Date: November 19, 2025
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, NASF National, Regulation
The New England Surface Finishing Regional took place this past Friday November 7th in Salem, Massachusetts. It was a huge success with a 125 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 9th Annual Foundation Award to longtime supporter American Plating Power. The award was created to recognize a metal finishing supplier that has demonstrated outstanding contributions, support, and dedication to the annual regional event.
The 2026 the New England Surface Finishing Regional will be held November 6th in Newport, Rhode Island.
Please continue to follow www.nenasf.org all year for news and events throughout the New England metal finishing industry.
Date: May 13, 2025
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, Regulation
The attendance was great as over thirty-five members NASF New England Chapter, along with members of the metal finishing community as a whole, attended a Seminar sponsored by the Chapter on May 7, 2025 at the Courtyard Marriott in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The event was primarily a training session enabling attendees to receive their mandatory annual RCRA HazMat. The four-hour Seminar also included speakers on wastewater effluent management and plating rectifier selection as a means of achieving plating success with minimal environmental disruption.
The instructor for the two-hour RCRA Hazmat segment of the Seminar was David Webster, Environmental Health and Safety Project Manager for HRP Associates out of their Farmington, Connecticut office. This two-hour session was a very detailed and intense training exercise with strong emphasis on possible pitfalls of incorrect hazardous waste handling and documentation, and was concluded with a written competency test prior to awarding of Certificates of Completion by HRP Associates for the RCRA Training.
Rob Sheldon of Aquasgroup in East Providence then offered a presentation about rinse water management, and how Zero Limit Discharge (ZLD) could be viewed as the future of metal finishing. He tied that into efficient equipment design, such as doing what can be simply achieved to initially minimize rinse water contamination, and the rewards of this approach in solving potential discharge challenges.
The afternoon Seminar was concluded with a presentation by Dev Massimi of American Plating Power who gave a presentation on the review process necessary when purchasing a new plating rectifier. This segment focused on factors to consider such as technologies available, degree of protection, ripple, correct sizing and control methods, to name a few. A power source that efficiently produces quality product can mean less chance for rejects. Reject rework can add additional unnecessary strain on wastewater discharge systems.
This Seminar, which was offered at no cost to the NENASF members, along with other events and educational opportunities offered by the New England Chapter, are just another reason to join and actively participate in all that local Chapter membership in the National Association for Surface Finishing has to offer. Thanks to all participants for allowing events like this to happen.
Date: March 20, 2025
Category: Chapter News, Member News, NASF Chapters, Obituaries
George Abelli
It is with sadness that we, the staff of F.M. Callahan & Son, must report the news that our beloved co-worker, George Abelli, has suddenly passed away. George, with his broad knowledge of metal finishing, has been a core contributor to our success over the past few decades. He served our clients well, providing them valuable insight into how their parts can be treated to enhance their performance over a long period of time. George spoke often to clients on the phone and was a subject matter expert when clients visited our facility. He will be dearly missed, not just for his expertise, but also because he was our friend.
Your friends at F.M. Callahan & Son
Date: March 23, 2024
Category: Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, NASF National, Regulation
The New England Chapter of NASF was, once again, pleased to host a virtual Wastewater Continuing Education Webinar for the benefit of our membership and the entire metal finishing community. This event was offered via Zoom format, at no charge to NENASF members, over a two-hour period from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on Wednesday March 20, 2024.
The program, comprised of three speakers, offered vital technical and regulatory compliance information to the metal finishing community. Attendees also qualified for two Continuing Education Wastewater Treatment Contact Hours to be used towards Wastewater license renewal.
Frank DeSilva of Resin Tech opened the Webinar with an update on the current status of the very hot button PFAS issue and regulatory efforts by the EPA. After giving us some very helpful facts, he then offered remediation techniques and technologies for successful PFAS removal from waste streams.
This presentation was followed by one from Mark Schario of Columbia Chemicals who enlightened attendees with a history of Trivalent Chrome plating baths and how they have greatly improved in appearance and durability over the last three or four decades. The substitution of Hex Chrome plating baths with trivalent baths is a very timely presentation given the TSCA chemical banning frenzy that is taking place across all chemical user and manufacturer sectors, especially in the metal finishing community.
The closing speaker was Dave Calnan of CCI-A Chemicals offering practical solutions and techniques for, and benefits of, oxidizing wastewater prior to reduction and precipitation.
Special thanks, once again, to Chris Capalbo, Dev Massimi and Ralph Capalbo as Program Moderators and 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. Over thirty members of the NENASF and metal finishing community were in attendance and benefited from this program.
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!
EXAMPLES OF TRAININGS OFFERED
RCRA Hazardous Waste ManagementDOT Hazardous Materials Transportation / IATA (Air) / IMDG (Vessel)
EHS Management Systems / ISO 14001:2015 / OHSAS 18001:2007
OSHA Health and Safety
8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher
Asbestos AwarenessProcess Safety Management
Brownfields Opportunities / Environmental Due Diligence
Environmental Compliance Overview
Spill (SPCC) and Stormwater (SWPPP)
Company specific EHS Training
UST A/B Operator Training
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.
Date: April 7, 2023
Category: Member News, NASF National, Regulation
Date: January 24, 2023
Category: Chapter News, Member News, Regulation
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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.”
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| 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. |
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Date: May 7, 2022
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, Regulation
NENASF ANNUAL RCRA TRAINING AND WASTEWATER SEMINAR 2022
The New England Chapter once again was able to offer an in-person seminar for the benefit of its membership and the entire metal finishing community. Although the Chapter is still offering some virtual educational events, the Board felt strongly that there is a substantial benefit to having in-person events where the attendees can have the opportunity to network with fellow metal finishing professionals.
The event, held May 4, 2022 at the Courtyard Marriott in Marlborough, Massachusetts, was a four-hour Seminar covering mandatory annual RCRA training along with updates on hot button wastewater treatment issues, and was preceded by a luncheon.
Alisa Werst, a Senior Project Scientist at HRP Associates in Cromwell, Connecticut, was the instructor for the mandatory RCRA training portion of the Seminar. She gave a fast paced compelling and interactive presentation that was designed to provide both entry level and experienced environmental managers with a comprehensive review of state and federal hazardous waste regulations, all designed to meet the annual RCRA training requirements.
Brian Morrill, Associate Principal and Vice President at GZA GeoEnvironmental, offered a presentation on how to prepare for an environmental inspection with emphasis on how the actual inspections have been modified as a result of the COVID world in which we are living. This was followed by a presentation by Jim Occhialini, Vice President and Specialty Services Group leader at Alpha Analytical, who spoke on the rapidly evolving PFAS testing requirements the metal finishing community is being subjected to by municipalities and sewer authorities.
This seminar, and other beneficial educational events offered by the New England Chapter, are all part of this chapter’s commitment to the metal finishing community. Thank you for the combined efforts of the NENASF Board members, the Chapter Membership and the dedicated and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community as a whole who have offered their time and talents to making events like this possible.
Date: March 26, 2022
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters
NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER HOSTS VIRTUAL SEMINAR
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 Thursday March 17, 2022. 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 whatever extent possible, bond those associated with the metal finishing community.
The event was a two-hour Continuing Education Conference offering continuing education contact hours towards Wastewater license renewal. It was conducted by means of Zoom format and attracted about thirty attendees. It consisted of three presentations over the two-hour duration from 10:00 to noon offering a user-friendly format for all attendees.
Matt Kreiner of Hitachi XRF opened the Webinar with a presentation on the variety of uses and applications self-adjusting XRF units can have in saving time and money in daily coating thickness applications. He also addressed how XRF can be used to optimize solution maintenance and measure impurities in waste water discharge. This was followed by a presentation by Enrique Valentin of American Plating Power on the variety of rectifier options available to the metal finishing community, and how the correct choice can not only save money by lessening rejects, but also help reduce processing water used to reprocess defective parts.
The webinar was concluded with a presentation by Rob Sheldon of Aquas Group who spoke on the various options available through membrane technology as a substantial tool to be used in environmental regulation compliance. He also showed how this technology can be used as a path to rinse water recycling.
Special thanks to Chris Capalbo for technical support and for acting as moderator, and to Dev Massimi as Event Chair in arranging for the event speakers.
Thanks 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.
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New England Chapter of NASF is an official chapter of