s corner or concave feature. The charge builds up at the entry, which prevents new particle penetration into the back of the given cavity
Fillers: Solids and pigments that are used to change a material’s properties or lower its per-pound cost
Film Formation: Forming a continuous film of media used to coat a substrate, caused by particles melted together by heating
Fines: Material that has a smaller size (in terms of particles) than a primary material
Flash Point: The lowest given temperature at which enough vapors will be generated by a solvent to ignite when placed in proximity to an open flame
Flashing: A pre-curing process that evacuates solvents or liquids prior to the full curing process
A brief pre-curing process (often at lower temperatures than the final cure) to evacuate solvents or liquid components prior to full cure.
Fusion: Creating a continuous film with heated polymer particles through flowing and melting
G
Gel Time: How long it takes for a powder to turn into a gel from a dry solid at a given temperature
Grit Size: In blasting media, the size of abrasive grain particles. Referred to by reference numbers provided by the Society of Automotive Engineers
Grounding: Connected electrically to the earth or a consistent negative charge
H
Hybrid Resin: Two or more resins that have characteristics of each separate component
I
Impact Fusion: When a solid mass is formed during the application and delivery process from separate particles that are combined
Intercoat Adhesion: How well a coating material adheres to other, previously applied coatings, like coating films or primers
J
Jamming Booth: A spray booth that is open-faced. Small parts can be used in the booth by jamming them through without them being placed inside the enclosure. Also called an exhaust plenum or a spray wall
K
KISS: A phrase intended to keep processes from becoming overly complicated for no reason. The goal is to keep things simple, rather than needlessly complicate them
L
Liquid: A term used to describe wet painting, as opposed to powder coating with a dry powder
M
Matrix Coating: A coating media in which soft ingredients are incorporated into other ingredients that are usually harder and more wear-resistant. Also called resin bonded coating
Melting Point: The temperature when solid particles start to melt and flow
Micron: A unit of measurement equivalent to 1/25th of a mil
Mil: A unit of measurement equal to a 1/1000th of an inch that refers to thickness
N
Non-Electrostatic Deposition: When material is deposited onto a substrate that is heated to a point higher than the applied material’s melting point
O
Overcure: When the curing temperature or curing time (or a combination of either) goes beyond recommended parameters
Overcure Protection: The protection from excessive curing time or temperature without significant material degradation created from intentional engineering of a material
Overspray: Excess spray material that isn’t deposited on whatever material is being sprayed, such as excess paint, chemical wash, or blasting media
P
Partial Cure: A process used when multiple coatings or layers of a coating are designed to be applied to a substrate. Also used when certain chemicals are introduced during the curing process.
Particle Size: The size of a given granule, by diameter
Particle Size Distribution: Evaluating particles based on quantities and sizes in a sample
Pass: When an object progresses through a device or process. A multi-pass oven, for example, allows for a curing object to change directions and go through the enclosure multiple times
Pencil Hardness: How well a material can resist penetration and can resist gouging by a pencil lead. The rating is based on the classification of a pencil that doesn’t gouge or penetrate the coating
Pigment: Insoluble substances that give color to a material or object
Plate flow: How far a solid flows in its molten state before becoming a gel
Plenum: Used to describe a component in spray booths and ovens in which pressurized air is held before moving to the workspace. Also, where exhausted air is contained before going back into the shop or the outside atmosphere
Post Cure: Enhancing properties of the material that is being cured through a secondary application of the process
Preheat: The application of heat to a material before a specific process. Used often in humid conditions to improve the performance of a process
Preheat Temperature: The temperature that should be attained by a material before going through a specific process
Pretreatment: A term for any process that is used to clean and condition a material before going through a specific process. Proper pretreatment is often necessary for the optimal performance of a process
Q
QC: Quality Control. Evaluating the quality of a given device, material, or process by inspecting samples of whatever is being inspected
R
Reclaim: Collecting and reusing material that hasn’t been completely used during a process
Recovery: Removing material in order to reclaim it for additional use
Resistance (electrical): Opposition to the passage of an electric current through a given material
S
Salt Test: Simulates corrosive environments that are caused by road salt or exposure to marine spray
Sand Blasting: Texturing and cleaning a surface by forcefully applying sand in a stream of compressed air against a given material
Solvent Degreasing: Removing soluble contaminants (such as grease and oil) from a work piece’s surface by exposing it to solvent-based cleaners
Spalling: When a coating unintentionally separates or flakes after being applied
Spray Booth: An enclosure in which media is introduced and contained during a process, and potentially recovered
Static Electricity: When an electrical charge builds up, particularly on a surface that has been coated
Step Mounting: When two or more workpieces overlap intentionally so that protection is afforded by one piece for another during a process
Storage Stability: How well a material can maintain its chemical and physical properties while being stored over a given period of time
Substrate: A surface that is treated, prepared, or coated. This commonly includes metals, such as cast iron, stainless steel, steel, aluminum, bronze, and brass, and also includes materials that aren’t metallic in nature
Surface Treatment: Blasting, chemically pretreating, or otherwise conditioning a surface. Can also include removing previous coatings
System Efficiency: How efficient the system is as a whole, including the sum of all its components, which allows you to compare input from output in the system
T
Thermoplastic: Resin made from plastic that softens after heated and hardens after being cooled
Thermosetting Resin (Thermoset): A resin engineered to change chemically and physically when it undergoes heated curing. Also, a resin that cross links so it retains its hardness when reheated
Transfer Efficiency: The percentage of an object’s coating that is deposited on substrates compared to the overall amount that is directed to the substrate that is to be coated
Transportability: How well a medium can be moved in the air stream through a system of ducts and tubing without incidents
U
Upper Explosive Limit (UEL): The maximum point at which particles that have been suspended in the air will ignite in the presence of a direct ignition source
V
Volatile Content: The amount of material that is lost due to temperature in time, put into terms as a percentage of the weight of the material in the process
Volatility: Vaporizing. Substances have varying degrees of volatility
W
Water Wash: Putting air and fume exhaust through water so that oversprayed fumes or particles are removed from the air
Workpiece: The object or the surface that is being coated
Wrap: How powder and liquid coatings in an electrostatic application adhere to any part of the substrate that isn’t in a line of sight of the delivery system
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