April 2024 Issue

April

April 2024

Digital Edition
Industrial Cleaning Shop Zeros In on Precision
Cover Story

Industrial Cleaning Shop Zeros In on Precision

This parts cleaning company is elevating its efforts to become a technical cleanliness expert, which presents an exciting, yet sometimes arduous, journey. The ongoing education of the team as well as significant investments in equipment and processes attribute to this shop’s success.

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Features

Featured articles from the April 2024 issue of Products Finishing

Championing Free Enterprise

Championing Free Enterprise

"The spirit of free enterprise fuels the economic engine of our nation and allows for the creation of wealth and prosperity.”

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Reducing VOCs
Ask The Expert

Reducing VOCs

Coating materials (paint and solvent) are one of the most significant sources of VOC generation. John Owed of Carlisle Fluid Technologies offers advice for reducing VOC consumption.

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Finishing Activity Made a Repeat Performance in March, Closing at 46.1

Finishing Activity Made a Repeat Performance in March, Closing at 46.1

The slope is softening, but finishing activity has slowed contraction for three months straight. It will take several more months at the rate it is going, but the index is headed toward 50 (flat).  

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Cheers to Another National Surface Finishing Day
Electroplating

Cheers to Another National Surface Finishing Day

Celebrating the contributions of finishing operations across the nation. 

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Powder Coating Aluminium Adhesion Failure
Ask The Expert

Powder Coating Aluminium Adhesion Failure

PF columnist Rodger Talbert offers advice for mitigating adhesion failure of powder coating on aluminum parts.

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Vacuum Degreaser Cleans Up a Messy Situation
Vacuum Vapor

Vacuum Degreaser Cleans Up a Messy Situation

By replacing its immersion parts washer with a vacuum degreasing system, this machine shop is much more efficient, saving the company money, man hours and the health of the operators.

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Eliminating No-Value-Added Services Adds Value for Customers
aerospace

Eliminating No-Value-Added Services Adds Value for Customers

Answering questions about how to best meet customer needs led this Products Finishing Top Shop to stop using trucks to provide value-added services and instead, start offering in-house solutions.

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Videos: 40 Under 40 Class of 2024
40-under-40

Videos: 40 Under 40 Class of 2024

In these uncertain times, it is refreshing to hear from and learn about young talent in the surface finishing industry who are striving to make a difference within their organizations and the industry as a whole.

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NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #120: Electrochemical Destruction of Perfluorooctanesulfonate in Electroplating Wastewaters – January – December 2023

NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #120: Electrochemical Destruction of Perfluorooctanesulfonate in Electroplating Wastewaters – January – December 2023

This NASF-AESF Foundation research project report covers quarterly reporting for the year 2023 at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  The objective of this work is to utilize a cost-effective reactive electrochemical membrane (REM) for the removal of PFAS from synthetic electroplating wastewater.  Discussed here are the oxidation of PFOA with three different catalysts, development of a method for detecting PFAS, as well as work on 6:2-fluorotelomersulfonic acid (6:2 FTS) and electrodeposited bismuth/tin oxide catalysts.

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Alternative to Traditional Alkaline Cleaners Lowers Costs
Parts Cleaning

Alternative to Traditional Alkaline Cleaners Lowers Costs

To lower cleaning costs, consider switching from your current alkaline cleaner to a true neutral pH cleaner.

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‘Warming Up’ to the Truth about Ovens for Surface Treatment
Powder Coating

‘Warming Up’ to the Truth about Ovens for Surface Treatment

Understanding the different types of oven heat technology for surface finishing, including how they work, and their advantages and disadvantages, can help determine the best heating solution for an application.

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Hexavalent to trivalent chromium — the environmental benefits
Electroplating

Hexavalent to trivalent chromium — the environmental benefits

Regulatory pressures to switch from hexavalent chromium to trivalent alternatives are a growing concern for many finishing operations. In this Products Finishing Ask the Expert clinic, Brittany McKinney of Pavco discusses the environmental considerations driving these regulations. 

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NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #121: Development of a Sustainability Metrics System and a Technical Solution Method for Sustainable Metal Finishing - 15th Quarterly Report
nasf

NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #121: Development of a Sustainability Metrics System and a Technical Solution Method for Sustainable Metal Finishing - 15th Quarterly Report

This NASF-AESF Foundation research project report covers the twelfth quarter of project work (October-December 2023) at Wayne State University in Detroit.  In this period, our main effort focused on the development of a set of Digital Twins (DTs) using the Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) technology with application on parts rinsing simulation.

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Parts Cleaning Conference
Pretreatment Washer and Finishing Equipment
Metal Pretreatment Technology
Bringing Powder Coating In-House, free download
Filtration
Gardner Intelligence
Mocap Masking Caps Plugs Tapes
PF Podcast
More blasting. Less part handling.