Qualicoat approvals

Worldwide quality label for aluminium pre-treatment
Independently tested
AD products meet or exceed the current market standards

AD Chemicals offers various Qualicoat approved pre-treatment systems, both on a chromium trivalent basis and completely chrome free.

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Qualicoat approvals

Qualicoat is an European based institute that grants approvals for alternative aluminium pretreatment systems produced by chemical manufacturers worldwide.

AD Chemicals is a proud Qualicoat member for more than 15 years. Below table shows the Qualicoat approvals of AD.

Product	Qualicoat certification number	Since	Chemical technology
PreCoat CR Free	A-021	2003-05-23	chromefree
PreCoat Color	A-096	2013-07-25	chromefree
PreCoat A34	A-126	2016-12-05	chromium(III), chrome trivalent

What is Qualicoat?

Qualicoat is a global quality label organisation committed to maintaining the quality of lacquering, painting and coating on aluminium and its alloys for architectural applications. It is a not ‘for profit association’. Its registered office is situated in Zurich, Switzerland. Qualicoat is the world’s leading quality label for the coating of aluminium.

Laboratory tests to meet Qualicoat standard

In order to comply with the Qualicoat standard the following tests have to be completed to satisfaction.

Quality test	Details	Requirement
Dry adhesion	ISO 2409 The adhesive tape is prescribed by the standard. The spacing of the cuts shall be 1 mm for organic coating thicknesses of up to 60 μm, 2 mm for thicknesses between 60 μm and 120 μm, and 3 mm for thickness over 120 μm.	The result shall be 0.
Cupping
Bend	All organic coatings except class 1.5, 2 and 3 powder coatings 3: ISO 1520 Class 1.5, 2 and 3 powder coatings: ISO 1520 followed by a tape pull adhesion test.	Minimum 5 mm for powder coatings (classes 1, 1.5, 2 and 3) Minimum 5 mm for liquid coatings. Using normal corrected vision, the organic coating shall not show any sign of cracking or detachment, except for class 1.5, 2 and 3 powder coatings. Class 1.5, 2 and 3 powders coatings: Using normal corrected vision, the organic coating shall not show any sign of detachment following the tape pull adhesion test.
Impact	The impact shall be carried out on the reverse side, whereas the results shall be assessed on the coated side. – Class 1 powder coatings (one- and two-coat), energy: 2.5 Nm: ISO 6272-2 / ASTM D 2794 (indenter diameter: 15.9 mm) – Two-coat PVDF powder coatings, energy: 1.5 Nm: ISO 6272-1 or ISO 6272-2 / ASTM D 2794 (indenter diameter: 15.9 mm) – Class 1.5, 2 and 3 powder coatings, energy: 2.5 Nm: ISO 6272-1 or ISO 6272-2 / ASTM D 2794 (indenter diameter: 15.9 mm) followed by a tape pull adhesion test as specified below.	Using normal corrected vision, the organic coating shall not show any sign of cracking or detachment, except for class 1.5, 2 and 3 powder coatings. Class 1.5, 2 and 3 powder coatings: Using normal corrected vision, the organic coating shall not show any sign of detachment following the tape pull adhesion test.
Resistance to humid atmospheres	ISO 3231 (0,2 l SO2 – 24 cycles) A cross-cut incision with a width of 1 mm shall be made to cut the organic coating down to the metal.	No infiltration exceeding 1 mm on both sides of the scratch, and no change in colour or blisters in excess of 2 (S2) according to ISO 4628-2.
Acetic acid salt spray	ISO 9227 A cross-cut incision with a width of 1 mm shall be made to cut the organic coating down to the metal. The test shall be carried out on three test pieces of AA 6060 or AA 6063. For all organic coatings except class 3 powder coatings: testing time: 1000 hours. For class 3 powder coatings: testing time: 2000 hours.	No blistering in excess of 2 (S2) according to ISO 4628-2. An infiltration of maximum 16 mm2 is allowed over a scratch length of 10 cm but the length of any single infiltration shall not exceed 4 mm.
Wet adhesion	Boiling water Immerse a sample in boiling demineralised water. Remove the sample and allow it to cool down to room temperature. The cross-cut shall be made after one hour but within two hours.	On visual inspection, there shall be no sign of detachment or blistering. Some colour change is acceptable.
Condensation water	ISO 6270-2 A cross-cut incision with a width of at least 1 mm shall be made to score the organic coating down to the metal. The test duration is 1000 hours for all organic coatings except class 3 and 2000 hours for class 3 organic coatings.	No blistering in excess of 2 (S2) according to ISO 4628-2; the maximum infiltration at the cross is 1 mm.
Filiform corrosion	ISO 4623–2 with the following modification The scratches shall be made as follows: Make the horizontal and vertical incisions (method A) with a length of 10 cm each. If the panels are not wide enough, the horizontal incisions may be replaced by two incisions, each 5 cm in length, at the top and bottom of the panel.	Acceptable limits within 10 cm on each side of the scratch L (longest filament) ≤ 4 mm M (average length of filaments) ≤ 2 mm Number of filaments ≤ 20

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