Research project NO/C/023 (Research action NO)
Surface refinement using thin protective coatings and related surface treatments has become a well-established technique and is a very versatile method of improving the performance of components. It has a wide range of applications in many sectors of industry, including space travel, the automobile industry, construction, the biomedical industry, the optical industry and microelectronics.
However, there is an urgent need for standardisation in this important field. The present relatively limited use of more advanced surface technology is mainly due to a lack of confidence among end-users in the quality of the surface treatments supplied. The international recognition of this need has resulted in a variety of international standardisation actions.
These actions have led to a better understanding of standardisation problems, to guidelines, to provisional European standards (ENV) and to effective European standards (EN). In order for this standardisation to be adopted in practice it is important for all these actions and their results to be made known to the manufacturer and to end-users. This project aims to inform industry, both a producer and user of surface technology, of the importance of standardisation and to present the results achieved to date. But it is essential for the users to be aware of the existing standardisation and the standardisation currently being prepared.
The project’s general objective is therefore to promote a concern for quality and to stimulate international trade in the sector of surface refinement. This will be made possible by a comprehensive collation, dissemination and promotion of standards (at national, European and international level) on the characterisation of surface coatings. It will cover standardisation of structure and chemical composition, together with mechanical and functional characterisation.
Summary of the final report:
See Dutch version or French version
Informatie en sensibilisatie aangaande normstelling voor oppervlaktebehandelingstechnieken in de metaalverwerkende nijverheid (ISENORM) : eindverslag
Brussel : Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, 2003 (SP1186)
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Information et sensibilisation relative à la normalisation des techniques de traitement de surfaces dans l'industrie de fabrications métalliques (ISENORM) : synthèse
Bruxelles : Politique scientifique fédérale, 2003 (SP1187)
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