AMPP S-CAT study guide
AMPP S-CAT · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Spray Coating Application Technician (S-CAT) credential is an AMPP certification aimed at the people who actually pull the trigger on protective coating jobs - spray applicators working on industrial steel, marine structures, tanks, pipelines and similar assets. It is intended to verify that an applicator understands not just how to operate spray equipment, but why each step in the process matters to the finished coating's performance. The exam is delivered in multiple-choice format and is organized around three domains: spray coating application (the largest share, roughly half the content), surface preparation (about a quarter), and safety and inspection (about a quarter). Questions therefore test practical judgment across the whole job sequence - surface preparation and cleanliness before coating, mixing and thinning, gun setup, spray technique, wet and dry film thickness control, environmental limits, and recognizing defects and safety hazards. Topics on this exam: Spray Coating Application, Surface Preparation, and Safety and Inspection. The AMPP S-CAT study guide has 3 sections and about 858 words.
01Spray Coating Application: Equipment, Parameters, and Control
Spray coating is a system of linked variables: coating viscosity, gun setup, atomizing and fan air, fluid delivery, spray distance, angle, overlap, and pass speed. Changing any one shifts film build, overspray, and appearance.
314 words, about 2 min02Surface Preparation: Cleanliness, Profile, and Standards
Coating performance depends on a properly prepared substrate. Candidates must know the sequence: remove visible contaminants (oil, grease, salts, dust), then achieve the specified cleanliness and profile.
266 words, about 1 min03Safety and Inspection: Protecting Workers and Verifying Quality
Safety in spray coating centers on hazard identification and controls: solvent vapor exposure, fire and explosion risk, confined-space entry, and physical hazards from high-pressure equipment. Candidates must know the hierarchy of controls-elimination, substitution, engineering controls (ventilation, grounding), administrative controls, and PPE last.
278 words, about 1 min