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Jim Destefani
Senior Editor
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Immigrant Song
Walk into many finishing shops and you’ll see them: Hispanic line workers moving parts and performing many of the other tasks that keep lines going.
Are they here legally? Who knows? And why is that important? As this is written, the debate on a comprehensive immigration reform bill cobbled together by a bipartisan Senate committee is raging in the U.S.
On one side stand many business leaders, President Bush, and the measure’s architects, who say the bill offers the best answer to unchecked illegal immigration across the U.S.’s southern border. On the other are opponents who say the bill will grant blanket amnesty to 12 million or more illegal immigrants, rewarding lawbreakers and creating an incentive for future illegal immigration.
Somewhere in the middle are the vast majority of Americans, who recognize the contributions of immigrant workers to our society but also feel that unchecked illegal immigration has become a problem. Many of these people, myself included, would like to see a bit of common sense applied to the issue. Better border security and enforcement of existing immigration laws would be a good place to start.
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ALSO In this issue..
- The Finisher's Perspective
- RE: The Finisher's Perspective
- Painting
- Plating
- Parts Cleaning
- New Products
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Share your views, win an Amazon gift certificate.
The issue of how to deal with illegal immigration is complex. What do you think? Does the U.S. immigration system need a big overhaul as proposed by the Senate? Should existing laws be enforced first? Or do you have another idea?
Please share your views on this topic. Give us your opinion and you’ll have a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Responses may be published in the next PF Digital Dispatch. Click here to respond.
Respondents will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card to Amazon.com and will be published in the next issue of the Digital Dispatch.
Last month we asked whether a primer course covering types of finishes, their properties and applications would be of value for engineering students. Nearly all respondents were in favor of such a course. Sorry we can’t share them all, but following is a sampling of your responses.
Bill Doherty of TAFE NSW says. . .Here in Australia we have developed a nationally accredited trade training course for powder coating. There are essentially three certificate levels culminating in the trade qualification. We developed this under the Production Engineering School. It is all competency based and works well.
Eric Bollinger of Govesan Mfg. says. . . As a technical service rep, I feel it would be invaluable to educate engineers, procurement (purchasing), etc. about finishing. I can't tell you how many calls I receive a month about such issues. I've been in the powder coating business for 25 years.
Tony Bielecki of Environmental Coatings Inc. says. . .Absolutely! If not an entire course, at least take two or three weeks to go over different types of coatings and what they can offer. Without even a cursory knowledge of finishes, an engineer/designer really shouldn’t be the one to specify how something should be coated.
Jim Romine, MSF, of Moen Inc. says. . .Making engineering students more aware of finishing techniques will accomplish two things: raise the awareness and background knowledge for these up-and-coming engineers, and possibly entice more folks to enter our profession. How can it NOT be a good thing?
We think Jim’s response sums things up nicely, so he is this month’s winner of a $50 Amazon gift card. Thanks to everyone who responded.
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Feature Article--Phasing In
When Ford Motor Company decided to expand the paint shop in its St. Thomas Assembly Plant, it sought to do so without losing production time. To read more, click here.
Painting Clinic--Paint Over Powder?
This reader wants to know whether he can apply paint on top of a powder coating. To read the response of our Painting Clinic expert Carl Izzo, click here
Painting Forum—FDA-Approved Coating on Aluminum
This reader is looking for a coating for aluminum tanks that is approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
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Feature Article--Encapsulating Hard Chromium Plating Tanks
To read how one company eliminated stack testing, fume emissions and scrubbers using tank covers, click here.
Plating Clinic--Nesting Problem in Barrel Plating
This reader has issues with the nesting of small parts in barrel plating lines. To read the suggestions of our plating expert Art Kushner, click here.
Plating Forum--Acid Protection for 6061 Alloy
This reader needs to specify a coating for aluminum alloy 6061 that will be exposed to a "fog" of perchloric and hydrochloric acids.
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Feature article--Precision Cleaning and Verification: A Practical Guide
Three main issues to consider when deciding on cleaning practices include manpower, equipment and processes and the environment. To read more, click here.
Parts Cleaning Clinic--Pretreatment of Multiple Substrates
This reader is looking for a single pretreatment for a variety of substrate/topcoat combinations. To read the advice of our expert, David S. Peterson, click here.
Cleaning/Pretreatment Forum--Stains on Aluminum
This reader is looking for information on how to remove stains and oxidation from aluminum parts after cleaning.
From the product repository of PF Online
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