August 2010

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Nickel and dimed just got more expensive

Tim Pennington, Editor
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Don’t look now, but those who dabble in nickel may be getting hit hard soon by additional price increases if – as expected – the Chinese market has a surge in demand for the metal. Reports say that China (which accounts for 30% of worldwide usage) may soon see an 18.6% leap in demand, or roughly 510,000 tons.

Talk about price spike!


	UESTION What do you think? How are you coping with the rising costs of raw materials? Where do you think the prices will go in the next year? Talk to us!

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Feature Article — Red, White, Blue... and Green It isn't a color normally associated with a top-selling car, but Volkswagen is hoping its eco-friendly ‘green’ paint shop at a new $1 billion Chattanooga, TN, assembly plant will make inroads with car buyers. Read it here. Painting Clinic — Wire Coating We want to coat our wire (0.80 mm diameter) with a high viscosity UV ink as a thin layer (~20 µm). You have suggested in your article to use a 'wire tower.' Are there sample drawings or pictures of this system? Currently our line is running on a horizontal sequence. Is there an applicator by which we can paint the wire in a horizontal position? Expert Carl Izzo answers here.
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Feature Article — Prize-winning Finish What started out in Europe and South America as an award-winning water-based, zinc and aluminum-rich, chromium-free finish is now available to support North American automaker's strategies to improve corrosion protection on their vehicles. Read more here. Plating Clinic — Stripping Gold We selectively strip gold from using a reel-to-reel process. Quite often, the gold that remains after the stripping process is dark in color similar to a brown gold. We have tried a number of different formulations with little success in solving the problem. Do you have any suggestions? Expert Arthur Kushner answers here.
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Feature Article — The Heavyweights At first glance, a business that manufactures bulk storage and material handling equipment for huge agricultural installations—some weighing as much as 20 tons—may seem an unlikely candidate for powder. Manufacturer Laidig Systems, however, is making it work. Read it here. Powder Coating Clinic — Powder vs. Liquid for Steel We are considering using powder coating for our steel parts. We have used liquid coating for several years but we have problems with performance and appearance, and we think that powder may hold up better based on what we have read and heard. Is powder better than liquid coating? Expert Rodger Talbert answers here.

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International Hard Anodizing Association's 13th Technical Symposium
Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2010

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Oct 27-29, 2010

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Nov 2-4, 2010

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