Q-PANEL Standard Substrate

Applications Guide
Q-PANEL APPLICATIONS GUIDE Revised 22 Oct 2009
LP-0867

Draft for Discussion Only

Steel Aluminum
Q-PANEL® Type D QD R S R-I A AL
Thickness (inches) 0.010" 0.020" 0.032" 0.032" 0.032" 0.025" 0.025"
Thickness (mm) 0.25 mm 0.5 mm 0.8 mm 0.8 mm 0.8 mmm 0.64 mm 0.64 mm
Coating - - - - phosphate - chromate
Finish smooth smooth matte ground - smooth smooth
Roughness RMS (micro-inches) <20 μ in. <20 25-65 20-45 25-65 10-20 10-20
Roughness RMS (micro-meters) <0.5μm <0.5 0.63-1.65 0.50-1.14 0.63-1.65 0.25-0.5 0.25-0.5

VISUAL PROPERTIES
Color Measurement 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Gloss Measurement 4 4 5 4 4 4 4
TECHNICAL BULLETIN

Wave Scan (orange peel) 4 4 6 6 5 4 4

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Abrasion - Taber 7 5 4 4 4 5 5
Abrasion - other 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Adhesive (scratch, cross-hatch) 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Adhesive (pull-off) 6 5 4 4 4 5 5
Impact 0 6 4 4 4 5 5
Bend - Mandrel 5 4 4 4 4 4 4
Bend - Zero t 4 4 5 5 5 6 6
Gravelometer 0 7 4 4 4 7 7
Film Thickness - wet film 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Film Thickness -electronic dry film 4i 4i 4i 4i 4i 4i 4i
Hardness - pencil 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Hardness - rocker 6 5 4 4 4 4 4

CHEMICAL / ACID
Chemical Resistance 5 5 4 4 4 4 4
Acid Resistance (coating itself) 5 5 4 4 4 4 4
Acid Resistance -corrosion of substrate 5s 5s 4s 4s 4s 4a 4a

WEATHERING & CORROSION

Corrosion - Salt Spray 5s 4s 4s 4s 4s 4a 4a
Corrosion - Humidity / Condensation 5s 4s 4s 4s 4s 4a 4a
Corrosion - Outdoor Natural Exposure 7st 6s 4s 4s 4s 4a 4a
Accelerated Weathering 5 4 4 4 4 4 4
Outdoor Weathering 7t 6 5 5 5 4 4

SALES SAMPLES - BATCH RECORDS

Sales Samples (light weight) 4 5 6 6 6 4 4
Batch Records (light weight) 4 5 6 6 6 4 4

BAKING AND CURING

Baking / Curing - Liquid Coating 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Baking / Curing - Powder Coatings 5t 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 == Best
Best çè 00= Not Suitable
= Not Suitable
ii ==good
good if thickness
if your your thickness
instrument instrument works on this metal
works on this metal
s == good
good if use
if end endin use is on steel
on steel.

aa ==good
goodif end
if use
endis use
on aluminum
is on aluminum
t = may be too thin for some applications
t = may be too thin for some applications
Q-PANEL Application Guide - Notes
Color Measurement, Haze Measurement: All types work well for most color and haze measurements
Gloss Measurement: Type R is rougher, and the texture may “telegraph” through some thin coatings.
Wave Scan (Orange Peel): This “Distinctness of Image” test requires an extremely smooth substrate.
Recommend Type QD, D, A or AL. Surface texture of Type R, S and R-I may “telegraph” through the coating.
Abrasion – Taber: Requires fairly strong and robust panel. Recommend Type R, S, or R-I.
Abrasion – Other: All types work well for most abrasion tests.
Adhesive – Scratch or Cross Hatch: all types work well for scratch adhesion.
Adhesive – Pull Off: Requires robust panel to prevent deformation during pull-off. Recommend R, S or R-I.
Impact: D is too thin; metal will often break in impact. QD, A, and AL will break in severe impacts.
Use R, S or R-I.
Bend – Mandrel: Most panels will work for most mandrel bends. If bending with just your fingers, recommend
D, A or AL, because they are thinner and easier to bend. If using a bending jig with a handle, you can use
thicker steel panels.
Bend – Zero Thickness: Thinner panels like D and QD are easier to bend. A and AL are too brittle and will
crack when bent back 180o upon themselves.
Gravelometer: D is too thin and will dent and deform badly upon gravel impact. QD, A and AL will also usually
deform too much. Deformation of the panel dissipates energy that is supposed to go into chipping the
coating. Recommend R, S or R-I.
Film Thickness – Wet Film: Any type will work fine.
Film Thickness – Electronic Dry Film: Some electronic thickness instruments work only on steel or only on
aluminum. Make sure the panel is made out of the appropriate metal for your instrument.
Hardness – Pencil: Any type will work fine.
Hardness - Rocker, Shore, Barcol, Pendulum: Any type will work fine.
Chemical Resistance: Any type will work fine.
Acid Resistance of Coating Itself: Any type will work fine.
Acid Resistance – Corrosion of Substrate: Use steel panels if end use is on steel; aluminum panels if end
use is on aluminum.
Corrosion – Salt Spray and Humidity: Use steel panels if end use is on steel, aluminum panels if end use is
on aluminum. Sometimes Type D panels are too thin. When using steel panels, be sure to protect the back
side to avoid extraneous corrosion that may contaminate the test.
Corrosion – Outdoor Natural Exposure: Use steel panels if end use is on steel, aluminum panels if end use
is on aluminum. Thinner steel panels like D or QD may be subject to wind damage.
Accelerated Weathering: Most types work fine. Accelerated weathering usually does not produce corrosion,
so the type of metal is not critical. Type A and AL are a little more convenient because the back does not
need to be protected to prevent rust.
Outdoor Weathering: Thin panels like Type D or QD may be subject to wind damage. Type A and AL may
also be subject to wind damage, but they have the advantage of being free from corrosion that can interfere
with viewing gloss and color loss. Type R and S and R-I are thick and strong, so they resist wind damage.
However, remember to coat the back of steel panels to prevent extraneous corrosion. Type R-I panels
produce better adhesion because of the phosphate coating.
Samples and Batch Records: Most people prefer the lightest panels; Type D, A or AL. Type AL panels usu-
ally provide better adhesion because they have a chromate pretreatment, so the paint will be less likely to
scratch off.
Baking and Curing: Most types work fine. However, some types of powder coatings require a substrate with
more mass than is found in the very thin Type D.
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