February 2003 ISSUE

COVER STORY

Novelty Finish

Question: We are experiencing an unacceptable rate of paint failures of our crackle paint finish.

FEATURES

Mechanical Finishing

Aluminum Oxide Impregnation Article

Question: I found your article on “aluminum oxide impregnation” most interesting.

Powder Coating

Black Anodizing and Powder

Question: I work for a company that builds a sewer laser that’s used for putting in tile from manhole to manhole to assure a constant grade and flow with no low spots.

Anodizing

Blue Anodize for Die-Castings

Question: We have a customer who wants to anodize a 383 alloy die-cast part and color it blue.

Electroplating

Butler Finish Nickel

Question: What is “butler finish nickel?” How does one apply this finish?

Electroplating

Cleaning Heat-Treated Parts

Question: We receive parts that have been heat treated and quenched.

Mechanical Finishing

Cleaning Used Hooks & Racks

In my column for December 2001, I outlined some possible paint stripping solutions for R.R.

Electroplating

Coloring of Titanium

Question: A customer has asked us about the feasibility of dying anodized titanium.

Electroplating

Fast and Flexible

Finishing Services builds its track record by being fast and flexible when it comes to satisfying its customers…

Powder Coating

Filler Material

Question: We manufacture 0.050 inch aluminum parts that require stainless steel PEM standoff inserts.

Anodizing

Interference Coloring

Question: I have heard that there is a process, or processes, to color anodic coatings with colors such as blue, green, red, etc., but the process is not a dye.

Powder Coating

Question: I read your clinic in the December issue and would like to point out factual errors in the section titled, “Minimizing Rust.” At the end of your response, you have given the parameters necessary to achieve a particular result in the salt spray test.

Liquid Coating

Novelty Finish

Question: We are experiencing an unacceptable rate of paint failures of our crackle paint finish.

Liquid Coating

Painting and Priming ABS Plastic

Question: I saw your name on the Internet.

Powder Coating

Performance of Epoxy-Polyester in Salt Spray Test

Question: We have a hybrid powder coating (epoxy-polyester) that we apply to our products over an iron phosphate.

Perspectives: Chemicals and the Public

Just about any person who heard that there were chemicals in their food would probably try to avoid it.

Liquid Coating

Plastisol Drops

Question: Although we wouldn’t presume to usurp the formulating expertise of a coatings manufacturer nor the expertise of the experienced user, the item in your July 2002 column piqued our interest.

Parts Cleaning

Pretreatment over Pretreatment

Question: We are considering forming an assembly and then painting it rather than painting the individual parts before assembling.

Quality Finishing: Maximizing Electronics Plating Efficiency

Precision Plating adopted a new technology for processing its flat rolled sheet metal in strip-coil form…

Electroplating

Quality Finishing: Troubleshooting Hexavalent Chromium Plating

Even though many are not using hexavalent chromium baths or phasing them out of production, there are still finishers who use them and will continue to plate from them…

Reality Check: The Value of Knowledge

A few months ago, I had the privilege of attending the Powder Coating Institute’s (PCI) “Hands-on Powder Coating Workshop.” Over the course of two days, the participants were exposed to a variety of topics, including the proper use of application equipment, storage of powder coatings, pretreatment systems and curing.

Liquid Coating

Safe Exhaust Recirculation of Manned Spray Booths

How to keep the cost of pollution control from hurting you…

Electroplating

Stressed Nickel Deposits

Question: What causes high stress levels in a nickel sulfamate bath?

Powder Coating

Understanding Infrared Curing

Infrared cure is gaining increased attention from coaters as a result of shorter cure cycles and the possibility of smaller floor space requirements when compared to convection oven curing.

Washington Roundup: 2002 Review

The Government Relations representatives for the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers, the Metal Finishing Suppliers' Association and the National Association of Metal Finishers provide an update of its activities and what is coming for 2003…

Liquid Coating