The Western Michigan University project focuses on improving the techniques employed by the foundry industry for measuring refractory coating thickness. Internal surface defects are consistently attributed to large variations in coating thickness and limitations of the application methods on coated cores. The AFS Sand Division estimates that approximately $60 million is spent on labor, energy, and scrap to control metal penetration defects in castings. This situation is most serious for short production runs where adequate quality control is critical for on-time delivery of quality components.