Coating & Paint Inspection Department

Coating & Paint Inspection Department at Tohama Company

The Coating & Paint Inspection Department at Tohama Company for Engineering Inspection provides specialized inspection, testing, and quality assurance services to ensure the integrity, performance, and durability of protective coating systems. These services are essential in harsh industrial environments, especially in oil & gas, petrochemical, marine, and infrastructure sectors where corrosion protection is critical.

Located in Basra – Al-Zubair Main Street, Tohama’s Coating Department operates under certified quality standards and is staffed with experienced coating inspectors trained in NACE, SSPC, and ISO procedures.

Scope of Services

Tohama's coating inspection team offers a full suite of pre-application, during-application, and post-application inspection and testing services, ensuring compliance with international specifications, including ISO 12944, ASTM D, SSPC-PA2, and NACE SP0188.

1. Surface Preparation Inspection

Proper surface preparation is key to coating adhesion and longevity:

• Visual Cleanliness Inspection – Verifies removal of rust, scale, grease, and contaminants.

• Soluble Salt Testing – Using the Bresle patch or conductivity meter to detect residual salts.

• Surface Profile Measurement – Measured using needle gauges or replica tape and micrometers.

• Environmental Conditions Monitoring – Checks ambient temperature, surface temperature, dew point, and relative humidity using calibrated hygrometers and thermometers.

2. Coating Application Inspection

Monitoring during paint/coating application ensures film thickness and consistency:

• Wet Film Thickness (WFT) – Measured during application using WFT gauges.

• Dry Film Thickness (DFT) – Confirmed after curing using magnetic or eddy current gauges.

• Holiday Detection – Identifies pinholes or voids using high-voltage spark testers or low-voltage wet sponge detectors, depending on coating type and thickness.

• Fineness of Grind – Performed with Hegman gauges to verify pigment dispersion.

3. Finished Coating Evaluation

Tohama performs post-application quality checks to evaluate aesthetic and mechanical coating properties:

• Adhesion Testing

  • Pull-off test (for DFT 150 µm) using hydraulic adhesion testers.

  • Cross-cut test (for DFT 150 µm) using cross-cut blades.

• Appearance Inspection

  • Visual identification of color difference, mottling, sagging, blistering, cracking, flaking, and foreign material inclusion.

• Bend Test – For coatings such as TSA (Thermal Spray Aluminum) and TSZ (Zinc), to evaluate flexibility and bonding.

• Surface Condition Assessment – Ensures compliance with cosmetic and functional standards.

Applicable Standards and Procedures

Tohama adheres to internationally accepted standards for coating and paint inspection, including:

• ISO 8501 / 8502 / 8503

• ASTM D1186, D3359, D4414

• SSPC-PA2 / PA9

• NACE SP0178 / SP0188

Inspection Tools and Equipment

The department utilizes state-of-the-art equipment such as:

• Elcometer WFT/DFT gauges

• Holiday detectors (high/low voltage)

• Bresle test kits

• Surface profile gauges

• Adhesion testers (pull-off and cross-cut)

• Surface thermometers and dew point meters

• Hegman fineness of grind gauges

All devices are regularly calibrated to ISO 17025 standards to ensure accurate readings.

Certified Inspectors and QA/QC Integration

Tohama’s coating inspectors are certified and experienced in coating system selection, specification review, QA/QC documentation, and third-party reporting. Their work is seamlessly integrated into project quality plans, including:

• Inspection Test Plans (ITPs)

• Daily and Final Inspection Reports

• Coating System Data Sheets

• Batch Certifications and MSDS

• Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs)

Major Clients and Applications

Tohama has executed coating inspection scopes across diverse projects including:

• Pipeline internal/external coatings

• Offshore/onshore structural steel

• Tank linings and roof coatings

• Marine facilities and platforms

• Thermal spray aluminum (TSA) & Zinc coatings

Clients include Shell, Lukoil, ExxonMobil, ENI, BGC, and Kuwait Energy, among othersقائمة الاعمال المماثلة.

Conclusion

The Coating & Paint Inspection Department at Tohama Company ensures that industrial coatings are applied correctly and perform as intended, preventing corrosion, minimizing asset deterioration, and extending service life. Through a combination of expert inspectors, advanced tools, international standards, and full QA/QC integration, Tohama is a trusted partner for coating quality assurance across Iraq’s most demanding projects.