During my more than 30 years in the metal finishing industry, a slow and quiet revolution has taken place. Early in my career many finishers would ask, “Why should I pay for water?” when we discussed liquid cleaners. Now when I talk to most metal finishing shops, they tell me they have a preference for liquid cleaners. Why the new preference over the powder equivalents? My clients and prospects give me many reasons: It could be for safety, for control, for ease of handling and sometimes for the simple choice of a longer bath life. User Safety and Other Preferences Worker safety has always … [Read more...]
January 12, 2016 By
Increase Productivity to Maximize Profitability
It is easy to become complacent as we run our businesses. As many say, “We get stuck inside our comfort zone." To stay competitive, metal finishing operations must continually search for ways to improve their productivity to maximize profits. Acid Zinc Chloride Plating Solutions Many finishing companies operate acid zinc chloride (often called chloride zinc) plating solutions due to the faster plating speed achieved and the ability to plate directly on hardened steel. Yes, alkaline zinc offers you distinct advantages like excellent plate distribution as seen in the old, high cyanide bearing … [Read more...]
January 5, 2016 By
The Electroless Nickel Phenomenon
By Doug Trageser In my 30 years of selling in the metal finishing industry, I have seen many changes and improvements to processes that have benefited the companies that sell and apply those processes to finished goods. The process that I believe has improved the most in that time is the electroless nickel (EN) plating process. Early in my career in the mid 1980’s, a handful of plating shops were applying electroless nickel, but they were few and far between. The technology was not as well understood then, as there was not nearly as much published literature on the subject as there is … [Read more...]
December 22, 2015 By
Rust Preventative Basics
There are three general types of rust preventative products most commonly used in the marketplace today. Each have their advantages and disadvantages for use. This rundown of rust preventative basics provides some descriptions of each products and why one may be better for you to use than another. When choosing a rust preventative, keep in mind the corrosion protection required, equipment available for applying the product, drying capabilities, long term use of product, post processes, and the R.P. film characteristics. Traditional Petroleum-Based Rust Preventative These types contain a … [Read more...]
December 16, 2015 By
I Want a “Cheap” Cleaner
I hear a lot of prospects and customers looking for a "cheap" cleaner. To most people, "cheap" means a low price per unit. Consider these questions and statements when asking for or using a "cheap" cleaner: How effective is it? Perhaps a higher priced cleaner could clean at lower temperatures, shorter times, provide a better surface for coating adhesion, appearance, and corrosion protection. How much are you using? Perhaps a higher priced cleaner would reduce overall maintenance additions and rebuilding costs or perform at a lower, safer concentration. How much sludge is … [Read more...]
November 26, 2015 By
The Basics of Alkaline Cleaning in the Electroplating Industries
The most important phase of metal working, fabricating and finishing is cleaning. Alkaline cleaning is the mainstay of industrial cleaning and may employ both physical and chemical actions. Cleaners are many in number and vary in type and formulation. Alkaline cleaners are specifically formulated (proprietary) chemical blends which consist of alkaline builder salts, surfactants, sequestering agents, emulsifiers and chelators . Wetting agents, soaps and synthetic detergents, allow oil to be removed by displacing the oil from the surface of the part being cleaned by creating an emulsion win … [Read more...]
November 11, 2015 By
Spray Rinsing
In the industry of metal finishing all of the process steps and control parameters are critical. Naturally most of all of the process steps are scrutinized, tracked, and analyzed, however often times those process steps that may not seem as critical should be not be taken lightly. One of these often over looked areas is rinsing and what constitutes good and efficient rinsing. The critical nature of rinsing can be measured in many ways such as component quality, process solution contamination or overall line process quality. The metrics may vary from application to application. Naturally … [Read more...]
November 3, 2015 By
Eliminating Cyanide from Your Copper Plating Process
There are a variety of copper plating technologies. These include acid copper, electroless copper, alkaline non-cyanide copper and alkaline cyanide copper. With the EPA’s Common Sense Initiative, plating facilities are moving away from the cyanide copper processes. The Common Sense Initiative impacts the automotive, iron and steel, computers and electronics, printing, petroleum refining and metal finishing industries. Its objective is to reduce or prevent pollution and the plan assigned a high priority to reducing or eliminating emissions of hexavalent chrome, chlorinated solvents, cadmium … [Read more...]
October 29, 2015 By
4 Quick Chromate Tips for the Winter
As we head into the fall and winter months, no doubt the service phone will start ringing about chromate rub off on zinc plated parts due to ambient going from temperatures in the 80s and 90s to temperatures in the 60s (and in some plants saving on heating bills, chromates may be trying to work as low as temperatures in the 50s). But as we see a rise in the trivalent chemistries and less of the "ambient" running hexavalent chromates, the simple fix of raising the temperature may not be the solution to the rub-off headache during these cold days of winter. Here are a few other quick tips to … [Read more...]