If a high corrosion resistant finish provided 400+ hours to first white corrosion product and 700+ hours to red corrosion, until now, the answer was NO. Alloy finishes with passivate and seals that were complex and difficult to control were the only choice to achieve 400+ hours to first white corrosion product and 700+ hours to red corrosion. Traditional zinc plating just could not meet these requirements. As a result, finishers and their customers could only look to zinc alloy systems to provide high corrosion resistant attributes. The challenges associated with these processes were just a … [Read more...]
July 19, 2019 By
Is there a better way to provide a high corrosion resistant finish that is not an expensive alloy process?
June 18, 2019 By
Asterion Introduces Incredibly Corrosion Resistant Zinc Plating Systems
INDIANAPOLIS, June 17, 2019 – Asterion is excited to introduce the industry’s next generation of alkaline and chloride zinc plating systems. Possessing incredible white corrosion and red rust resistance, extended NSS performance is consistently achieved when choosing any one of the company’s new, multi-level Asterion® systems: Ultra, UltraPlus™, or UltraMax™. Engineered for both rack and barrel operations, Ultra, UltraPlus, and UltraMax™ zinc plating systems offer ease of operation and waste treatment. Based on production-proven processes approved by Harley-Davidson, the RoHS-compliant … [Read more...]
May 15, 2019 By
Billie Dzunda a “40 Under 40” Products Finishing Honoree
We are proud to announce that Billie Dzunda, Asterion’s Director of Environmental Health and Safety, has been named a “40 Under 40 Future Leader of Surface Finishing” by Products Finishing Magazine. Safety is not only mentioned prominently in Asterion’s mission statement, but it is one of our core values. Since joining Asterion in 2015, Billie has provided exceptional leadership to ensure a safe workplace. In addition to providing EHS leadership, she is also part of our ISO 9001 team and works tirelessly to not only maintain compliance but strive for improvement. Billie graduated from … [Read more...]
April 1, 2019 By
Increasing Bath Life and Quality of Trivalent Passivates on Zinc Plate
As published in Products Finishing Magazine, April 2019 issue. Q: What is the best way to increase the bath life and quality of trivalent passivates on zinc plate? A: One of the more significant developments of the last 20 years in the metal finishing industry is the commercial development and application of trivalent passivates on zinc electroplate. These developments have allowed applicators to eliminate the use of toxic hexavalent-chromate conversion coatings, thereby safeguarding the health of all involved in the handling and processing of zinc-plated parts. Further, these trivalent … [Read more...]
March 4, 2019 By
Cleaning Cycle Optimization
Should we be content with letting cleaning baths get contaminated with oils and soils? We can just dump and make up a fresh bath, right? You could go that route, but beware; without proper cleaning blisters, poor adhesion, pitting, peeling, and flaking may start to rear their ugly heads before a fresh bath can be made. There is a better answer. What would happen if agitation and filtration systems were added to a cleaner? The filters remove bulk soils and particulates as they are being introduced to the bath. An agitation system mechanically sweeps particulate matter away from the … [Read more...]
February 10, 2019 By
Asterion Employees Receive First Aid, CPR and AED Training
INDIANAPOLIS, February 11, 2019 – As part of the company’s core values to provide safety tools, training and knowledge to employees, Asterion, LLC corporate-based team members recently completed the American Heart Association Heartsaver® First Aid CPR AED course held at the company’s Indianapolis headquarters. Asterion Health & Safety Manager, Ms. Billie Dzunda, organized the training which included both hands-on coaching and classroom teaching conducted by an American Heart Association certified instructor. Meeting OSHA regulatory requirements, the course prepared all Asterion … [Read more...]
February 2, 2019 By
Nickel Stripper Issues and Answers
A customer alerted us to an issue with their acid-based anodic nickel stripper. The issue had been ongoing for at least a couple of months and they had tried many different things to solve the issue. One of the issues was the automatic backwash filtration system had been down for an extended period. It was thought that was the main culprit, based on the appearance of the strip solution showing a great deal of floating solids that would settle to the bottom when there was no circulation. Filtration Fixed, but… The filtration system was fixed, and the customer decided to dump and make … [Read more...]
January 7, 2019 By
Asterion TECHNIBRITE™ Alkaline and Acid Zinc Systems Approved by Harley-Davidson
INDIANAPOLIS, January 8, 2019 – Asterion, LLC is pleased to announce that Harley-Davidson has approved TECHNIBRITE™ alkaline and acid zinc plating systems for providing optimum corrosion protection on the company’s legendary motorcycles. Specifically, the TECHNIBRITE systems have met the stringent specifications of Harley-Davidson’s “Zinc Plate and Seal per ESPEC 805-050,” and “Zinc Plate per ESPEC 805-051” for use on powertrain components. The approved zinc plating systems include the use of TECHNIBRITE AZ 130 alkaline, non-cyanide zinc or TECHNIBRITE ZN 200 chloride acid zinc, followed by … [Read more...]
September 18, 2018 By
Asterion Receives ISO 9001:2015 Certification
INDIANAPOLIS, September 19, 2018 – Asterion, LLC is pleased to announce that it has received certification to the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS). Verisys Registrars conducted the independent, third party certification and issued Certificate Number A101013. ISO 9001:2015 certification denotes that Asterion is compliant to the International Standards Organization (ISO) quality management system and has demonstrated its ability to consistently provide products and services focused on enhancing customer satisfaction. It is the only standard in the ISO 9000 family against which … [Read more...]
April 22, 2018 By
How to Keep a Plating Bath from Slowing Down
As published in Products Finishing Magazine, April 2018 issue. Alkaline plating baths form carbonates over time, and these carbonates cause the baths to become less efficient, resulting in slower plating speed. Asterion’s Roger Sowinski outlines three options for removing carbonates. Q. Why is the plating time in my alkaline plating baths increasing? How do I fix this problem? A. When it comes to plating, time is money, and nothing is more frustrating than your plating bath slowing to a crawl. The good news is that you can return the plating speed to its original levels; the … [Read more...]