Feature Articles

Back from the Brink of Finishing Death
Alpha Metal Finishing is celebrating its 36th anniversary and, after battling the ups and downs of sales, coupled with tumultuous management practices and the untimely illness of company founder Bob Wood that almost forced the its extinction, the company is recording unprecedented growth.

Caterpillar Is Back on the Coatings Prowl
Caterpillar has been developing and applying advanced wear coatings to extend the service life and performance of its machine components, whether new or remanufactured, for decades. Now Caterpillar’s advanced wear coatings are available to others through Cat Remanufacturing, including turnkey coating and finishing.

The Call of Heavy Duty Coatings
PPG renews its commitment to heavy-duty equipment coatings with Caterpillar as it is selected the company’s industrial coatings business as the sole heavy-duty equipment coatings supplier for a new motor grader assembly plant in North Little Rock, Ark.

A Perfect Case For Removing Sludge From Pretreatment
Chemical change ends sludge buildup for CNH coating line in plant in Fargo, N.D. as the company re-engineered their paint line’s pretreatment system to improve its performance and reduce costs, a process that took nearly two years and numerous trials before they were able to find just the right fit.

Tech Notes

DeFelsko Launches Cloud-Based Thickness Gages and Inspection Instruments
New wireless features enable users to synchronize readings with its cloud-based website, download updates with the latest features and functionality, and wirelessly communicate any wireless-connected device.

Steamed Over Heating Costs? Try Gas For Your Finishing Shop
The cost of natural gas in the U.S. is at record lows—about where the rates were in the mid-1970s—causing many in the plating industry who need to heat tanks to search for alternative avenues to curtail their rising energy costs.