Electroplating Profile - pt.7
Reprint from an article in Product Finishing Magazine, July 2002 issue Profile of Professional Plating By Beverly Graves, editor "As time went on I became pleasantly surprised and somewhat alarmed at the risk I had taken in purchasing the company," laughed Mr. Ingalls. There are always the waste treatment issues, particularly with cyanide, which he sees as simply the cost of doing business. ProPlate® has a creative waste treatment manager who understands how to prevent waste generation in the first place. For example, the company has set up dead rinses after its electroplating baths rather than flowing rinses. Because of this, cyanide does not have to be continuously treated, and the flowing rinses simply go through ion exchange. This cuts down on waste treatment costs as well as water use. This creativity fits in with the whole method of operation at ProPlate®. They have to be creative because they deal with small parts. The shape of the parts cannot change and many of the parts are fragile. So not only do you consider the finish, you consider the method. Even parts as tiny as a baby's eyelash can be finished, and not by magic, but by refining the finishing process and developing process expertise. |