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Faq
Listed below are some of our more frequently asked questions.
If your question is not answered on this page, email us and we will gladly answer it for you. Click on any question to see the answer.
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1. What does the “Mark as known” button do?
When you have read a page, you can click the “Mark as known” button. The ecca Academy will remember that you have read this page and will place a tick next to it in the contents list. When you view the “My progress” page the % completed reflects how many pages you have marked as known.
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2. I started on one course, but having got half way through I want to transfer to a different course. Will the progress I have already made be saved for me?
Yes. For example, if you completed Module 1 while studying under the Marketing Programme, then decided to change to the Full Programme, then the ecca Academy will know that you have already completed Module 1 and you won’t need to re-sit the exam.
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3. Can anyone use the ecca Academy?
Yes. The ecca academy is a free resource available to all. We have developed it to improve understanding of prepainted metal and the coil coating industry. However, to use it, we do ask that you register, just so that we have a record of who is using the academy.
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4. Do I have to read a whole module before starting the exam?
No, but the exam will cover the whole module, so it is best to read it all the way through before you start. You can always come back t the lessons to refresh your memory once you have started the exam.
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5. What if I only want a brief introduction to coil coating?
If you only want a brief introduction, then register on The Basics which just contains Module 1, giving a brief introduction to all aspects of coil coating. You will still be able to do an exam and get a certificate of completion.
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6. Can I complete part of the exam and return to it later?
No, you must complete the exam in one sitting.
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7. How do I register?
Follow the link from the home page and enter a few simple details. You will receive a confirmation email, then you can start learning. It’s that simple!
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8. Some of the pictures are too small to read the detail – can I make them bigger?
Wherever images, for example graphs, contain detail, you can click on them to see a bigger version. This way, it is easy to read the page and you are still able to see the detail of the images.
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9. What score do I have to get to pass the exams?
You have to get all questions right to pass the exams. The answers are all to be found in the lessons and if you get one wrong, you can just try again, so it isn’t too hard!
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10. Is pre-paint better than post-paint?
YES. Coil coating is one of the best available technologies for applying paint to metal. Prepainting of metal helps to minimise environmental problems that would occur with postpainting. Such environmental problems include emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC), high usage of chemicals, water, and energy, and the disposal of waste. At the end of life the prepainted products can be recycled.
Prepainted metal is produced from flat metal strip that is cleaned, treated and coated in a continuous process. This yields better and more efficient cleaning, pre-treatment, painting and curing operations, and hence, a product of higher, and more uniform quality than is usually obtained when post-painting formed parts.
Prepainted material has shown competitive corrosion resistance vs. post finished products.For aesthetic issues, cut edges can be hidden, folded, roll formed or tucked away so that the bare edge can be kept out of sight. Moreover, the use of pre-paint solves manufacturing issues by increasing productivity, reducing manufacturing cycle time, providing faster throughput, and producing better yields compared to the conventional post-painting process.
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11. What will you do with my registration details?
We will not pass your details to anyone else. We will use them to help us understand who is using the ecca Academy so that we can continue to develop it. We will use your email address to send you emails about the ecca Academy and if you will allow us to, also information about ecca.
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12. I just want information on a specific topic – how can I find it?
There are a couple of ways of doing this. If you are enrolled on the Full Programme, you can browse through all modules to find the relevant section. There is also a Search box at the top of each page which will find the lessons where a certain term is to be found.
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13. Why do I need to enrol on a course?
We realise that not everyone needs to know the same things, so we have organised the 8 modules into courses. This allows you to work towards a completed qualification without doing the less relevant sections. If you want to know a bit about everything, enrol on “The full programme” and you will see everything.
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14. What happens once I have completed an exam?
Congratulations! Once you have completed an exam, you can just close that window down. The ecca Academy will know that you have completed that module. All pages in the module will be marked as known, but as a registered user, you can return to the lessons as often as you like for reference. You personalised course certificate will be updated to show that you have completed this module. If you have more modules to complete in your course, you can now progress to the next one.
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15. What are the environmental and costs advantages of prepainted metal?
Considerable cost savings with prepainted metal are derived not just on the material side, but in other areas of manufacturing. The use of prepainted metal reduces, or makes obsolete, the need for lubricants, pre-treatment, paint, energy and water, the emission of volatile organic compounds and waste disposal. Pre-paint allows for better manufacturing cycle time as metal arrives coated and ready for production. By eliminating a post finishing operation, you free up floor space. Additionally, since work-in-progress inventory is reduced, less floor space is required. Production capabilities can grow without adding exclusive manufacturing space.
The use of coil-coated metal simplifies manufacturing operations and provides drastic reduction in :- Manufacturing costs
- Energy costs
- Manufacturing lead time
- Logistics costs
- Financial cost of managing stocks (raw material, chemicals and intermediate storage)
- Taxes and insurance premiums (all taxes related to waste treatment are eliminated)
- 16. What does the coil coating process look like?
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17. How does the coil coating process work?
Coil coating is a continuous and highly automated process for coating metal before fabrication. In one continuous process, a coil of metal moving typically around 100 meters per minute, is unwound and both the top and bottom sides are cleaned, chemically treated, primed, oven cured, top coated, oven cured again, rewound and packaged for shipment.
Since the process allows metals to be finished in one continuous pass, there is flexibility in how the metal is coated and the types of coatings. Organics and inorganics, such as polyesters, epoxies, vinyls, plastisols, acrylics, water-born emulsions, fluorocarbons, dry lubricants, treatment and primer combinations, can be applied. Prepainted coils can also be printed, striped and embossed to create special visual effects. -
18. Where can I get prepainted metal?
Prepainted sheet and coil metal is readily available everywhere in Europe. Most steel and aluminium manufacturers in Europe have their own coil coating facilities to satisfy the demand for prepainted sheet or coil stock. Also specialised independent coaters are available for supply. Most of these companies are members of ecca (European Coil Coating Association). Prepainted metal can be supplied in any size of order. Specialised Service Centres can help in facilitating the supply of small-order quantities, in smoothing out the variances in demand, and in cutting cost.
See the members list
