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Jim Destefani
Editor
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A New Partnership
Regular Digital Dispatch readers know that each issue contains links to multiple feature articles and clinic items from back issues of Products Finishing. It’s a way to provide (hopefully) valuable information for you by leveraging what we consider one of our great strengths: an archive of about 14 years’ worth of finishing industry coverage that lives at PFOnline.
Each newsletter also contains links to questions asked by users of PF’s eight online forums. The forums, I’m sorry to have to report, have been for the most part rather less successful than the print magazine. Some of them generate a fair amount of traffic and worthwhile discussions; use of others has languished, and still others have been beset by spammers and other issues.
That’s why I’m pleased to announce that PF has partnered with Finishing Talk, an online community dedicated to metal finishing, to present new, improved forums covering the same finishing topics. We hope this change will boost discussion on the forums to make them more worthwhile. And, because posting will now require registration, it should minimize the spam and junk posts that have plagued some forums in the past.
I know, I know…registration is something many folks (me included) don’t like to do unless it’s absolutely necessary. But it’s a one-time thing, and registering will give you access to the new and improved PF/Finishing Talk forums. Please take a moment to register, and we hope you enjoy and profit from this venture. Happy posting!
ALSO In this issue..
- Powder Coating
- Plating
- Anodizing
- New Products
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Feature Article—Racking Parts More Efficiently
Traditionally, overhead conveyors with inclines and declines require space between parts or racks to avoid overlapping or touching. A special hanging tool can reduce this to a nominal clearance and allow increased production and paint efficiency. To read more, click here.
Powder Coating Clinic—“Small Volcanoes”
A reader from a manufacturer of fuel tanks for heavy trucks is experiencing “small volcanoes” and other defects after powder coating aluminized steel tanks. To read how our powder coating expert would tackle the problems, click here.
Powder Coating Forum—Powder Over Black Oxide?
A reader would like to know if powder will stick to the black oxide finish on his parts. Any thoughts on the subject? Click here.
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Feature Article—Striking Gold
To read how one plater used tight process controls and close customer relationships to battle off-shore competition and even a devastating fire, click here.
Plating Clinic—Strike Three!
A reader tasked with plating on 17-4 PH stainless steel wants to know whether a sulfamate nickel or Woods nickel strike would be best. Our plating guru Art Kushner responds here.
Plating Forum—Corrosion- AND Heat-Resistant
A questioner is looking for a coating that is both corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant to 1,200?F, and, for cost reasons, he can’t choose a ceramic. Think you can help? Click here.
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Feature Article—Anodized Frames Go Off-Road
When Trek Bicycle Corp. (Waterloo, WI) wanted a more durable finish for its high-end mountain bikes, it turned to anodizing. Read the full article here.
Anodizing Clinic—“Touch Up” on Clear Anodized Parts
This reader would like to know if there’s anything to do for scratched clear anodized parts other than stripping and rerunning them. To read the response of our anodizing expert Larry Chesterfield, click here.
Anodizing Forum—Disposal of Used Zincate Solution
A reader would like to know the best method for in-house disposal of used zincate solution. Click here to add your two cents to the discussion.
From the product repository of PF Online:
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