Revision
AMPP CIP Level 1 exam-day sheet
The rules and numbers for this exam, on one page you can print. Each section links to the page that explains it.
Download the PDF Sheets for the other exams
Film thickness
| Dry from wet | DFT = WFT × VS ÷ 100 |
| Wet from dry | WFT = DFT × 100 ÷ VS |
| Wet from dry, with thinner | WFT = DFT × (100 + thinner %) ÷ VS |
| Theoretical spreading rate | m²/L = 10 × VS % ÷ DFT µm |
| Spreading rate, US units | ft²/US gal = 1604 × VS % ÷ 100 ÷ DFT mils |
| Mixing a:b by volume | base = total × a ÷ (a + b) |
| Units | 1 mil = 25.4 µm · °F = °C × 9 ÷ 5 + 32 |
More: volume solids · calculators · pot life
Conditions
- Steel at least 3 °C above the dew point during blasting, application and early cure (SSPC-PA 1 gives 5 °F); many specifications also cap relative humidity, often at 85 %.
- Read the steel temperature on the surface you will coat, with a contact thermometer.
Surface preparation
| ISO 8501-1 | SSPC / NACE |
|---|---|
| Sa 3 | SSPC-SP 5 / NACE No. 1 (white metal) |
| Sa 2½ | SSPC-SP 10 / NACE No. 2 (near-white) |
| Sa 2 | SSPC-SP 6 / NACE No. 3 (commercial) |
| Sa 1 | SSPC-SP 7 / NACE No. 4 (brush-off) |
- Close counterparts, not identical definitions. SSPC-SP 1 solvent cleaning comes first; SP 2 and SP 3 remove only loose material; SP 11 gives bare metal with a profile.
- Profile (ASTM D4417): A comparator, B depth micrometer, C replica tape. Subtract the 2 mil (50.8 µm) film from a replica-tape reading.
More: cleanliness grades · ASTM D4417
Dry film thickness
- SSPC-PA 2, Level 3 (the default): a spot is the average of 3 or more readings in a 4 cm circle; single readings are not restricted. An area is 5 spots in about 10 m². Each spot average at least 80 % of the minimum and at most 120 % of the maximum; each area average within the range.
- Verify gauges with reference standards at least at the start and end of each shift (ASTM D7091).
More: SSPC-PA 2 · DFT acceptance calculator
Tests
- Holiday testing (NACE SP0188): low-voltage wet sponge for films of 500 µm (20 mils) or less, high-voltage DC for thicker films, at the voltage the film thickness calls for. Too high a voltage damages sound film. Mark, repair and re-test every holiday.
- Compressed air (ASTM D4285): a white blotter in the air stream, after the separators, for about a minute. Any oil or water stain stops the work.
More: holiday testing · ASTM D4285
Practical exam
Eight instrument stations, up to 10 minutes each: verify the instrument, take the readings, record and judge them against the stated values.
More: the eight stations
Stop and ask
- Steel less than 3 °C above the dew point, or humidity above the specification's limit.
- Salts, dust or oil above the limits: soluble salts (ISO 8502-6 and -9), dust (ISO 8502-3), compressed air (blotter test, ASTM D4285).
- Mixed paint past its pot life, or a recoat window passed without the preparation the data sheet asks for.
- A hold point not yet released: stop until it is released. Work past an unreleased hold point, or work that does not meet the specification: record a nonconformance.
More: hold points · reports and NCRs
Try it in an exam-style question. The free readiness check shows the question style, explains every answer and gives you a dated study plan.
Take the free readiness checkSee the tracks