Parts Cleaning
Rust Prevention Steel Tubes
Question: We powder coat welded steel tubing (ANSI 1008-1010). We have a five-stage washer followed by a dry-off oven before we apply powder coating.
Read MoreMore Adhesion Troubles
Question: We are a die caster who has some of our castings powder coated. We are experiencing an adhesion problem with some of the castings we supply to a certain customer. The castings are all run with the same process parameters, but some of the castings do not pass a crosshatch test and some from the same batch do. We have obtained samples of this problem, and I am hoping that you can provide us with the name of a lab that could answer what may be on these castings (if anything) or what process is adversely affecting the adhesion.
Read MoreRusting after Vibratory Finishing
Question: We are the leading company in our country in mass-finishing.
Read MoreImproving Metal Pretreatment
Improving Metal Pretreatment Question: We are one of the leading two-wheeler manufacturers in our country and produce more than one million bikes a year.
Read MoreThe Lubricant Switch
Question: I recently switched metalworking lubricants in my forming operation.
Read MorePainting Stainless Steel Alloy 304
Question: I would like to know if it is possible to paint stainless 304 with a high solids epoxy type paint (per Mil-C-22750). If not, can you recommend a paint type that would be more suitable for this alloy.
Read MorePainting Aluminum
Question: We are a small ornamental iron shop.In an effort to offer a more durable outside railing to customers, we have been manufacturing our ornamental iron designs from aluminum using traditional structural, just as with wrought iron, one-inch-square tubes, one-half-inch punched channels for framing, one-half-inch square solids for balusters, molded top rail or a channel for a top cover.
Read MorePretreatment Over Pretreatment, Part 2
Question: Your response to “Pretreatment Over Pretreatment” in the February Painting Clinic should be amended to warn him that running aluminum through an Iron phosphate spray washer would make the sludge in the washer a hazardous waste (according to an earlier comment you made about a year ago). I believe the problem is created by the definition of acid washing of aluminum is a categorical hazardous waste (by EPA definition). When he cleans the washer, all the sludge that is normally sent to the landfill or flushed down the sanitary sewer would be considered an illegal disposal of hazardous waste.
Read MorePretreatment over Pretreatment
Question: We are considering forming an assembly and then painting it rather than painting the individual parts before assembling.
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