The NASF continues to work closely on advocacy efforts to ensure that U.S. and global regulatory bodies make responsible and scientifically-informed decisions on materials uses for a range of coatings processes.

Panel will include manufacturing experts from the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, China and Canada.

As we head to the Windy City for NASF’s SUR/FIN 2013, let’s take a look at some of the oldest continuous plating operations in Chicagoland.

The Washington Forum, held by the National Association for Surface Finishing, and held at the Ritz Carlton, Pentagon City, was a resounding success.

55 substances per year will be risk-assessed, but the mid-term objective is to assess 80 substances by the end of 2014.

Economic & Business Update Dr. Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics, presented the latest data on business trends and his prognosis for the global economy and the state of manufacturing in North America.

NASF filed a legal challenge to the final rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the most powerful court in the nation besides the U.S. Supreme Court.

As part of its regulatory review effort, OSHA is developing a Request for Information seeking input to help identify ways to address occupational exposure to chemicals.

Senator Lautenberg introduced two bills seeking to require certain high-risk facilities to implement measures—including so-called inherently safer technologies —to protect them from terrorist attacks.

The NASF recently launched the NASF 1000 initiative to provide sustaining support for the finishing industry’s public policy advocacy and government relations activities.

Blass is responsible for Global Product Validation including vehicle, engine, drivetrain, sound, dynamic, structural, certifications.

Attendees enjoyed a variety of sessions, with topics ranging from the economic outlook for finishing and manufacturing

Sudarshan Narayanan is currently focusing on transparent conductors for optoelectronic applications and is expecting to complete his doctorate in 2013

Students from the school’s product design, environmental design, fine art and graduate industrial design programs spent the fall term learning about surface finishing technologies and applications.

Alert for Platers: Your Deadline is March 19, 2013 as EPA finalized the residual risk and technology review for the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for hard and decorative chromium electroplating and chromium anodizing tanks under 40 CFR Part 63

Opportunity to promote the metal finishing industry and the associations, and a rare opportunity to visit with inspectors on neutral ground and participate in some of the same training sessions.

Surface finishers and others operating in industries highly regulated by federal, state and local environmental protection agencies have seen an increase in the number of violations that have escalated from administrative notices of violations and fines, or even civil penalties, to criminal prosecutions

Kick off in Detroit is scheduled for January 16. The event is timed perfectly for the Detroit Auto Show, and the NASF Board will also be meeting in town to fully support the event.

Conference officials fully expect the 2013 conference to outperform last year’s event in both size and attendance due to the ever strengthening popularity of its technical sessions and increased global attendance.

The panel of presenters to NADCAP's chemical processing group included Paul Hogben, Boeing, NASF Board member Dr.Keith Legg, Rowan Technology, and Jeff Hannapel, NASF / The Policy Group.

The CASF “Forum” conference in Toronto provided an informative overview of compliance issues and emerging regulatory issues. Also: NASF coordinating with Nickel Institute on nickel salts, metals data.

Sierra Club also sues the EPA over the same National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants rules for plating industry; NASF's two court actions include a petition for judicial review of the ruling in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and a request for reconsideration of the rule with EPA.

Their presentation is titled, “Latest Trends: EPA Criminal Penalties – Can It Happen to You?”

Inclusion of nickel and nickel compounds on the Maine list does not trigger any regulatory requirements for now, but it serves as a warning that the state could designate the metal or its compound to be a "priority chemical" in the future

Institute for Supply Management reported that Purchasing Manages' Index edged 0.2 points higher to 51.7; a reading above 50 would typically be associated with an expansion of the manufacturing sector.

Pat Gleason, Ray Lucas, Bill Wiggins and Joelie Zak leaving NASF Board

Students are challenged to create innovative works utilizing plating technologies; top three concepts as judged by the panel be awarded $5,000 scholarships.

NASF Government Advisory Committee is conducting an online survey to determine how the new rule passed Sept. 19 will impact chromium electroplating and anodizing operations. Facilities may either comply with the surface tension levels, or the emission limits. In addition, the rule bans the use of PFOS-based fume suppressants. The survey closes Oct. 9, so take it today.

NASF Highlights Weak Rationale to White House

Jerry Wahlin received the NASF Silvio Taormina Award, an honor given to an individual who has performed outstanding service to the finishing industry.

The U.S. EPA signed the final chromium electroplating air rule Aug. 15 after it was finally cleared by the White House; the NASF says it might take the matter to court to overturn the rule.

Republicans criticized the scheduled markup of the Safe Chemicals Act

NASF will be reviewing the rule and supporting documents to determine whether to proceed with a legal challenge.

The U.S.-China coatings exchange on standards and environmental sustainability spanned meetings from Washington to Los Angeles

This year’s NASF conference in Las Vegas was said by many to be the “best SUR/FIN” they attended in some time.

PAR 1107 will be considered for adoption by the AQMD Governing Board at a public hearing tentatively scheduled for November 2, 2012.

The NASF handed out several industry awards at its SUR/FIN conference in Las Vegas in June, including to David Marsh, who won the Presidential Award based on the extraordinary service put forth by an NASF member.

Rick Dale is owner of Rick’s Restorations, a Las Vegas restoration shop that takes vintage appliances and machinery and restores them with new coatings for customers each week on the hit TV show American Restoration on the History Channel.

EPA official attends NASF Washington Forum to speak on chromium rule and flawed data.

As the NASF SUR/FIN show gets ready to open in a few weeks in Las Vegas, Products Finishing magazine decided to take a ‘Virtual Road Trip’ across the U.S. to surveys job shops and platers to get a 'State of Finishing' status. It seems business is good.

This paper discusses a new advanced problem solving anodize technology for processing Types I, II and III anodize (A123) in a universal mixed electrolyte. This new chromium-free formulation will activate pore structure development, producing excellent Type IC and Type III hard anodize at lower voltages. The following technical areas will be discussed: (1) new anodize bath parameters in service, (2) simplified electronic power supply requirements and (3) slow pulse-step-ramp-dwell procedures. Data logger graphs presented will prove quality, efficiency and energy savings on critical alloy parts (2024, 2219, 7050, etc.) and actual leading edge configurations.

"Electroplating and Surface Finishing" and "Environmental Stewardship" at SUR/FIN, June 11-14 in Las Vegas

Leonard Takata, Yuyol Lee, Minwoo Song and Andrew Bianchi win scholarships

IRIS program helps EPA assess 550+ chemicals in our environment.

NASF joined NAM to expand the industry’s voice on issues that affect manufacturing

EPA moving forward on reassessing risks from nickel commonly used in plating and related finishing processes

Will highlight global business, technology and regulatory trends for finishing

More finishers are warming up to using non-chrome passivation as a way to satisfy customers who don’t want to use hexavalent chromium for corrosion treatment.

Attorney and environmental expert Anthony Giuliani explains the EPA's new chromium rules due in 2012, which would amend the existing National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants Emissions for hard and decorative chromium electroplating and chromium anodizing tanks by lowering the existing NESHAP limits for both existing and new sources.

NASF’s Jeff Hannapel and Christian Richter point to major flaws, bad precedent in EPA chromium air rule. NASF leaders have submitted a 100-page package of comments to the EPA in response to the agency’s proposed rule for chromium finishing operations.

When nickel electroplate is coupled with chromium, a high current density and corrosion rate at the anode, usually nickel, are favored by a high electrolyte concentration, a high temperature and a low nickel-to-chromium area ratio.

In the CASS testing of 1961 outside door handles plated in one of six exterior die-cast plating machines equipped for the dual chromium system at the Flint, Michigan plant of the Ternstedt Division of General Motors Corporation, 97% of the handles tested presented an appearance which it is felt would be acceptable to a car owner after one year's service.

The corrosion resistance of nine plating systems with decoratively plated chromium was evaluated from the results of the CASS and Corrodkote tests, and Detroit Roof and Kure Beach exposure compared with the results of actual mobile service performance on cars used in Detroit.

Claims EPA Used Data from 'Phantom Facilities'

Registration is now open for NASF's SUR/FIN conference.