September 2018 ISSUE

September 2018 | Digital Edition
COVER STORY

Burkard Industries Climbs the Ladder to No. 1

The Michigan shop makes its way to the top of the 2018 Products Finishing Top Shops Benchmarking Survey.
#Top Shops

FEATURES

Liquid Coating

2018 Top Shops for Liquid and Powder Coating

The 2018 Products Finishing Tops Shops are listed below, gleaned from the several hundred survey respondents.
Liquid Coating

Bristol Powdercoat Goes Big in a Big Way

The Canadian shop can coat parts as large as 60 feet long and 10,000 pounds.
Electrocoating

Burkard Industries Climbs the Ladder to No. 1

The Michigan shop makes its way to the top of the 2018 Products Finishing Top Shops Benchmarking Survey.
Powder Coating

Climate Control for Better Liquid and Powder Coatings

Air make-up units can provide climate control and dehumidification for replacement air.


Electroplating

Electroplated Rhenium Proves a Surprising Superconductor

The process paves the road for the next critical steps in the development of cutting-edge supercomputers.


FANUC America to Expand HQ with New Michigan Facility

The $51 million expansion, expected to create 100 jobs, received a $1 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. It is scheduled to open in Fall 2019.
Electroplating

How Dissolved Aluminum in Low Caustic Etch Baths Affects Acid-Etched Surfaces

Decreasing the concentration of aluminum in the low caustic step can also lead to problems such as preferential etching.
Liquid Coating

Medical Industry Shows Signs of Strength

Gardner Intelligence’s chief economist, Michael Guckes, says company earnings and economic data both indicate short- and long-term growth for manufacturers in the medical industry.
Electroplating

Nucor Invests in Environmentally Friendly Chrome Plating

Trion Coatings’ chrome plating process was developed through a partnership between University of Notre Dame faculty members and the startup company based at the University’s IDEA Center.
Parts Cleaning

Parts2clean Show Addresses Trends Impacting Parts Cleaning

The October event in Stuttgart, Germany, aims to help manufacturers and finishers solve some of the issues associated with trends like lightweight construction, changing manufacturing and coating technologies, and new materials and material combinations.


Electroplating

Pioneer Metal Finishing Acquired by Private Equity Firm

Pioneer operates eight plants across North America, servicing approximately 3,500 customers in numerous end markets and service lines.
Electroplating

Researchers Create Superstrong Aluminum Alloys for Automotive, Aerospace Applications

The alloy is lightweight and possibly stronger than stainless steel, but it provides flexibility that stainless steel does not in many applications.


Powder Coating

Select Powder Coating Uses Expansion to Propel Growth

A new 40,000-square-foot facility with automated lines improved production for the Missouri shop.
Powder Coating

Small Pro-Kote Packs a Big Wallop

The nine-person Tennessee shop has impressive finishing practices.
Powder Coating

Teamwork Makes Perfection Industrial Finishing Shine

A commitment to customer service earns this Arizona shop top honors.
Electrocoating

Therma-Tron-X Purchases Wisconsin Furnace Maker

TTX officials say they will add high-temperature furnaces to their product offerings and carry on the HTF brand.
Powder Coating

Verta Opens Architectural Coating and Finishing Operation

The company was established in 1985 as the exclusive finisher for its sister company, Industrial Louvers, but is now branching out to new customers.
Electroplating

Webinar Discusses Switch from Hexavalent to Trivalent

Columbia Chemical and Products Finishing will host a free webinar on October 18 that will address regulations, process differences, conversion details, cost factors and benefits.
Electroplating

Electro-codeposition of MCrAlY Coatings for Advanced Gas Turbine Applications - 1st Quarterly Research Report

This first year of work involves the effect of operating parameters on the CrAlY particle incorporation in the coating.
Liquid Coating

Innovative Applications of Electroplating and PVD for New Material Solutions - The 54th William Blum Lecture

The following is Dr. Per Møller’s William Blum Memorial Lecture at SUR/FIN 2018, in Cleveland, Ohio on June 4, 2018, with commentary by NASF Technical Editor James H. Lindsay.  It covers a variety of projects involved with surface finishing applications, including sustainable energy.  Due to Dr. Møller’s serious illness, he was unable to make the journey to SUR/FIN.  In his stead, his longtime professional colleague, Dr. Lars Pleth Nielsen, of the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), presented the lecture. 
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