Transforming Coil Coating with Inline Wet-Film Measurement: Use Case

Real-time coating control delivers immediate savings, reduces scrap, increases line throughput – and achieves ROI in as little as 3 months.

Coil coaters have long relied on dry-film thickness checks either at the beginning of each coil with offline checks or inline measurement of dry fil thickness taken 100 – 150 meters downstream from where the coatings are applied. By the time issues are detected,  a good portion of coil  is already over‑ or under‑applied – creating unnecessary scrap, wasted paint, and costly rework. 

SpecMetrix® Inline Coating Thickness Measurement Systems change that dynamic completely. With the systems Installed directly after the roll coater measuring wet paint or coating, the system provides 100+ non‑contact, optical measurements per second, giving operators instant visibility into wet-film thickness – the most stable point in the coating process. 

With immediate feedback, coil coaters can verify accuracy beginning at the first meter of production instead of waiting until hundreds of meters of potentially defective material have been wasted. This shift from reactive to predictive control has proven to reduce scrap, cut paint usage, and improve overall coating consistency. 

Learn more about the solution here

The challenge

Traditional quality control methods leave significant gaps: 

• Delayed detection: Most coil coater still use offline QA tests for thickness measurement which causes significant production delays. Even with an inline Dry-film gauge,the measurements can only be obtained after over and often 100–150 meters too late. 

• Material waste: Each out-of-spec event can result in 100–150 meters of scrap 

• Over-application: Legacy nuclear/manual methods often drive up to ~20% primer and top coat over‑application due to poor accuracy 

• Difficult coatings: Metallic and crinkle finishes vary significantly when measured dry, making them hard to control and are much easier to measure in wet state.  

Coaters needed a way to verify application instantly, reduce variability, and bring tighter control to every coating layer – without slowing production. 

The Solution 

SpecMetrix® Inline Coating Thickness Measurement System provides: 

• Real-time wet-film thickness data immediately after application 

• 100+ measurements per second for full-width visibility at full line speed  

• Real time wet data facilitates Closed-loop control capability to optimize applied coating thickness  dynamically  

• Non-nuclear, non-contact technology with no licensing or radiation requirements  

• Reliable measurement on crinkles, metallics, and specialty coatings where dry-film variation is extreme 

With immediate data, operators and automated systems can adjust roll coater settings in real time, preventing defects, reducing waste, and improving coating consistency. 

The results

Coil coaters using SpecMetrix inline wet-film systems have documented significant performance improvements: 

10–20% reduction in paint consumption 

Optimizing toward the lower specification limit cuts unnecessary over-application – with $700K+ in annual savings reported on primer alone, and even greater potential  savings on more expensive topcoats. 

Elimination of 100–150 meters of scrap per defect 

Instant detection means quality issues are caught in the first meter, instead of after a full coil segment. 

ROI achieved in as little as 3 months 

Fast payback driven by reduced paint usage, scrap elimination, and increased coating-line efficiency. 

Improved quality and compliance 

Every meter is measured, delivering audit-ready, traceable data and operator-independent accuracy. 

Better control on challenging coatings 

Wet measurement enables reliable thickness control for crinkle and metallic coatings where dry measurements  are not as useful due to high variaiton of thickness on these coatings. 

By moving thickness verification upstream – to the moment coatings are applied – coil coaters gain complete, real-time control over their process. The result is a more efficient, more predictable, and more sustainable coating line that protects quality from the very first meter. 

SpecMetrix® Inline Coating Measurement Systems deliver measurable impact quickly: reduced material costs, less scrap, higher throughput, and rapid ROI. 

Learn more

Enquire today about the cost-saving potential by using the In-line Coating Measurement System for your coating applications and speak to one of our specialists.