Qualicoat, Quality System and Approval Body

This article has been prepared to provide manufacturers in the paint industry with a detailed introduction to Qualicoat and precise information. First, let us redefine Qualicoat for those producers unfamiliar with it. Qualicoat is a Switzerland-based quality system and certification organization. In 1986, several national associations covering coatings for architectural components established a quality label organization called Qualicoat. Their objective was to raise and standardize quality levels throughout Europe by establishing rules applicable to the paint industry. Companies from all five continents became licensees, and since then the number of national and international associations has continued to grow. Through its efforts over the past decade, Qualicoat has played a key role in improving the quality of painted aluminum systems used in architecture. The aluminum industry, coating material suppliers, and pre-treatment chemical manufacturers have been represented in Qualicoat committees from the beginning, thereby facilitating the exchange of ideas between coatings and their suppliers. Qualicoat members are national or international associations that have signed a Master License agreement with Qualicoat, the quality control association in the varnishing, paint and coating industry. These are called General License Holders. These associations worldwide have the authority to permit companies engaged in paint coating of aluminum components for architectural construction structures to use the Qualicoat trademark.

What are the benefits of a Qualicoat certificate?

To obtain the Qualicoat label and thus conformance: • Licensed facilities provide a distinct competitive advantage over competitors, • Customers receive coated products that meet quality and performance criteria clearly defined by standards.

How is a Qualicoat conformance certificate obtained?

• Qualicoat is an international standard that has rapidly spread and established itself worldwide. In general scope, product certifications are conducted under the following main categories: Liquid and Powder Paint Manufacturers – Qualicoat certificate, Chromium-free Chromate Chemical Manufacturers – Qualicoat certificate, Aluminum profile manufacturers who coat with Qualicoat-approved powder paint – Qualicoat certificate, Decorators (those who coat aluminum surfaces with Qualicoat-approved powder paints and coat them with Qualicoat-approved films) – Qualideco certificate, Film Manufacturers – Qualideco certificate, Powder paint manufacturers (those manufacturing powder paint suitable for film application) – Qualideco certificate may be obtained.

The progress of this process in our country can be briefly described as follows;

1- Any organization wishing to obtain any of the certificates listed above must first become a member of AYID, 2- The organization must submit an official application clearly stating its request along with technical documentation reflecting product information to AYID regarding the conformance it wishes to obtain, 3- When AYID deems the application suitable, it informs the Inspectors for inspection of the organization, 4- One inspector visit announced and one unannounced, the inspector checks whether the production area meets the requirements of Qualicoat 16th Edition and the conditions required according to the organization's request, 5- If the organization proves that it meets all requirements (necessary laboratory equipment has been procured, surface treatment and paint lines are kept under control and necessary checks are carried out regularly, etc.) as evidenced in the inspection reports kept during these inspections, after the 2nd inspection from the production area, depending on the company's application, samples including a witness are taken for powder paint and/or powder paint-coated profile and/or chromium-free chromate chemical and/or film coated with powder paint, and these are sent to a test laboratory approved by Qualicoat and holding EN ISO 17025 Accreditation certificate for the necessary tests, 6- The laboratory conducts tests according to Qualicoat requirements and reports the results to Qualicoat, AYID, and the inspector, 7- If results are suitable, Qualicoat sends the Conformance Certificate specially prepared for the company to AYID, and the company begins using this label on product packaging, 8- Every year, the sustainability of product quality conformance is checked by interim inspections using the same methods. As can be seen in the steps above, Qualicoat, AYID, the inspector, and the test laboratory are organizations that must work in coordination to verify that this conformance is achieved. AYID; Qualicoat's General Licensor for Turkey, Inspector; An independent person inspected and approved by Qualicoat, Test laboratory; An independent, autonomous test laboratory that has passed Qualicoat inspection and approval and holds an EN ISO 17025 accreditation certificate. In this article, detailed information will be provided especially for powder paint manufacturers showing intense interest in this certificate. The Qualicoat management committee, through regular meetings held every year, brings manufacturers, laboratories, licensors, and inspectors under one roof and records all kinds of suggestions, ideas, and work for the improvement of the Qualicoat quality system. These meetings serve to continuously renew and improve the quality system. One can easily access Qualicoat through its internet address, freely obtain the current 16th Edition standard, and have the opportunity to see clear information on what all requirements are. Of course, it should be noted that the specification is in English. As can be seen, the Qualicoat standard has been revised 16 times since its first edition. The following information should be provided regarding powder paints; According to the Qualicoat standard, powder paints are divided into 4 Classes: Class 1, Class 1.5, Class 2, and Class 3, and 3 types in terms of Category. Cat.1: matt paints, 0-30 Gu Cat.2: semi-matt-satin paints, 31-70 Gu Cat.3: gloss paints 71-100 Gu Class differences occur particularly depending on the performance values of powder paint in corrosion resistance and UV light resistance tests. The table below provides some tests and durations to explain Class differences. Now let us provide information about test laboratories and the tests that must be performed. Only 9 laboratories worldwide have been authorized to conduct tests according to the Qualicoat Standard across 5 continents. You can see this list in the table below. As you can see, I also wish to note that as Metaltek Teknoloji Laboratory, we experience the joy and pride of being a Qualicoat-approved laboratory capable of conducting Qualicoat tests in our country. Our laboratory has eliminated the need for our manufacturers to go abroad for test compliance. Our laboratory, equivalent to international laboratories, gave us the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the world as a Turkish brand.

What tests are performed on a powder paint that meets Qualicoat requirements?

For initial Qualicoat approval, the inspector takes samples from 3 colors, each 2 kg, from the applicant company. Along with these powder paints, 1 aluminum plate coated with these paints is requested from the manufacturer. Gloss control is first performed on these plates. For products suitable in terms of gloss, color deviation is checked against original HRA-type RAL cards to determine distance from reference color, and if within color compatibility limits, the paint is accepted to begin testing. These are primary colors and must be tested in the first application and in tests. If the manufacturer wishes, it may add metallic colors to its application. These colors will be as follows. For Class 1-1.5 and 2; 1- RAL 9010- White, 2- RAL 5010- Blue, 3- RAL 3005- Red, 4- RAL 9006 -Metallic, if desired. Using suitable aluminum plates (5005 and 6060 series) by the laboratory, they are first passed through surface preparation baths and chromated with chromium-free chromate chemical. The chromium-free chromate chemical used must also be Qualicoat-approved. After proper surface treatment, aluminum plates are then coated with the manufacturer's supplied powder paints and cured, taking into account the baking temperature and time in the information sheets supplied by the manufacturer. On plates prepared for testing and coated with powder paint to an average film thickness of 60-80 μm, mechanical, corrosion, and aging tests are performed in succession. These tests are as specified on the other page. Tests are performed on 3 plates each and the acceptance criterion is the success demonstrated by 2 of the 3 plates. The tests to be performed are as follows: 1-Gloss, 2-Paint Coating Thickness, 3-Dry Adhesion, 4-Indentation (Mark), 5-Settling Test, 6-Bending Test, 7-Impact Test, 8-Moisture resistance test, 9-Acetic acid salt spray test, 10-Accelerated climate test, 11-Polymerization test, 12-Mortar adhesion test, 13-Wet adhesion, 14-Moisture condensation test, 15-Water spot test, 16-Natural climate (Florida) test. The laboratory performs the first 15 tests listed above and reports the test results to Qualicoat, AYID, and the inspector. If the results of 15 tests are reliable, initial provisional approval called P number by Qualicoat is given to the manufacturer through AYID, and the manufacturer begins using the P-xx numbered Qualicoat label with provisional conformance obtained on packaging labels. If laboratory test results are unsuccessful for primary colors, the company is informed and the process starts again. In the meantime, for suitable test results, the laboratory prepares new test plates to enter the Florida natural aging test according to Class categories and sends them to the assigned Qualicoat laboratory for testing. Specially coded plates are subjected to testing in Florida according to Class categories for the requested test periods. If test results are suitable for all primary colors but unsuitable for metallic only, Qualicoat informs the general licensor that provisional conformance is made permanent, but the metallic color is removed from scope. If any non-conformance occurs in even one of the primary colors after the Florida test, the initial approval is canceled and the manufacturer starts all processes from the beginning. While the Florida test is ongoing, each new year at the beginning of the year, 2 of the 3 new colors announced by Qualicoat are selected by the manufacturer, and renewal is started over the same tests. Inspector attendance is not necessary for renewal procedures. By the end of May each year at the latest, the manufacturer must send the 2 colors it selected and any metallic color, along with 1 painted plate each for the laboratory to conduct tests. The purpose here is to ensure that powder paints containing all colors in the entire RAL catalog undergo testing over the years. Similar applications and procedures apply to all label rights conformance such as Qualideco, Qualanod, and all manufacturers have the opportunity to easily access and review each standard requirement on the internet. Tuncay Katırcı Chemical Engineer Laboratory Manager Metaltek Teknoloji Laboratory