{"id":9749,"date":"2018-02-13T13:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/?p=9749"},"modified":"2026-07-31T19:58:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T19:58:06","slug":"does-your-metal-coating-stick-new-study-has-a-surprising-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/does-your-metal-coating-stick-new-study-has-a-surprising-answer\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Your Metal Coating Stick? New Study Has a Surprising Answer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" style=\"float: right;border: 0;margin: 10px\" title=\"Does Your Metal Coating Stick?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/02\/istock-641089032_car.jpg\" alt=\"Does Your Metal Coating Stick?\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" \/>Many industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical device, construction, and electronics, use metallic and non-metallic coatings on their products to provide corrosion resistance, wear-resistance, solderability, machinability, hardness, brightness, adhesive qualities, and lubricity (reduced friction in moving parts). Coating materials include paint,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2AJiE5N\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">zinc<\/a>, cadmium, aluminum, chrome, nickel, nickel-chromium, iron oxide, and silver.<\/p>\n<p>Coating materials must be applied in certain thickness specifications in order to express the desired characteristics. Metals that are either over- or under-plated won\u2019t perform as expected. Not only does over-plating waste expensive coating material, if coating thickness inaccuracies aren\u2019t detected, entire coils may end up being scrapped.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2DcAAZn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">On-line process measurement systems<\/a>\u00a0are used in metal manufacturing to measure coating weight thickness in real time.\u00a0Non-contact sensor technologies used in these instruments include <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2CMJbAV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X-ray fluorescence (XRF)<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2CIv2Vq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full spectrum infrared (FSIR)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2AIw55T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Portable\u00a0X-ray fluorescence (XRF)<\/a>\u00a0is an efficient technology for spot analysis of metal coatings, especially in the <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2Dc08py\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aerospace<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2CMJHil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">automotive<\/a> industries. Because of their portability, XRF analyzers can be used anywhere in the aircraft component manufacturing supply chain to improve process and quality control.\u00a0 Handheld XRF analysis also helps ensure that expensive coating material isn\u2019t wasted. Learn more about this\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2mbmmzN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">non-destructive testing solution<\/a>\u00a0for coating thickness measurement and control.<\/p>\n<p>A recent study shows that when it comes to coatings, sometimes getting the appropriate thickness isn\u2019t the issue if the coating isn\u2019t adhering to the metal in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Typically, metals can be bound together by melting them at the bonding point, but MIT researchers have discovered this melting may actually have the opposite effect, a finding with serious implications for the design of certain\u00a0coating\u00a0processes as well as 3-D printing, according to an article on <a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2017-11-metal-coatings.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Phys.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The research team used a high speed camera able to record images at a rate of up to 300 million frames per second.\u00a0 It is so fast that it can track individual particles being sprayed onto a\u00a0surface\u00a0at supersonic velocities, which was previously not possible. The images show that under some conditions, the particles of metal being sprayed at a surface do melt the surface\u2014and that prevents them from sticking. The researchers found that the particles bounce away in much less time than it takes for the surface to resolidify, so they leave the surface still molten.<\/p>\n<p>The findings are relevant for processes where layers of material must adhere to one another, such as those used to coat engine components for reuse, or for some\u00a0metal-based 3-D printing systems. If engineers find that a coating material isn&#8217;t bonding well, they may increase the spray velocity or temperature to increase the chances of melting. However, the MIT study results show the opposite: Melting should be avoided.<\/p>\n<p>The research was reported in the journals\u00a0<em>Physical Review Letters<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Scripta Materialia<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical device, construction, and electronics, use metallic and non-metallic coatings on their products to provide corrosion resistance, wear-resistance, solderability, machinability, hardness, brightness, adhesive qualities, and lubricity (reduced friction in moving parts). Coating materials include paint,\u00a0zinc, cadmium, aluminum, chrome, nickel, nickel-chromium, iron oxide, and silver. Coating materials must be applied in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":9782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[],"division":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9749","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-industry-metals","8":"entry"},"_selected_authors":[1223],"_selected_reviewers":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Does Your Metal Coating Stick? 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This article discusses how X-ray Diffraction (XRD) can be critical in bath control and plant performance, and will delve into the Hall-H\u00e9roult aluminum production process and the role of XRD in that context. Aluminum\u2019s beginnings: a natural\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Metals &amp; Alloys&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Metals &amp; Alloys","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/metals-and-alloys\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"pile of rolled silver aluminum metal. set of industrial materials","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/iStock-1727943935_aluminumrolls.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/iStock-1727943935_aluminumrolls.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/iStock-1727943935_aluminumrolls.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/iStock-1727943935_aluminumrolls.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/iStock-1727943935_aluminumrolls.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/iStock-1727943935_aluminumrolls.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13598,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/how-rhodium-plating-impacts-gold-xrf-analysis-and-karat-verification\/","url_meta":{"origin":9749,"position":1},"title":"How Rhodium Plating Impacts Gold XRF Analysis and Karat Verification","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"July 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary Accurate gold analysis is essential for jewelry verification, precious metals trading, refining, and quality control. One of the most widely used methods for determining gold content is X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, a non-destructive testing technique that quickly evaluates metal composition. However, rhodium plating\u2014a common surface treatment used on white\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Metals &amp; Alloys&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Metals &amp; Alloys","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/metals-and-alloys\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Banner of a cube symbolizing element number 45 of the periodic table. Rhodium. (Rh)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/iStock-2281505711.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/iStock-2281505711.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/iStock-2281505711.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/iStock-2281505711.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/iStock-2281505711.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/iStock-2281505711.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13418,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/buyer-and-seller-beware-how-to-detect-fake-gold-in-current-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":9749,"position":2},"title":"Buyer and Seller Beware: How to Detect Fake Gold in Current Times","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"April 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Practical Guide for Jewelers and Pawn Shop Owners The rise in gold prices and continued market volatility have made precious metals more attractive\u2014not just to legitimate sellers, but also to increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters. For jewelers, cash-for-gold operators, and pawn shop owners, the ability to accurately verify gold authenticity and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General\/Industry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General\/Industry","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/general-industry-metals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Clasp on a 14k Gold necklace with markings on a black background","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-1133424222_14k-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13568,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/how-handheld-xrf-technology-exposed-counterfeit-silver-coins-sold-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":9749,"position":3},"title":"How Handheld XRF Technology Exposed Counterfeit Silver Coins Sold Online","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"May 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary Counterfeit silver coins are becoming a growing problem in online marketplaces, putting coin collectors, precious metal investors, pawn shops, and bullion buyers at financial risk. A recent \u00a0NBC Connecticut investigation uncovered fake American Eagle silver bullion coins being sold online at prices far below market value. Although the coins\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Precious Metals&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Precious Metals","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/precious-metals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Silver coins and silver bullion","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/05\/iStock-482324309.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13429,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/how-to-identify-aluminum-in-a-scrap-metal-recycling-yard\/","url_meta":{"origin":9749,"position":4},"title":"How to Identify Aluminum in a Scrap Metal Recycling Yard","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"May 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Identifying aluminum in a scrap metal recycling yard is more challenging than it might seem. While aluminum is one of the most widely used and recycled metals, its physical similarities to other materials, combined with the complexity of aluminum alloys, make accurate identification difficult. This challenge has significant implications for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General\/Industry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General\/Industry","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/general-industry-metals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scrap metal pieces laying in a pile","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-133993685_scrapaluminum.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-133993685_scrapaluminum.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-133993685_scrapaluminum.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-133993685_scrapaluminum.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-133993685_scrapaluminum.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/iStock-133993685_scrapaluminum.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13404,"url":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/indonesia-investigates-caesium-137-contamination-in-shrimp-linked-to-scrap-metal-imports\/","url_meta":{"origin":9749,"position":5},"title":"Indonesia Investigates Caesium 137 Contamination in Shrimp Linked to Scrap Metal Imports","author":"Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane","date":"March 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Indonesia has no nuclear weapons or nuclear power plants, so how did Caesium 137, a radioactive isotope, enter Indonesia and contaminate a batch of shrimp, which ended up in the United States, possibly through scrap metal. The Issue: Radiation Contamination of a Food Supply Last Fall, it was reported by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Scrap Metal Recycling&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Scrap Metal Recycling","link":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/scrap-metal-recycling\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Caesium, Cesium, on periodic table of the elements. Alkali metal named after Latin caesius, sky-blue. Symbol Cs, atomic number 55. Fission product caesium-137 is extracted from nuclear reactor waste.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/iStock-1413396579_caesium.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/iStock-1413396579_caesium.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/iStock-1413396579_caesium.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/iStock-1413396579_caesium.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/iStock-1413396579_caesium.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/iStock-1413396579_caesium.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/metals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/02\/istock-641089032_car.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9749"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13662,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9749\/revisions\/13662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9749"},{"taxonomy":"division","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/division?post=9749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}