Your pretreatment system directly affects both the quality of your product and your operating efficiency. To ensure the optimal performance of a pretreatment system, you must have the ability to measure the performance level of each item in the process. The chain of processes all must be completed successfully in order to guarantee a quality product. If one link in the chain fails, the entire system is put at risk. Developing a troubleshooting policy to address the total pretreatment process enables the manufacturer to gain control over the operation.
Troubleshooting often implies a response to a problem that has previously occurred. "It's broke, so now we must fix it." A comprehensive troubleshooting program that examines all aspects of the pretreatment process allows a proactive approach to solving problems. The goal is to identify the problem before it occurs, or at least to anticipate it. We obtain this by knowing as much information as possible about our systems. Knowledge of how the system performs under controlled conditions, and when stressed, permits you to quickly identify problem situations. This sound knowledge base, combined with a thorough quality testing program, excellent record keeping and routine preventive maintenance programs, will achieve the maximum performance level of your pretreatment system and maintain that level indefinitely.