#BASICS

Liquid Coating

Pretreatment for Painting

Better adhesion, enhanced corrosion and blister resistance, and reduced coating-part interactions make pretreatment a must.

Electroplating

In-House Blackening of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals

Process satisfies customers’ shipping requirements while meeting stricter water regulations in times of drought.

Powder Coating

Touch-up Options for Powder Coated Parts

Is it true that powder coating cannot be touched up? Powder coating expert Rodger Talbert offers options for powder coating touch-ups.

Electroplating

Automated Electroplating Systems

Simultaneous engineering reduces energy and resource consumption.

Powder Coating

Calculating the Cost of Powder Coating

How can you calculate the cost of powder coating a component if you only know its surface area? Powder coating expert Rodger Talbert has the answer.

Electroplating

Chromium Plating

An overview of decorative and hard chromium electroplating processes.

Electroplating

Nickel Electroplating

Applications, plating solutions, brighteners, good operating practices and troubleshooting.

Electroplating

Choosing and Troubleshooting Copper Electroplating Processes

Learn more on this inexpensive and highly efficient process.

Powder Coating

Powder coating is one of the most durable finishes that can be applied to industrial manufactured products, and offers excellent corrosion protection and is very safe because of its lack of volatile organic compounds.

Liquid Coating

Zinc Phosphate: Questions and Answers

Our experts share specific questions about zinc phosphate and pretreatment

Anodizing

Deoxidizing Aluminum as a Pretreatment

This important first step can help prepare the metal for subsequent surface finishing.

Wastewater Compliance and Sustainability

A brief overview of compliance and sustainability considerations for effective wastewater treatment for finishing operations.

Parts Cleaning

Mineral Acids for Activation vs. Acid Salt

Advantages of replacing mineral acid with acid salt for pickling.

How to Avoid the Common Pitfalls of a Nadcap Audit

Suppliers within the aerospace industry can easily avoid many of the most common pitfalls of Nadcap audits by properly preparing in advance, explains Ethan Akins, Senior Business Development Manager at the Performance Review Institute, which is responsible for administering the Nadcap Program.

Powder Coating

Improving Transfer Efficiencies in Coating Operations

There are many methods for addressing electrostatic grounding in metal painting processes, and Tim Ulshafer from Mueller Electric says the best method for your process is a simple and worthwhile exercise.

Tim Ulshafer
Director of Sales , Mueller Electric

Mechanical Finishing

Tips for Choosing Abrasive Blasting Safety Equipment and Safety Procedures

Selecting new blasting equipment? Lane Barnholtz of Clemco Industries, manufacturer of air-powered abrasive blasting equipment, offers insights for choosing the correct equipment for your needs.

Liquid Coating

Reducing Downtime Due to Clogging

Jacob Fortmeyer of Carlisle Fluid Technologies discusses ways to avoid clogging and seizing of liquid coating systems.

Parts Cleaning

Aqueous or solvent-based cleaning?

Considerations for choosing the right cleaning solution.

Liquid Coating

Preventative Maintenance for Paint Line Conveyors

Dave Hesse, field installation superintendent, Global Finishing Solutions, offers suggestions for inspecting and maintaining your industrial conveyor system.

Liquid Coating

Can a Flawless Liquid Coating Finish be Achieved?

What are the best practices to achieve a flawless liquid coating finish? J.B. Haydell from Accudraft shares the details on avoiding dust, debris and other contaminants while spraying.

Electroplating

Troubleshooting Bright Nickel Processes: How to Identify the Problem

For bright nickel process troubleshooting, Doug Lay of Coventya suggests narrowing the scope with a checklist.

Anodizing

Fixing Corrosion Between Anodized Aluminum and Steel

Anne Deacon Juhl, Ph.D., with AluConsult, says Galvanic corrosion is due to an electrical contact with a more noble metal or a nonmetallic conductor in a conductive environment.

Anne Deacon Juhl, Ph.D.
President, AluConsult

Electroplating

Controlling Quality of Zinc Flake Coatings on Steel Fasteners

Scott McEuen, North American business development manager of zinc flake coatings at Atotech, explains how the quality of zinc flake coatings depends on good adhesion and bonding to the substrate of the fasteners.

Powder Coating

Developments and Trends in Powder Coating

New solutions for powder coating centers combine powder preparation, conveyance, dosing and color changes into a fully automated, closed system.

Electroplating

Maximizing the Service Life of Process Tanks

PVDF liners have a proven history with delivering end users longer lasting, lower maintenance plating tanks.

Electroplating

Electrolytic Versus Electroless Nickel Plating

Electroless and electrolytic nickel platings are effective at significantly improving a part’s strength and durability, but the differences between the two processes are important to distinguish.

Powder Coating

Drivers of Change

Is your metal finishing software ready for an upgrade?

Anodizing

How to Minimize Fading of Anodized Colors

All color-anodized parts fade, but if the process is optimized, you can expect years with minimal loss in color, says Reliant Aluminum Products’ Mark Jozefowicz.

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