basics

Powder Coating

What Temperature Profiling System is Right for Me?

Today, profiling systems that are both sophisticated and easy to use can give a clear pass/fail finding, document regulatory compliance, let operators know when and where their ovens are trending out of acceptable limits or show that a process is within suppliers’ or customers’ specifications.

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Filtration Basics

I need some basic information on filtration in the plating shop. My major concern is sulfate copper and Watts nickel.

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Selecting a Vibratory Finisher

Can you recommend selection criteria for buying vibratory finishing machines?

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basics

What “They” Don’t Want You to Know About Estate Tax Planning

If this article was a college course, it would be called Estate Taxonomics 101.

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Anodizing

Anodizing: How to Avoid “Greenwashing” Your Product

Product manufacturers naturally want to say good things about their product. Current marketing trends emphasize environmentally beneficial attributes of a product, not just to identify the manufacturer as a good corporate citizen, but also as an inducement for the consumer to purchase the product.

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Powder Coating

The Real Cost of Downtime

Making the right color-change decision in powder coating operations.

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basics

Centrifugal Pump Versus Air-Operated Diaphragm Pump

We have an old wastewater pretreatment system for our metal finishing operation. The system contains two large air diaphragm pumps that transfer the wastewater from a holding tank to the flocculation tank before the clarifier. Since we are renovating the pretreatment system to extend its life, our team is arguing over whether to replace or keep these pumps.

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Electroplating

Join The Clubs

June saw annual meetings and conferences for two of the largest trade groups in surface finishing, as the National Association of Surface Finishers and the Chemical Coaters Association International held gatherings in Grand Rapids and Sarasota, respectfully. The Powder Coating Institute held its annual meeting in late May in Austin Texas.

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Anodizing

What is the Correct Anodizing Specification?

My company fabricates aluminum and steel pedestrian bridge railing among other bridge parts. We recently got an aluminum railing job that called for “Type I” anodizing per MIL-A-8625. There was no anodic coating thickness called out. We are not anodizers and we are at a loss as to how to write up a meaningful anodizing specification for this railing.

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research

Passivation Basics

What is commonly referred to as "passivating" on a shop floor is actually just enhancement of a naturally occurring process on most stainless steels.

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