Description
Presentation Details
Industrial Cleaning: Troubleshooting & Bath Maintenance
Adam Blakeley of MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions
Effective cleaning is the foundation of a successful metal finishing process, yet cleaner performance is often evaluated only after defects appear downstream. This presentation will review common industrial cleaning problems and provide practical methods for identifying their causes, evaluating cleaner health, and maintaining consistent process performance.
Topics will include recognizing inadequate cleaning, understanding the effects of oil and soil loading, concentration, temperature, time, agitation, and other operating variables, and distinguishing cleaner-related problems from issues originating elsewhere in the process. Practical troubleshooting and bath-maintenance techniques will be discussed, along with approaches for extending cleaner life and determining when corrective additions, treatment, or bath replacement may be appropriate.
The presentation will also examine how cleaner operation and maintenance affect rinsing, drag-out, and chemical consumption. The objective is to provide platers, process personnel, and management with broadly applicable tools for improving cleaning reliability while reducing unnecessary chemical use and environmental burden.
The Science of Hot Black Oxide: Chemistry, Troubleshooting & Performance
Ted Antonellis, CEF of Hubbard-Hall
Hot black oxide is a proven conversion coating that enhances appearance, improves corrosion resistance, and maintains dimensional integrity. But achieving consistent, high-quality results requires more than following a process—it requires understanding the chemistry behind it and recognizing the variables that can impact performance.
In this webinar, our finishing experts will explain how black oxide coatings are formed, discuss common process challenges, and share practical troubleshooting tips to help improve consistency and reduce defects.
You’ll learn:
- How the chemistry behind black oxide affects coating performance.
- Common causes of black oxide defects and practical ways to prevent them.
- How preventive maintenance helps ensure reliable black oxide coating performance.
Whether you’re new to black oxide or looking to optimize an existing process, you’ll leave with practical knowledge you can apply immediately.
PFAS & Metal Finishing: Regulatory Challenges, Thoughtful Investigations, Insurance Trends
Shamus Keohane and Dylan Eberle of Geosytec
In this webinar, Geosyntec experts Shamus Keohane and Dylan Eberle will discuss current per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) regulatory challenges facing historic and current metal finishing operations. This presentation will begin with an overview of the ever-changing regulatory landscape surrounding PFAS and how it pertains to the historic and current uses of PFAS in the metal finishing industry. This will be followed by a discussion on how to conduct thoughtful PFAS environmental investigations such that data are collected with a specific objective in mind, in order to avoid indefinite “do-loops” of delineation with no clear path to resolution. In particular, this talk will explore how PFAS-fingerprinting tools and considerations of PFAS-background can be utilized to differentiate PFAS originating from metal finishing versus other sources and defensibly delineate the extent of impacts. Finally, we will discuss recent trends in the insurance market with respect to PFAS and what factors lead to successful policies.

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