Physical Testing & Evaluations of Coatings & Paints

Spectro has one of the best facilities for the coatings industry and end users to evaluate products for various physical properties critical to product performance and success. Our testing facility evaluates the short-term and long-term durability behaviour of paints and coatings. Our extensive paints and coatings testing facility provide accurate, on-time answers.

SPECTRO Lab helps answer difficult questions such as:

Why is my coatings product losing adhesion?

What is causing blisters or bubbles to form in my applied coating?

How stain-resistant is my paint product?

Physical testing capabilities include:

Application Properties

Liquid Coating Properties

Film Appearance

Coatings Performance

SPECTRO can test touch-up characteristics of brush, roll and spray applications as well, whether at low or room temperature conditions.

SPECTRO has developed special expertise in VOC testing by EPA Test Method 24. Our scientists have measured volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paints and coatings for both manufacturers and end users.

Film Appearance

Applied coatings appearance properties may be evaluated for their aesthetic or visual characteristics. These may include:

Reflectance

Yellowing of other discoloration

Hiding power

Dry film thickness (DFT)

Dry hiding (from porosity)

Gloss (20, 60, 85 degrees)

Opacity, intrinsic (contrast ratio, scattering coefficient)

Opacity, applied (brush, roll, spray)

Color by integrating sphere colorimeter. L*a*b*, L*c*h*, DE

Coatings Performance

Many manufacturers have turned to SPECTRO to learn how their product will perform over time and under different environmental conditions. SPECTRO has developed expertise in examining a wide range of film performance properties including:

Hardness

Flexibility

Adhesion

Impact resistance

Chemical resistance

Corrosion resistance

Stain resistance

Wash ability

Degree of cure

Critical Pigment Volume Concentration (CPVC)

Paint and Protective Coating Tests Available

All the traditional mechanical and adhesion tests ASTM D638, ASTM D790, ASTM D968, ASTM D2240, ASTM D2794, ASTM D3359, ASTM D3363, ASTM D4060, ASTM D4541:

Salt contamination tests

Atmospheric and immersion testing for corrosion protection ASTM B117, CCT,CASS and others

Unique custom test protocols to determine quality of unusual coatings

Failure analysis and root cause determination

UV Testing

Surface Analysis, FTIR,

Electrochemical testing to quantify the protection of various kinds of coatings ,

ASTM standard coating/paint tests ASTM D92, ASTM D93, ASTM D523, ASTM D562, ASTM D1200, ASTM D1210, ASTM D1475, ASTM D1640, ASTM D1653, ASTM D1849, ASTM D2244, ASTM D2369, ASTM D2371, ASTM D2486, ASTM D2697, ASTM D2805, ASTM D3723, ASTM D4400

Failure analysis of coatings