Coating Inspection

Everything You Need to Know About Coating Inspection

How much could your business benefit from a coating inspection? When do you need such a service, and how do you find someone that you can trust to carry out that inspection? Although "coating" is a more technical term, we mean special types of paint applications here — those used for anti-fouling on marine watercraft, or to protect equipment from corrosive environments, high temperatures, and more. Other coatings are not paint, but indeed another material altogether, such as rubber or even metal. All these processes serve to protect products in their final operational environment. Even as fundamental an effort as applying coatings may be, it is a process that has the potential to be rife with errors that undermine the effectiveness of your investment.

That's where the Corrplus team becomes a part of the equation. Has your operation had a new coating applied on site or do you need to confirm the quality of work performed by another business? The core members of our team have all completed the NACE CIP, equipping us with a strong team that includes individuals who have even earned the highest certification, the NACE Level 3. Let's take a closer look at what teams like ours do, why our help can prove to be so valuable, and look at other important things to know.

What is the Purpose of a Coating Inspector?

What does a coating inspector do, and why do you need to pay for someone to look at paint? Some initially wonder if they genuinely need to pay others to "watch paint dry," but the truth of the matter makes it easier to see what services such as ours provide for businesses. Let's take a quick look at the basics of coating inspection and what it is for:

Problems can develop at any stage of a coating's application, even during pre-treatment. If left unchecked and unnoticed, these problems can balloon into major issues later, potentially rendering the entire coating ineffective at its intended purpose.
An inspection service works to guard against that possibility by providing a comprehensive overview of the entire process your chosen provider will use. This process includes examining the site or surface that requires painting ahead of time to make the most thorough assessment of its condition.
Inspections also take place during and after the coating process, working to guarantee that your service provider takes all the proper steps to deliver valuable and effective surface protection. Post-application inspections are also available for those who simply wish to confirm the quality of work performed before beginning service.

The Importance of a NACE Certified Coating Inspector

Understanding when and why you may need a professional inspector to examine a coating on your equipment is important. Still, you must also understand why type of inspector to seek out. What is a NACE certification, why is it so important, and what we have done to surpass the NACE Coating Inspector Level 2 qualification? Here's a quick breakdown of what all that means in practice.

NACE stands for the National Association of Corrosion Engineers. This United States-based certifying body provides extensive qualification options for those seeking to understand how to protect equipment from corrosion damage adequately. NACE administers three levels of qualifications, with NACE level 1 being the most basic and level 3 being the most advanced.
Level 3 inspectors have demonstrated the capability to provide service in the field and within lab/shop settings, while also having advanced knowledge of non-liquid and liquid coatings alike. Corrplus has a team that features level 3 inspectors for the most advanced assessments possible.
NACE certifications have an accepted Australian accreditation. Therefore, our clients can trust that they're receiving a fully licensed and approved service as they seek to safeguard investments from corrosion.

Things You Can Learn From a NACE Paint Inspector

When you enlist an inspector certified by NACE for painting inspection, what is the ultimate outcome of the service? Do you simply hear "yes, everything is fine" and sign off on the invoice? No. In reality, you can learn a large volume of important information from your inspector, which is why we've invested time and effort into creating highly robust reporting solutions to furnish our clients with as much data as possible. Some of the information you can learn includes:

How well the business applying the coating has prepared and planned for the work at hand. Corrplus inspectors can raise the red flag if surface preparations are inadequate, or if poor documentation leaves questions about the work performed. These warnings can save your business both time and money.
Whether the coating crew made any mistakes during the process, such as the thickness of the coating applied or the amount of time it was allowed to cure. Even small defects and oversights during some stages of the process could mean you face a need to order a new coating sooner than typically necessary.
In the best-case scenario, your inspector can inform you that the coating in question was properly applied, that all standards were followed to the letter, and that the newly-coated item or structure is ready for active service.

The Benefits of Using Our Team with a Level 3 NACE Qualifica

Should you reach out for any NACE-certified inspector you can find? Recall that our team holds level 3 certifications. When you consider the additional benefits we provide to our clients as a result of our education and experience, it becomes clear that there is an excellent reason to opt for the most highly-trained team available.

Our teams have a large amount of experience to draw upon for your benefit. Some of our recent work includes extensive projects throughout Queensland, such as work with the Metro system. Our knowledge and understanding provide confidence to our clients.
We can go overseas when necessary. Working in a global economy often means requiring foreign manufacturers to produce the necessary components or platforms your business needs. Our thorough inspections at the point of production ensure you don't import faulty products.
Our additional services, described below, make us a very versatile option for businesses working across industries or with multiple simultaneous needs.

Signs You Should Invest in a NACE Coating Inspector

When is it the right time to call for help from a team who has advanced beyond NACE coating inspecting level 1? Do you always need this service, or just in certain circumstances? Look for the following signs that clearly say you should reach out for help from our team soon.

You're awaiting the start of production on assets in overseas locations, and you have concerns about the potential quality control measures your partner has put in place. Dispatch our team to the site, where we will use our NACE-certified skills to document the entire process.
You've experienced a coating failure — or worse, more than one failure on the same project — and you need to find the underlying cause of the issue. We'll explore all the details to produce a comprehensive report.
You simply wish to assure that a critical asset receives the most appropriate coating possible.

What You Can Expect from Corrplus as Your NACE Pipeline Insp

What is the experience of working with Corrplus? Thanks to our wealth of experience, we've developed streamlined workflows that enable our teams to carry out their work quickly and effectively without cutting corners. We leave no stone unturned in our efforts to ensure that the coatings you've paid for will do their job appropriately. Here's what to expect from our service:

Clear communication from end to end. We take pride in staying in close contact with our clients, so there is never a question as to the status of your project.
Data-driven approaches enabled by modern technology. We use the information gained through the NACE coating inspector course and the latest tools to understand the quality of a coating application.
A dedication to the truth and a thorough approach to reporting. When you have questions, you can count on us to find the answers.

Related Services We Provide As a NACE Inspector

At Corrplus, our skills and experience extend beyond basic coating inspections in Australia and Southeast Asia. Our full range of services encompasses a variety of coating-related services and other supporting roles for our industrial partners. Consider some of the other ways in which we may be able to assist your business:

Development of anti-corrosion specifications. Is your team unsure of what kind of coating your application requires to be well-protected? Do you need to determine the most effective way to extend the service life of high-investment equipment? Our team can explore the problem in-depth and produce an exacting specification to provide to your preferred coating partner.
Failure analysis. You've paid to have an expensive coating applied, and at first, everything looked good. Then, weeks or months later, it becomes apparent that the coating failed. What happened? It's not always easy or even possible to tell from a surface point of view. Our team analyses the data closely to see what happened so you can correct the issue and avoid it in the future.
Compliance inspections on gas pipelines and other high-priority materials. Ensure that what you received is what you ordered; don't wait until teams are in the field to discover incorrect tolerances or other hidden problems. Allow the Corrplus team to perform an on-site inspection today.