Articles

Parts Cleaning 10 Jul 2023

Replacing Discontinued Vapor Degreasing Fluids – 3 Things to Consider

What do you do when you learn your trusted line of vapor degreasing cleaning fluids will soon be discontinued? Elizabeth Norwood of MicroCare discusses what you should keep in mind when replacing discontinued vapor degreasing fluids.

Ask The Expert 10 Jul 2023

Justifying Investments in Automation and Smart Solutions

Corey Sorrento of Carlisle Fluid Technologies discusses the long-term benefits and payoffs for investing in AI-driven technologies for your paint line.

5 Jul 2023

The Tragedy of Compounding Compensation

Employee compensation can be a complex matter. Here are a handful of best practices.

Liquid Coating 3 Jul 2023

Robots, AI and Superb BMW Surfaces

There isn’t an automotive paint shop in the world that doesn’t have post-paint inspection and defect processing. But BMW is doing this with levels of technology at a plant in Germany that exceed all other paint shops in the world.

measurement-testing 30 Jun 2023

NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #121: Development of a Sustainability Metrics System and a Technical Solution Method for Sustainable Metal Finishing - 12th Quarterly Report

This NASF-AESF Foundation research project report covers the twelfth quarter of project work (January-March 2023) at Wayne State University in Detroit. In this period, our main effort concentrated on documenting technical content that was yet to be reported, including analysis of costs for specific technologies for sustainability improvement.

Pollution Control 30 Jun 2023

NASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #120: Electrochemical Destruction of Perfluorooctanesulfonate in Electroplating Wastewaters - April 2022-March 2023

This NASF-AESF Foundation research project report covers project work from April 2022 to March 2023 at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The overall objective of this work is to utilize a cost-effective reactive electrochemical membrane (REM) for the removal of PFAS from synthetic electroplating wastewater. Initial results for the oxidation of PFOA with three different catalysts are discussed.

Electroplating 29 Jun 2023

Top 5 Areas to Consider Automation of Plating Operations

Automation for finishing operations can lead to improvements in process time, repeatability and consistency of quality. Yet, processes that make sense to explore for these operational efficiencies may not always be readily apparent.

photo finish 27 Jun 2023

Powder Coating Forms and Surfaces

A peek at an automated powder coating line utilized by outdoor and architectural furniture and fixtures fabricator Forms + Surfaces (Pittsburgh, Pa.).

Electroplating 23 Jun 2023

Products Finishing Reveals 2023 Qualifying Top Shops

Each year PF conducts its Top Shops Benchmarking Survey, offering shops a tool to better understand their overall performance in the industry. The program also recognizes shops that meet a set of criteria to qualify as Top Shops.

measurement-testing 22 Jun 2023

Corrosion Resistance Testing for Powder Coating

Salt spray can be useful to help compare different pretreatment methods and coatings but it does not tell us much about the corrosion resistance of a part over time in the field. Powder coating expert Rodger Talbert offers insights into how to get a better idea of how to improve a part’s corrosion resistance in the real world.