Photo Credit:
Products Finishing
Presented by the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF), SUR/FIN is one of the surface finishing industry’s premier conference events. The finishing community will gather June 6-8, 2023, at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio, to discuss industry challenges, discover new innovations and technologies, and connect with colleagues. In addition to an array of technical conference sessions, meetings and events, SUR/FIN attendees will have the opportunity to visit exhibitors on the show floor to discover the latest finishing equipment, products, services and processes.
Christian Richter (The Policy Group) delivered a presentation on the economics affecting the finishing industry at SUR/FIN 2022.
Photo Credit: Products Finishing
Don’t miss out — SUR/FIN 2023 is an opportunity to expand your knowledge and network with your peers in the finishing industry. SUR/FIN’s technical conference offers a wealth of expertise and education. With so many sessions to choose from, the schedule below can help you plan your SUR/FIN 2023 experience.
Dr. Judy Runge discusses electrochemical polarization and natural order as inspiration for surface finishing innovation at SUR/FIN 2022.
Photo Credit: Products Finishing
Take time to peruse all that SUR/FIN 2023 offers below. Some NASF training course sessions and exams take place prior to and following the trade show. Make sure to take note and plan accordingly. Whether attending a mix of conferences and courses covering the latest trends and technologies, or visiting exhibits on the show floor, SUR/FIN is the place to broaden your knowledge and expand your industry connections.
For more information and to register for SUR/FIN 2023, visit www.nasfsurfin.com.
SUR/FIN 2023 Agenda
Note: This agenda is current as of 3/22/23 and subject to change and updates.
Monday, June 5
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Electroplating and Surface Finishing Course (CEF)*
- Aluminum Finishing*
Tuesday, June 6
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Electroplating and Surface Finishing Course (CEF)
- Aluminum Finishing
8 a.m. – 12 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.
- Technical Conference Sessions — Rooms 3, 4 and 5
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Lunch break — on your own
- Order of Past Presidents Lunch — by invitation only
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Government & Environmental Update
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
- Industry Night (hosted by OAMF) — RSVP*
Wednesday, June 7
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Electroplating and Surface Finishing Course (CEF)*
- Aluminum Finishing*
8 a.m. – 12 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Technical Conference Sessions — Rooms 3, 4 and 5
8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
- Suppliers Committee Meeting — by invitation only
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Surface Finishing Boot Camp 1 — Show floor stage
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Lunch break — on your own
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Job Shop Committee Meeting — by invitation only
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Women’s Networking Event — NASF Booth on show floor
Thursday, June 8
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Electroplating and Surface Finishing Course (CEF)*
- Aluminum Finishing*
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
- Keynote speaker (TBD) — Show floor stage
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
10 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
- NASF Annual Business Meeting — Show floor stage
10:10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
- NASF Awards & Top Shops Award Ceremonies
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Surface Finishing Boot Camp 2 — Show floor
- NASF Technology Advisory Committee Meeting
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Lunch break — on your own
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
- Blum Lecture: Tim Hall — Show floor stage
2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
- SUR/FIN Steering Committee Meeting
- Young Professionals Reception
Friday, June 9
8 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
- Electroplating and Surface Finishing Course (CEF) Exam*
- Airline & Aerospace Finishing Parts 1 & 2 Course (CAF) Exam*
*Requires separate registration
Technical Conference Schedule
Tuesday, June 6
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Conference Session 1: Light Metals Processing (Room 3)
- Anodizing Additives – A multitude of benefits (Sascha Wegner)
- Direct Electrodeposition of Corrosion Resistant Coatings onto Aluminum After One Step Surface Pretreatment (Rajeswaran Radhakrishnan)
- Antimicrobial Anodized Aluminum, (Kevin O'Connor)
- The Science of Cleaning and Rinsing Aluminum (Mike Valenti)
- Environmentally Friendly Technology in Surface Treatment (Kenshi Quist)
- Anodizing Process Parameters Affects on Heat Fastness Of Organic Dyeings (Kevin Janis)
- Topcoat Destruction at The Hands Of Your Passivate (Tyler Batchler)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Conference Session 2: Aerospace & Defense (Room 4)
Session Co-Chairpersons: Waynie Schuette & Brad Wiley
- Challenges in Operating a DoD Electroplating Shop (Brian Gibson & Howard Whang)
- Best Practices for Post Treatment of Zinc and Zinc Alloys to Achieve Maximum Performance (Tony Oriti)
- Validation of Low Hydrogen Embrittlement (LHE) Alkaline Zinc-Nickel Electroplating for Steel and Aluminum Electrical Connectors, Accessories, and Components (Beth Randolph)
- Electrolytic Conversion Coatings (Alexander Westbrook)
- Corrosion Resistant Boegel as a Non-Chrome Corrosion Inhibited Surface Pretreatment (Casey Jones)
- Reaching Up: Using Non-Drip Selective Plating for the Application of Zinc-Nickel (Sarah Medeiros)
- Laser Assisted Cold Spray (LACS) as an Alternative to HVOF, Plasma, and Helium-Based Cold Spray (Fred Laguine)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Conference Session 3: Automation & Process Control (Room 5)
Session Co-Chairpersons: Dev Massimi & George Milad
- Best Practices in Preparing Process Control Samples for Plating (Clint Williams)
- The Economics Of Plant Software: Can My Shop Be More Profitable With Better Systems? (Jeff Halonen)
- Impact of Transformation Technologies 4.0 in the Finishing Industry (Pedro Castillo)
- High Tolerance Process Control for Business-Critical Surface Finishing (Josh Loukus)
- How A Microgrid, Battery Storage, Or Behind the Meter Power Conversion System Can Improve Your Production, Provide A Competitive Edge, And Prevent Catastrophic Plant Failure (Remington Schieffer)
- New Job Processing Software Tools Offer Benefits to Metal Finishing (Randy Schrock)
- PHTPlus by TrinSoft - ERP Software for Plating, Heat Treating, Powder Coating and Finishing Services Companies (Bobby Haggard)
1:30 p.m – 3:00 p.m.
Conference Session 4: Light Metals Processing II (Room 3)
Session Co-Chairpersons: Rob Pawson & Caleb Morrison
- Establishing a Chromate Coating Line using Type I Class 3 Testing Standards (Bradley Carpenter)
- Factors Influencing Color Consistency in Type II Anodizing (Jacqueline Cook)
- Selective Zinc Filtration in Aluminum Bearing Wastewater (Travis Johnson)
1:30 p.m – 3:00 p.m.
Conference Session 5: Aerospace & Defense II (Room 4)
Session Co-Chairpersons: Waynie Schuette & Dan Hooks
- Brush Plating Use in US Navy and US Marine Corps Aviation (Howard Whang & Calvin Chi)
- Direct Brush-Plating Electrodeposition of ZnNi Coatings on Al 2219 by One-Step Pretreatment (Andrew Moran)
- Improved Adhesion: Brush Nickel Plating for Titanium Alloy Applications (Joshua Thomas)
1:30 p.m – 3:00 p.m.
Conference Session 6: Automation & Process Control (Room 5)
Session Co-Chairpersons: Dev Massimi & Tim Hall
- Industrial Sustainability Assessment and Enhancement (ISAE) Tool (Abdurrafay Siddiqui & Yinlun Huang)
- How AI Can Benefit Sustainability in Plating (Andreas Scholz)
- Digital Twin-Based Dynamic Sustainability Assessment of Electroplating Facilities (Mahboubeh Moghadasi & Yinlun Huang)
Wednesday, June 7
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Conference Session 7: Automotive
Session Co-Chairpersons: Ling Hao & Patrick Howe
- Considerations For Selecting the Proper Finish For EV Related Applications (Darrick Gula)
- Frequently Contemplated Questions from Plating On Plastics Plastic Pretreatment For The Purpose Of Electrical Conductivity (Joe Arnold)
- Examining Metallic Fastener Finishes, Performance Factors, and Future Trends (Mark Schario)
- Chrome(VI)-free Passivations for E-Mobility Applications (Torsten Koerner)
- Cobalt-Free Passivates: Environmental Stewardship & Performance Improvement (Andrew Pfeifer)
- A Winning Combination – New Cobalt-Free Passivates and Torque Modifying Topcoats (Christian Kissig)
- CO2 Emission Reduction and Carbon Neutral Initiatives in Corrosion-Resistant Surface Treatments (Ryoichi Sukenobu)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Conference Session 8: Innovations with Chromium (Room 4)
Session Co-Chairpersons: Caleb Morrison & Katherine Lee
- Process Comparison Hexavalent vs. Trivalent Hard Chrome Processes (Eric Svenson & Vicky Salsbury)
- Trivalent Black Passivates: Decorative appearance for Zinc and Zinc-Nickel (Dave Simpson)
- Chrome Deposition from a REACH Compliant Trivalent Chromium Chemistry (Andrew Moran)
- Conversion From Decorative Hexavalent Chromium; Regulatory Status, Trivalent Process Selection Guide, And A How-To Guide/Checklist (Ryan McBath)
- Taber Abrasion Testing of Functional Chrome Coatings (Kris Johnson)
- Trivalent Chrome Electrolyte Fulfills All Your Chromium Plating Needs – OSHA/EPA Compliant (Subrata Chakraborty)
- Barrel Chrome: From Novel Process to Full Production (Brittany McKinney)
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Conference Session 9: Emerging Technologies (Room 5)
Session Co-Chairpersons: James Lindsay & Dan Hooks
- Titanium Substrate Preparation for Electroplating With Hydrofluoric Acid Free Methods (Daniel Hooks)
- Towards Electroplated Re-Co Alloys with Graded Composition, Michael McBride
- Determining Applied Force During Vibratory Finishing (Bill Nebiol)
- Extraordinary Corrosion, Abrasion Resistant Sacrificial Zinc/Iron Thermal Diffusion Coating (Martin Straus)
- Aspects of High Phosphorus Electroless Nickel Coatings (Ambrose Schaffer)
- Direct Printing Composite Materials by Electro-Deposition (Tim Hall)
- The Evolving Chemical Connection To Successfully Processing High End Thermoplastic Connectors (Mark Wojtaszek)
1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Conference Session 10: Environmental and Waste Treatment Considerations (Room 3)
Session Co-Chairpersons: Fernando Carminholi & Katherine Lee
- Application of Pulse Waveform to the Electrochemical Remediation of PFAS-Wastewater: A Simple Method for Improving Efficiency and Decreasing Costs (Katherine Lee)
- Electrochemical Destruction of PFAS in Electroplating Wastewater (Brian Chaplin)
- Treatment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) by Foam Fractionation Coupled with Electrochemical Oxidation (Qingguo Huang)
- Alternative Oxidants and Optimization of Phosphorus Removal in Electroless Nickel Wastewater (Steven Buday)
- Trivalent Chromium Waste Treatment Solution (Scott Romberger)
- Liquid/Solids Separation — Jar Testing (John Dailey)
- How to Counteract False Positives In your Wastewater Treatment (Robin Deal)
1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Conference Session 11: Developments in Instrumentation (Room 4)
Session Co-Chairpersons: Dev Massimi & George Milad
- An Innovative Technique for Rapid Chemical Characterization (Ellen Williams)
- Design and Performance Review of Innovative Microwave Inductively Coupled Atmospheric pressure Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy (MICAP-OESTM-1000) Utilized in Determination of Elements in Representative Plating Solutions (Christine Rivera)
- Electroplated Coating Thickness Measurements: XRF Thickness Vs. Cross Sectional Thickness (Robert Weber)
- XRF Standards for Thickness Plating Applications (Jeffrey Korpus)
- Which Coating Thickness Measurement Instrument Is Right for Me? (Robert Weber)
- New Ways to Speed Up XRF Coatings Analysis to Achieve 100% Inspection (Matt Kreiner)
- Back to Basics: Overview of Rectifier Repair (Remington Schieffer)
1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Conference Session 12: Emerging Technologies II (Room 5)
Session Co-Chairpersons: James Lindsay & Tim Hall
- Manufacturing and Thermal Shock Characterization of Porous Yttria Stabilized Zirconia for Hydrogen Energy Systems (Majid Minary)
- Electroless Nickel Pretreatment (Alex Beck)
- Pathways for Sustainability in Electroless Nickel Processes (Douglas Hughes)
- Water — The Universal Solvent (John Dailey)
- Best Practices for Electroless Nickel — PTFE Plating (Michael Feldstein)
- Encapsulated Plating: Expanding Selective Plating Capabilities for Non-line of Sight Areas (Danijela Milosevic)
- Thermally Stable Anti-Tarnish for Silver (Feng Liu)
