Ensuring that your structural steel plate is prepared to the highest compliant standard for paint application on transport projects is both time and cost heavy on your resources.
At Four-Tees Engineers (FTE) we can take that pain and complexity away. Our In-House team process and deliver a fast and efficient P3 specification preparation service.
For more information on how we can take the cost and time out of steel plate finishing please contact info@fourtees.co.uk
Preparation grades of welds, cut edges and other areas with surface imperfections
International Standard ISO 8501-3 Specifies the preparation of steel substrates before application of paints and related products in terms of visual assessment of surface cleanliness. Part 3 of the Standard details the quality requirements for the preparation grades of welds, cut edges and other areas with surface imperfections.
There are three preparation grades for making steel surfaces with imperfections suitable for the application of paints and related products. P1 ‘Light’ Preparation, P2 ‘Thorough’ preparation and P3 ‘Very thorough’ preparation where surfaces must be free of any significant visible imperfections and the minimum requirement for all transportation and infrastructure projects.
The finishing specification is divided into three sections, covering ‘Welds’, ‘Edges’ and ‘Surfaces Generally’.
The ‘Welds’ requirement specifies the preparation from welding splatter, ripple/profile, slag, undercut, porosity and end craters.
The ‘Edges’ specification defines the preparation standard for rolled edges, edges made by punching, shearing or sawing or thermally cut edges.
The ‘Surfaces Generally’ requirement specifies the preparation finishes due to pits and craters, shelling, roll-over/roll laminations/cut laminations, rolled extraneous matter, grooves and gouges formed by mechanical action, indentation and roll marks.
Achieving the P3 finishing standard in steelwork preparation is an extremely arduous and time-consuming task. FTE In-house P3 preparation processes will reduce your production cost and remove later project risks in the application of paint and surface coatings.
For more information of how FTE can reduce cost and remove risk on your project please contact info@fourtees.co.uk
