Imperial Industries, Inc. has the knowledge and capabilities to handle the most difficult coating requests. We can provide a wide range of coatings including those with extremely difficult application procedures. Imperial's Quality Control team takes great pride in assuring that product application guidelines are followed and our customers are provided with the highest level of quality available in the industry.
Case Study - February 2009
Imperial Industries, Inc. received a multi-tank order that had a unique interior paint system. There were stringent specifications that needed to be met and maintained after the tank was fabricated. Imperial needed to obtain a minimum of a 4.0 Blast Profile and achieve 30-35 MIL paint thickness in two coats. The environment had to be temperature controlled at a minimum of 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for seven days for proper curing of the paint. High voltage nondestructive Holiday Testing had to be completed with a full compliment of Quality Control records.
Blasting Operation
For grit blasting operations, Imperial references the Steel Structures Painting Council (SSPC) Surface Preparation Standards and Specifications for Blasting. SSPC-SP10 was followed to achieve the Near White Blast cleaning that was required. Quality Control inspected the blast profile to ensure the proper blasting profile had been achieved. Replica tape was used to obtain an impression of the blast profile and a calibrated Thickness Gage, traceable to NIST standards was used to ensure we had achieved the average peak-to-valley roughness required.
Painting Operation
The paint used on the interior lining was a Carboline® Plasite® 4006 HAR paint system that was applied in two coats with a total MIL thickness of 30 - 35. Between each coating, the Quality Control team inspected the paint finish and obtained Dry Film Thickness (DFT) readings per SSPC-PA2 using a calibrated electronic DFT Gage, traceable to NIST standards. This gage automatically recognizes the substrate and takes a reading of coating thicknesses.
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
In addition to testing the substrate and MIL thickness of the coatings, Quality Control performed a 100% Holiday Test on the interior lining. This Holiday test was performed per RP0188, National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Standard Recommended Practice Discontinuity (Holiday) Testing of New Protective Coatings and Conductive Substrates. This high voltage electrical testing was done at 3000 volts to help determine the presence of discontinuities in the paint.
Temperature Control
Imperial maintained the required 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for 7 days as required by the paint specification for proper curing. Readings were
recorded around the clock by use of a calibrated thermocouple temperature instrument.
Documentation
Quality Control documented all phases of the project beginning with the fabrication process. Inspections of weldments and the layout of components were measured. Blast Profile readings were recorded. Paint Inspection Sheets were completed, identifying surface temperatures, humidity and dew point readings. DFT's were logged and averaged. Ambient air temperatures were being recorded 24 hours/day. Holiday Testing was completed and areas were identified and mapped on the interior of the tanks. Any Holidays found were retested to ensure discontinuities had been corrected.
One call to Imperial, (800-558-2945) can result in solving your most demanding coating requests!
We can offer:
Enclosed, climate controlled environment
Latest application and testing equipment
Highly qualified application personnel
Skilled Quality Control Inspection Team
Optional NACE Inspector Certification, if required
