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Ready to ShipAccording to a keyword search, the three main types of car paint testers are paint thickness gauges, gloss meters, and color matching instruments. Each one serves a different job, so it is worth looking deeper into what these tools do.
DFT gauges stand for “dry film thickness” gauges, which is how they measure the thickness of paint applied on the body of a vehicle. Any number of coatings for car paint services can be applied, such as primer, base coat, and clear coat. The Dry Film Thickness Test is a quantitative check. It helps determine if the right amounts of paint were used in the right places. If the paint is too thick, it will chip, peel, or blisters. If the paint is too thin, it will not provide adequate protection, and the paint may fade or lose its gloss. The tester ensures users do not encounter any of the above issues. Moreover, this tester helps users avoid wasting materials and save money on repainting or repairs.
Another useful tool is the gloss meter. Though it seems simple, it measures the shininess of a car's paint. Many people drive around and think the glossier a car's paint is, the better it is. Now, a car's paint can primarily be glossy, semi-gloss, or matte. Glossy paint reflects a lot of light, semi-gloss reflects some light, and matte paint does not reflect light much at all. What's even crazier is that the originally glossy paint can also become dull due to age, wear, and tear. The gloss meter tester measures how much light gets reflected and compares it with the standard gloss levels required. For example, the gauge gives readings according to three angles: 20° and 60° for specular gloss and 85° for distinct gloss. Body shops use this information to determine the amount of gloss the paint needs. It surely gives the entire paint job a more professional feel to it rather than break the paint in the first instance. Low gloss levels will also be used to mask scratches on older car body paints.
The last instrument that will be elaborated on is the colorimeter. It sure has a fancy name, but all it does is measure color. It sounded way harder than it was. Color is sensed through three parameters: hue, saturation, and brightness. A hue is a term used to refer to a particular color. Saturation refers to how intense or pure that color is, and the last one is a measure of the amount of light that the color contains. It all started with the first car's paint, which did not have more than three average color choices: black, green, and blue. Today, people are bombarded with sub-facility colors. That is why a colorimeter has become an essential tool. It helps match the paint to the original color of the vehicle or adjust the formula to achieve the desired shade. It also offers a shortcut when the business does not have a digital reference sticker, such as the one on Ford vehicles. It provides a perfect match for the colors even when there are different shades available for a specific color, such as red. It can also help detect fading in older cars if it appears subtle.
Car paint testers are commonly seen in body shops, but this section will try to uncover more industries where it is pragmatically used.
Most auto refinishing businesses use a car paint tester over there. According to partially research conducted, 65% of paint testers are used for quality assurance in this field. They check how closely the final product meets industry standards and their own specifications. Without the tester, the refinish work would obtain random results, leaving a sub-facility or unworthy of the good shanty. It is also utilized to locate and measure any discrepancies between the paint used in a vehicle's repair segment and that of the manufacturer's intended design.
Most manufacturers rely on the testers for consistency. They also use it to ensure that all units of a given vehicle identify this set of colors and patterns. Again, it can be a huge problem if people source paint from two different suppliers, as that may lead to two different colors even if the same name is used. To avoid such scenarios, manufacturers use testers to detect such discrepancies.
The demand for such gadgets in custom shops is also high. It assists in the development of unique and new designs. They measure how much each color contributes to this design in its entirety. For example, some manufacturers use dft tools to find out whether a two-tone paint job includes any more than the recommended amount of paint from each category. As a result, it prevents the reflective surfaces from being overly brilliant or made too dull as a consequence.
The way car paint testers are needed in the import and export sector is not much different. Various testers ascertain that the colors in use on the paints globally remain more or less the same. This is useful as most autos traverse several borders before arriving at their destination. Customs agencies may use paint testers to ensure that vehicles comply with local regulations regarding the use of specific types of paint or coatings. These regulations are in place to ensure public safety, prevent environmental harm, and comply with intellectual property laws that protect against counterfeits.
Automotive designers employ paint testers during the initial stages of the designs. It seems like it is a long way back, but testers are believed to have contributed to some of the most renowned designs. They employ them to understand how public perception changes in response to various reflective materials. This insight aids in the storage of new ideas and the promotion of maintenance ideas among the designers; thus, they can put more effort into honing the skills and pragmatically desirable pieces.
Precision
DFT Gauges is here to ensure that the right amount of paint is applied in every single area. The tester benchmark is set to attain a range of ±1 μm for pinning and catching mistakes. This benchmark guarantees that the gauge is precise. This guideline is especially important when tackling multi-coat jobs where one tiny mistake can lead to catastrophe.
]The DFT gauge is fitted with a fingerprint scanner that scans for files as thin as 0 μm and as thick as 2000 μm. Such a wide range helps the instrument remain useful even to old vehicles re-coated with new paint and modern cars with glossy paint finishes.
]The DFT gauge is incorporated with a memory feature that enables it to scan and measure ten readings rapidly and store them for an instant average. The average millimeter value provides an overview of the measurements, thus removing the hassle of assessing each of the readings separately, which makes it faster.
]The DFT gauge is functional in ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Such metal includes steel and aluminum. The gadget features two mode indicators that ensure proper usage on the respective substrates.
Implementation
Paint gauge measure—measure concentrations within such a way that everyone will agree: no special preparations are needed; simply place the probe on the surface, and the reading is active in seconds.
Robust
The tester is constructed with a strong inner frame that is visibly outfitted with impact-resistant casing and is waterproof. This enables outside use in the unfavorable climate to do the work without compromising the results.
Portability
It has a small size, and the Digital Finder Thickness Gauge has a battery supply, making it portable. The availability of a portable gadget means one can conduct tests wherever and whenever they please.
It is vital to note that operating the vehicle's internal paint gauge does not require much assistance or specific information to be executed. There are basic steps that should be followed in the operation of the device:
Preliminary stage
During this time, seek the suitable location to permanently fix the gloss meter—this should be a place with as few disturbances as possible. Then, clean the equipment to remove dust, and avoid contamination that might interfere with the measurement.
Calibration
Further, after the equipment has been adequately cleaned, users are required to conduct proper calibration. Place the instrument on the calibration standard and hit the calibration key. This basically tells the equipment the reference point to work with.
Testing phase
After the procedure, start testing. Place the gloss meter on the surface of the vehicle to paint. Press gently to make contact and grab the measurement. Record each measurement taken.
Data analysis
Lastly, after the conclusion of the test, the data which was obtained should be analyzed. Try to compare the gloss level readings with those that are standard. In case of a major difference, try to re-adjust the paint surface.
Maintenance
Gauges used for gloss work also require some kind of daily gloss to be taken care of.
Correction error
Several colorimeters have internal memory that stores previous readings for an average or reference. Where possible, please note this information so as not to have to gather it again from scratch.
Testing
Conduct a test DFT on some sample surfaces before the main testing begins so as to check for variations in the readings and become familiar with the instrument.
A1: Car paint testers work great, especially the DFT gauges. It gave me precise readings when I used it on my car, showing where I had re painted the car to the original color.
A2: It is not illegal to apply a matte finish to a car. However, regulations concerning the reflectivity of the surface and the colors used apply to this type of finish.
A3: No, flat car wraps are not illegal. However, there may be regulations that restrict the use of certain colors or levels of reflectivity, especially for law enforcement or commercial vehicles.
A4: Various paints can be used to make a car's paint more reflective or dull, such as the kind of material used, the number of layers, and external factors like sunlight.
