Expected life of K Bars

It is difficult to put a figure on average bar life as there are so many variables attributed to their usage. These include

• The size of the wire
• The frequency of use
• The abrasiveness of coatings (i.e Titanium TIOXIDE is particularly abrasive)
• The abrasiveness of the substrate (coating on film is less abrasive than coating on paper)
• Of particular importance is the cleaning regime applied to the bars. Cleaning itself is important in terms of using the correct cleaning solution, lint free cloths and the actual cleaning method.

In a typical QC environment one could expect an approximate lifespan in terms of number of drawdowns of

No. 0 Bar - 500 – 1000

No. 1 Bar - 1000 – 2000

No. 2 Bar - 2000 +

This is subject to the tolerance set on the variation of coat weight this is acceptable.

Refer to : Calibration of K Bars

However all the factors listed above may impact on these estimates