On the Line
In this latest installment of On the Line, Products Finishing (PF) takes a look back at the industry’s past in order to look ahead. PF regional vice president Scott Walker discusses his experiences in the finishing industry, beginning with his early involvement with Modern Metals magazine and his transition to PF in 1996. Walker explores some of the industry’s recent history, including improvements brought about by the EPA’s Common Sense initiative, as well as current regulatory pressures regarding hexavalent chromium and PFAS chemistry. As the industry...
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In this latest installment On the Line, Products Finishing delves into the crucial role of rectifiers in the electroplating process and the importance of industry education with a trend toward increasing implementation of automation solutions. Remington Schieffer, vice president of American (Escondido, California), offers his insights.
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Looking for insights into which events to attend as the tradeshow and conference season ramps up? In this latest installment of On the Line, Products Finishing editors Scott Francis and Lori Beckman offer an overview of upcoming surface finishing industry events including tradeshows, conferences and workshops. Gain a sneek peek into the Parts Cleaning Workshop (co-located with PMTS), Powder Coating Week and the SUR/FIN 2025 surface finishing industry tradeshow.
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With this installment of On the Line, PF looks ahead to an important upcoming event for powder coaters — the ’s (PCI) Powder Coating Week in Orlando, Florida, which will take place April 14-16, 2025. In this podcast interview, PF speaks with PCI executive director Kevin Coursin about industry trends affecting powder coaters today, and what’s in store for attendees at this year’s Powder Coating Week.
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is a critical factor in achieving quality results in any surface finishing operation. In this installment of On the Line, Products Finishing catches up with John Clark, president of E & J Parts Cleaning Inc. (Waterbury, Connecticut) in a follow-up to a about the company’s technical cleanliness expertise. PF executive editor Lori Beckman interviews Clark to learn about the company’s latest efforts toward its goal of continuous improvement including the addition of new automated vacuum degreaser capabilities and the implementation of a paperless ERP system.
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In October 2024, Products Finishing attended FABTECH in Orlando, Florida. The event’s Finishing pavilion always offers a great opportunity to get insights into the latest innovations for coaters and finishers, and PF got the chance to catch up with Derek DeGeest, president of DeGeest Corp. and Lesta USA (Tea, South Dakota) to hear about the company’s latest developments. The company held a ribbon cutting at FABTECH to announce its partnership with Eurosider (Toscana, Italy), provider of Nitrotherm and Polifluid technologies, which use nitrogen as a carrier instead...
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In 2020, Andrew Kossowski, a former U.S. Air Force officer and seasoned tech entrepreneur, decided to embark on a new adventure. He was drawn to a traditional finishing operation known as DHS Enterprises based in Clearwater, Florida — a business that had built a strong reputation over three decades in specialized metal finishing, offering processes like anodizing, chem film, and passivation. Kossowski sought to revamp the veteran- and minority-owned business as Veterans Metal, a state-of-the-art finishing operation by implementing cutting-edge technology and expanding its service...
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Products Finishing recently hosted its , co-located with . In this episode of the podcast, PF Senior Editor Lori Beckman interviews conference co-chair, , professor of physical chemistry and leader of the cleaning research group at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. The pair reflect on highlights from the 2024 conference and discuss industrial parts cleaning trends and current regulations.
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New regulations involving PFAS substances are presenting new challenges for manufacturing in all areas, including surface finishing operations. In this installment of On the Line, Products Finishing interviews Louis LeBrun, vice president of sales with Axine Water Technologies, an industrial water and wastewater treatment company that specializes in an electrochemical oxidation technology named ElectraCLEAR that is designed to eliminate PFAS compounds.
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In this bonus episode of On the Line, Paul Skelton, president of the NASF Palmetto Southeast Chapter offers an overview of the NASF Palmetto Southeast Chapter 16th Annual Fall Conference — Oct. 9-10, 2024 at Folly Beach, S.C. The theme of this year's conference is "Succession on the Horizon" and the event features brilliant speakers, informative topics on impacting your business and the surface finishing industry, as well as manufacturing.
info_outlineProducts Finishing recently hosted its Parts Cleaning Conference, co-located with IMTS 2024. In this episode of the podcast, PF Senior Editor Lori Beckman interviews conference co-chair, Darren Williams, professor of physical chemistry and leader of the cleaning research group at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. The pair reflect on highlights from the 2024 conference and discuss industrial parts cleaning trends and current regulations.