Hi,

I am trying to troubleshoot a piece of instrumentation that a service engineer indicated is likely a "thick film issue on the PCB". Is this something that can be identifed visually or with a multimeter? I am unfamiliar with the term and just hoping to save some $ on the repair.

 

A thick film is probably the tracks or resistors actually printed on the pcb. Does the pcb have black carbon looking parts on it?
Some pictures will help.
If it is the printed on parts, it is going to be almost impossible to fix. If they are starting to fail, then junk it.
Another "thick film" item could be an extra little board, usually potted to protect it, soldered in to the main board.
Unless you can get another from the device manufacturer, once again, it is junk.
They are usually custom designed sub systems, not an off the shelf part.