NENASF ANNUAL RCRA AND ENVIRO UPDATE SEMINAR WITH A NEW TWIST

Date: May 18, 2024
Category: Chapter News, Events, NASF Chapters, Regulation

The New England Chapter of the NASF was pleased once again to offer a Seminar for the benefit of its members, and the metal finishing community, featuring annual mandatory RCRA training as well as environmental updates on hot button issues impacting the metal finishers. This year, for the first time, the Seminar was offered free of charge to all New England Chapter members in good standing as an extra membership benefit and a means of thanking loyal members for their support of NASF ideals at both the local and national level. The event took place on May 15, 2024 at the Courtyard Marriott in Marlborough Massachusetts.

The more than thirty-five attendees first received their mandatory RCRA training by Jorge Bejarano of HRP Associates. This training is a requirement for all personnel who are responsible for hazardous chemicals and waste handling, storing and offering for transportation. Jorge gave a fast paced and thorough presentation covering all aspects of safe and proper hazardous chemical handling.

The second segment of the Seminar was dedicated to Environmental Issues. Three  speakers who were present from the Department of Energy & Environmental Affairs, along with one via video link, offered an enlightening look into the newly emerging Environmental Justice initiatives which involve community interaction between industry and residents of communities that are disproportionately impacted by industrial pollutants. This was followed by a presentation by MCTA Executive Director Katherine Robertson who gave insight into the legislative activities on Capitol Hill in Boston with special emphasis on updating TURA activities and potential industry impact. The closing speaker was Brian Morrill, Associate Principal and Vice President of GZA GeoEnvironmental, informing attendees about the latest PFAS regulatory happenings that could have future impact on the Metal Finishing Community.

This well attended event is another way that membership in the NASF, at both the Local and National level, can benefit metal finishers at all levels. Once again, thank you to all NENASF Board Members, NENASF membership as a whole, and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community for offering their time and talent to making beneficial events like this a reality.

Summer 2024 NASF Online Courses Free to Members!

Date: April 19, 2024
Category: Chapter News, Events, NASF Chapters, NASF National

New Courses – Summer 2024

INTRODUCTION: PLATING 101
Recommended Time & Experience: No experience or knowledge of the surface finishing industry required.
Description: This online, self-paced course covers the base concepts of Plating and the importance of personal and environmental safety in the workplace.
Designed For: Those who want to better understand when and how surface plating is used. Ideal for those new to the industry or as part of a new employee orientation.
Content Level: Introductory (100 Series)
Approx Hours to Complete: >1 Hour
Learning Objectives: Those completing this course will be able to:
• Describe the three methods and types of metal plating.
• Outline the steps in Plating: Loading, Pre-Treatment, the Electroplating Process, and Post-Treatment.
• Recognize and understand the elements and importance of personal and environmental safety in the workplace.
Registration Fee:
Online Course Member: $0 Non-Member: $175

CHEMISTRY REFRESHER
Designed for: Individuals who scored less than 100% on the Chem Test Your Knowledge test and need a refresher and intending to take the CAF, CEF, or one of the plating specific courses listed below.
• Aluminum Finishing
• Chromium Plating
• Electroless Deposition
• Wastewater Management
• Industrial & Precious Metals
• Plating Essentials
• Zinc & Zinc Alloy
Course Description: This online, self-paced course will cover important concepts that must be mastered to be successful in the courses listed above and on any of the respective exams where a demonstration of knowledge will be required. It covers basic chemistry concepts including definitions, chemical reactions and chemical properties as they relate to the industry.
Content Level: Introductory (100 Series)
Approx Hours to Complete: 1 Hour
Learning Objectives: Those completing this course will be able to:
1. Understand the atomic structures for the most used elements in the pla􀆟ng process.
2. Properly apply the principles of Ohm’s and Faraday’s Law.
3. Recognize and iden􀆟fy various chemical reac􀆟ons including water & salt, acids & bases,
anodes & cathodes.
Registration Fee:
Online Course Member: $0 Non-Member: $175

MATH BASICS (New course. Available July 1, 2024)
Designed For: Individuals who scored less than 100% on the Math Test Your Knowledge test and need a refresher and intending to take the CAF, CEF, or one of the plating specific courses listed below.
• Chromium Plating
• Electroless Deposition
• Wastewater Management
• Industrial & Precious Metals
• Plating Essentials
• Zinc & Zinc Alloy
Course Description: This online, self-paced course provides the learner a refresher in the math basics critical to understanding and fulfilling their role in the plating process. It includes basic and intermediate mathematical functions including scientific notations, solving algebraic and proportional equations, and units of measure.
Content Level: Introductory (100 Series)
Approx Hours to Complete: 1 Hour
Learning Objectives: Those completing this course will be able to:
• Those completing this course will be able to: Recognize mathema􀆟cal symbols, conven􀆟ons, and defini􀆟ons.
• U􀆟lize scien􀆟fic nota􀆟on and units of measure to solve algebraic and propor􀆟onal equa􀆟ons.
• Properly calculate surface areas.
Registration Fee:
Online Course Member: $0 Non-Member: $175

NENASF Partners with HRP Associates

Date: March 9, 2024
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, Regulation

The NENASF is pleased to announce that we have partnered with HRP Associates.  HRP has for years organized and run our Annual HAZMAT, RCRA, and DOT TRAINING seminars and will once again be doing so on May 15th, 2024!  

Please visit their sight to see what they have to offer!

HRP Associates

EXAMPLES OF TRAININGS OFFERED

The 2023 New England Surface Finishing Regional in Newport, Rhode Island

Date: November 11, 2023
Category: Chapter News, Events, NASF Chapters, Regulation

The New England Surface Finishing Regional took place this past November 3rd in Newport, Rhode Island. It was a huge success with a 120 people in attendance. There were speakers from all over the country that delivered educational and thoughtful presentations to all in attendance.

The New England Surface Finishing Regional is honored to have presented the 7th Annual Foundation Award to longtime supporter Alex Price of Luster-On Products. The award was created to recognize a metal finishing supplier that has demonstrated outstanding contributions, support, and dedication to the annual regional event.

The 2024 the New England Surface Finishing Regional will be held November 8th in Hyannis, Cape Cod Massachusetts.

Please continue to follow www.nensaf.org all year for news and events throughout the New England metal finishing industry.

NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER HOSTS ANNUAL VIRTUAL FALL SEMINAR

Date: October 4, 2023
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, NASF National, Regulation

The New England Chapter of NASF hosted a virtual seminar for the benefit of their membership and the entire non-NENASF metal finishing community. The event was held on Wednesday September 13, 2023.  The event was presented free of charge to NENASF members, and at a modest fee for other interested parties, as an educational and bonding opportunity for the metal finishing community.

The Webinar was conducted by means of Zoom format and attracted about forty attendees. It was made up of three segments featuring three presenters over a two-hour period from 10:00am to 12:00 pm offering a user-friendly format for all attendees. In addition to offering vital regulatory and technical information the event also made available two Continuing Education Wastewater Treatment Operator Contact Hours needed for WWT Operator License renewal.

Ethan Ware of Williams Mullen Law Group opened the Webinar with a presentation on the upcoming EPA PSFAS Survey that will be sent out to nearly 2000 metal finishers this fall. He stressed that the demographics would not only include chrome platers but chromate conversion coaters as well. This is a very detailed Survey and asks many complex questions through eight sections over seventy-one pages. He covered the answering/data requirements both from a technical as well as a legal perspective. He very much stressed that the information gathered in this Survey will shape the future of Wastewater Discharge Permits for years to come.

This was followed by a presentation by Jeremy Riley of Omega Research giving a detailed description of how proper finishing specification required test sample preparation can make a difference in acceptable test results, while poorly prepared samples can fail causing ripple effects with customer job acceptance.

The webinar was concluded with a presentation by Tony Oriti on Zinc-Nickel and Zinc-Tin as an alternative to Cadmium Plating. Tony not only presented the latest technological advances in these two finishes as they try to replace a long-time exceptional performing and defense and aerospace specified finish, cadmium, but also gave the attendees a look at emerging technology in the form a triple alloy finish that is in the developmental stages.

Once again we want to give special thanks to Chris Capalbo for moderating, and to Dev Massimi and Ralph Capalbo as Program Speaker Facilitators for their contributions, and to the combined efforts of NASF Board Members, Committee Members, Chapter Membership and dedicated and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community as a whole for making events such as this available for the benefit of our membership.

NASF News

Date: July 17, 2023
Category: Chapter News, NASF National

Get the news, trends, and deadlines you need to know to stay current with the National Association for Surface Finishing and our industry. Government & Industry Affairs Webinar | AESFF Courses | NASF Membership

Important Dates   Environmental Stewardship Part 1 Course Registration Deadline: July 25 Environmental Stewardship Part 1: Wastewater Treatment Course: August 8-30, T&Ws Airline & Aerospace Finishing Parts 1 & 2 Registration Deadline: August 22 Airline & Aerospace Finishing Parts 1 & 2 Course: September 5-October 27, T&Ws Washington Forum: October 30-November 1   SUR/FIN 2023 by the Numbers   Thank you to all of the attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors that made SUR/FIN 2023 a success! 2102 Registrants 180 Exhibiting Companies 72 Technical Sessions 4 Networking Opportunities including a Welcome Reception, Industry Night brought to you by OAMF, Women’s Reception, and Closing Reception Honoring Young Professionals 3 Keynote Presentations from Sharon Miller – NASA Glenn Research Center, Jeff Szotek – Sr. Technical Specialist, Stellantis, and Tim Hall, PhD. – Research Director, Faraday Technology, Inc.‎ 2 Bootcamp Sessions We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta, Georgia, June 5-7 for SUR/FIN 2024! Exhibitors, be sure to reserve your booth for 2024 as the show floor is already over 70% filled.     2023 Industry Awards   Awards of Merit– This award is given to individuals that demonstrate outstanding service on a local and/or ‎national level. The recipients have worked tirelessly and have selflessly devoted themselves to the industry. Recipients: Peter Tremmel, Accu-Labs, Inc. Tom Laken, Finishing Plating Services Taormina Award– This award is one of the NASF’s most prestigious. It is awarded to an individual who has ‎performed outstanding service to the finishing industry.‎ Recipient: Patrick Hayden, Unimetal Surface Finishing, Inc.     Award of Scientific Achievement– This award recognizes a person who has contributed to the advancement of the theory ‎and practice of electroplating, metal finishing, and the allied arts; raised the quality of ‎processes and products; enhanced the dignity and status of the profession; or has been ‎involved in a combination of these efforts.‎ Recipient Tim Hall, PhD., Faraday Technology, Inc. August P. Munning Award– This award is given to a supplier member who, in the opinion of their peers, has significantly contributed ‎to the future well-being of the Association and exemplifies the traits of August P. ‎Munning—including a great interest, hard work, dedication, and selfless devotion to the metal ‎finishing industry.‎ Recipient George Gilbert, Gilbert & Jones, Inc. Presidental Award– This award focuses on the extraordinary service put forth by NASF members who are actively participating on the national level, going above and beyond the capacity of most. Recipients: Christian Richter, The Policy Group Jeff Hannapel, The Policy Group     Upcoming In-Person Courses   Environmental Stewardship Part 1: Wastewater Treatment   Web-based Course Dates: August 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 Registration Deadline: July 25, 2023   Member Rate: $1,050 Non-Member Rate: $1,400   Register   Airline & Aerospace Finishing Parts 1 & 2   Web-based Course Dates: September 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 30, 26, 27, October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 26, 27 Registration Deadline: August 22, 2023   Member Rate: $1,400 Non-Member Rate: $1,800   Register   NASF Webinar: Summer Government & Industry Affairs Update   NASF follows federal, state, and international regulatory developments closely on behalf of its members and will hold its summer webinar on July 18, 2023 at 2:00 PM, to review the most important emerging regulations for the finishing industry and how they impact your company.   Please join Christian Richter and Jeff Hannapel of the Policy Group for this members-only webinar.   Register   AESF Foundation Bookstore   The AESF Foundation is excited to announce that our Amazon bookstore is now open! All proceeds from the bookstore go to the foundation which funds our courses, research, scholarships, and more.   Check out Theory and Practice of Pulse Plating edited by Jean-Claude Puippe and Frank Leaman, which is now available in eBook and paperback as well as Advanced Surface Technology: The Authoritative New Surface Coatings Reference by Professor Per Møller, Ph.D. and Lars Pleth Nielsen, now available in hardcover.     NASF Membership   Don’t forget– NASF member fees are past due! If you have not paid your member dues yet, please log in to your account here. If it is your first time logging into the new system, please see the help page here.   Contact info@nasf.org if you run into any issues or have any questions.   Interested in becoming a member? Check out our membership options and apply today!     Washington Forum 2023   Mark your calendars for Washington Forum 2023 from October 30 through November 1 at The Ritz Carlton, Pentagon City. The Forum includes presentations and briefings from national and global experts on pertinent policy, technical, regulatory, and management issues impacting the surface finishing industry, including environmental regulatory issues, labor and workplace trends, tax policy, economic outlooks, supply chain challenges, globally regulatory developments, and political and election outlooks.   Recent speakers at the Forum have included Jake Sherman- Founder, Punchbowl News, Jeff Weiss- Partner, Steptoe & Johnson, LLP, Marc Freedman- Vice President of Employment Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Michael Chipley- Cyber Security & Information Systems Information Analysis Center.   Registration will open in August!     NASF 1000   The NASF 1000 program was established to ensure that the surface finishing industry would ‎have resources to effectively address regulatory, legislative, and legal actions impacting the ‎industry, NASF members and their workplaces. All funds from the NASF 1000 program are used ‎exclusively to support specific projects and initiatives that fall outside the association’s day-to-‎day public policy activities. The sustained commitment from industry leaders has helped the NASF remain strong and ‎credible in informing regulatory decisions across the nation.   Please consider supporting the NASF 1000 program. If you have any questions or would like ‎additional information regarding the NASF 1000 program or the broad array of NASF public ‎policy activities, please contact info@nasf.org.     Chapter News   July OAMF Golf Outing – July 12 Manakiki Golf Course, Willoughby Hills 35501 Eddy Rd Willoughby, OH 44094   August Annual MNAMF Golf Open– August 4, 12:00 PM – 8:30 PM Majestic Oaks Golf Club 701 Bunker Lake Boulevard Ham Lake, MN 55304   Chicago Midwest Chapter Annual Golf Outing – August 21, 1:00 PM Shotgun Start Klein Creek Golf Club 1N333 Pleasant Hill Rd Winfield, IL 60190   September Detroit Auto Show Chapter Meeting – September 13-14 Industry Preview Days   October MINASF Midwest Seminar – October 5-7 Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island   Make sure to get your event in front of this industry-specific network by alerting NASF of your upcoming chapter events. Fill out this survey here!

NENASF SPRING SEMINAR

Date: April 14, 2023
Category: Chapter News, Events, NASF Chapters, Regulation

NEW ENGLAND NASF CHAPTER HOSTS ANNUAL SPRING WEBINAR

Date: March 27, 2023
Category: Chapter News, Events, NASF Chapters

The New England Chapter of NASF hosted a virtual seminar for the benefit of their membership as well as the entire non-NENASF metal finishing community. The event was held on Wednesday March 8, 2023.  The Executive Board opted to offer this event free of charge to all NENASF members, and at a modest fee to the rest of the metal finishing community, in hopes that it would not only educate but to  bond together those associated with the metal finishing community.

In addition to offering vital technical information to the metal finishing community the event also made available two-hour Continuing Education Wastewater Treatment Contact Hours to be used towards Wastewater license renewal. It was conducted by means of Zoom format and attracted about thirty attendees. It consisted of three segments featuring five presenters over the two-hour duration from 10:00am to 12:00 pm offering a user-friendly format for all attendees.

Connor McAnespie of Hanna Instruments opened the Webinar with a presentation on the various devices available to the metal finishing/ wastewater treatment professionals to help achieve accurate results and strict compliance standards. He focused a good amount of his presentation on Automatic Titration equipment as a means for accurate reproducible results. This was followed by a presentation by Ryan Scheck of  Bowman Analytical on the variety of XRF options available to the metal finishing community, and how the correct choice can not only lessen rejects but also how this equipment can be used to optimize solution maintenance and measure impurities in wastewater discharge.

The webinar was concluded with presentations by a trio from MCTA (Mass Chemistry and Technology Alliance) and OTA (Office of Technical Assistance),

an assistance branch of the Mass DEP. Katherine Robertson of MCTA opened this segment with an overview of the current regulatory status of PFAS chemicals both locally and nationally. This was followed by a presentation by Keri Sasportas from OTA explaining the emerging Environmental Justice Regulation and how it will impact the metal finishing community. The session was concluded with a presentation by John Raschko of OTA who explained the options for assistance available through that agency for the metal finishing community.

Special thanks to Chris Capalbo for moderating, and to Dev Massimi and Ralph Capalbo as Program Speaker Facilitators for their contributions, and to the combined efforts of NASF Board Members, Committee Members, Chapter Membership and dedicated and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community as a whole for making events such as this available for the benefit of our membership.

MCTA UPDATE

Date: January 24, 2023
Category: Chapter News, Member News, Regulation

Legislation Proposes Bans on Most PFAS-Containing Products Language Also Requires Testing for Presence of Unintentionally Added PFAS Amends Groundwater & Surface Water Discharge Permits Allows for Temporary Exemptions for “Unavoidable Use.” Comprehensive legislation has been filed in the Massachusetts House and Senate addressing the sale, use, and cleanup of PFAS and PFAS-containing products in the Commonwealth. The legislation, the result of several year’s worth of work by the PFAS Interagency Task Force, defines PFAS as any product that “contains at least one fully fluorinated methyl or methylene carbon atom.” The legislation is defined by its docket number, and has not yet been assigned a bill number. MCTA has not yet completed a thorough review of the legislation, but a few quick highlights: HD 3324 states : No manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer shall offer for sale, sell, or distribute in the commonwealth any products to which PFAS has been intentionally added. The term “product” as defined in the legislation includes children’s’ products, consumer products, cookware, fabric treatments, personal care products, product components, or products labels. The Legislation also bans any “avoidable” use, but creates an exemption for unavoidable uses. That exemption must be granted by MassDEP and will be granted only in three year intervals; HD 3324 states “No manufacturer shall sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale, or distribute for use in the Commonwealth food packaging to which PFAS has been added for any purpose;” The legislation calls for MassDEP to amend its groundwater discharge permits with requirements for quarterly monitoring and reporting of PFAS; The legislation calls for MassDEP to amend both the surface and groundwater discharge permits to industrial permittees with requirements to implement best management practices for discharges of PFAS, including, but not limited to (i) product elimination or substitution when a reasonable alternative to PFAS is available in the industrial process; (ii) accidental discharge minimization; and (iii) equipment decontamination where PFAS-containing products have historically been used. The bill establishes a PFAS Remediation Trust Fund which would be populated by the commonwealth’s claims arising from the manufacture, marketing and sale of PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming form and other sources. This above is an abbreviated synopsis of key parts of the proposed legislation. This is also the first step in the legislative process. Environmental advocates will push for a more comprehensive bill and immediate action. Industry must be prepared to present its own position on the bill and how it impacts industry in Massachusetts. HD3324 is just the first step. During the upcoming week, I will be bring members up to speed and provide a more thorough evaluation of the impact of this package. Please contact Katherine Robertson at katherine@masscta.org or by phone at 508-572-9113 if you want to weigh in or if you have any questions.

2022 New England Surface Finishing Regional returns to the North Shore

Date: November 19, 2022
Category: Chapter News

The New England Surface Finishing Regional took place this past November 4th in Salem, MA. It was a huge success with a 120 people in attendance. There were speakers from all over the country that delivered educational and thoughtful presentations to all in attendance.

The New England Surface Finishing Regional is honored to have presented the 6th Annual Foundation Award to longtime supporter Joe Tilton of Tilton Rack and Basket. The award was created to recognize a metal finishing supplier that has demonstrated outstanding contributions, support, and dedication to the annual regional event.

2023 the New England Surface Finishing Regional will be held November 3rd in Newport, Rhode Island.  Please continue to follow www.nensaf.org all year for news and events throughout the New England metal finishing industry.