We feel it is important to stay abreast of new coating technology. We periodically research articles dealing with new coating technology, pretreatments, engineering issues, equipment, and processes. We are making the efforts of such research available to those interested in learning more about our industry.
Nanotech Pretreatment Aimed at Aluminum
The nanotech revolution rolls on and in the finishing world nanotechnology has made its mark mainly in the pretreatment area. In general, nanotechnology pretreatments—and there are several available from different suppliers—result in an ultra-thin conversion coating layer on the order of nanometers thick versus microns thick for a conventional pretreatment. The thinner layers seem to improve corrosion resistance by providing improved paint adhesion. Read more …
Maximizing Finishing Productivity
Obviously, one type of abrasive will not fit all finishing applications. But, some abrasives will work in many applications. Proper selection of the correct abrasive family will provide:
What are the abrasive families? Industrial abrasives can be grouped into three basic classes or families of materials. These can be labeled Traditional, Intermediate and Not-so-traditional–the latter encompassing superabrasives. Read more …
Masking
Masking is important to any kind of finishing and often viewed as a necessary evil, one that is frustrating, time-consuming and labor-intensive. But the benefits of masking are numerous, including improving line speed, product quality as well as providing a competitive advantage. There are several techniques to use for masking specific parts such as strippable coatings, tapes as well as masking devices such as caps, discs and plugs. Strippable coatings are used to mask large and small areas of objects. Adhesive tapes are used on small- to medium-sized objects and sometimes in conjunction with sheets of paper or plastic on large objects. Caps adhere by friction and are used to cover openings on the ends of or protrusions on products. Read more …
Fasteners and Finishes – Part I
The finish on a fastener is an important and integral part of the entire joint attachment. Just as hardness, shape, roughness, diameter and number of threads per inch all have a major effect on the final security of the attachment, the finish thickness, type and other characteristics have a tremendous effect on the final bolted joint. One of the last steps in the manufacture of a bolt or nut is the finish. Historically the finishing source is left uninformed as to the parts function and how the plating or coating will interact with the rest of the joint components. In the following series of articles the various facets of a good joint attachment will be discussed with emphasis on the factors of finishing, which affect how the parts fit together. Read more …
Fasteners and Finishes – Part II
When a bolt is tightened into amating threaded part, the two components interact by pulling each other together. This force is called clamp load and is what keeps thejoint from coming apart. Provided that the force pulling it together is greater than the outside forces (service loads) that are trying to pull it apart, no problem will result with the attachment. Unfortunately, friction plays a large part in this system. Of 100 pct of the torque applied to fasteners to pull them together, 50 pct is lost in underhead bearing face friction and 40 pct is lost through friction between the mating threads. This leaves about 10 pct of the torque applied to actually pull the parts up to the required clamp load. The fastener’s finish has a greater influence on tension than any other factor. Depending upon the coefficient of friction of the finish on the fastener, clamp load differences of more Read more …
Fasteners and Finishes – Part III
The corrosion requirements of fasteners are often set without knowing the actual performance characteristics of the coating selected. Witness the use of yellow dichromate parts on the exhaust systems of new cars. Once the engine is started, the finish is gone. The engineering department sets the requirements for the part by looking it up in a standards book that lists the hours of salt spray for the finish, but not Read more …
Fasteners and Finishes – Part IV
The plating source is often the blame for many automated assembly problems. The manufacturer requests a coating or plating of a certain type from the finisher. When the manufacturer receives the final product he runs off with it, only to call back in a few days to say that the plating is clogging up the assembly process. When the problem involves recalls and expensive warranty costs, the manufacturer may want a Read more …
