Correcting Back-Ionization Starring We recently converted to powder coating from our old liquid operation for application on office furniture. The powder coating has been a success for the most part

Monumental buildings are the prestige part of the industry. This segment includes exterior grade sheets and components such as facades, curtain walls, panels and louvers. The coating to be used for these products is usually specified by the architect.

This past spring I followed through on a promise to my daughter to take the family to the Kentucky Derby. We did not get into Millionaire's Row (more like Pauper's Row), but we did get in and we did see the race. We spent some time in the infield and I was amazed at how fast those horses run when you are up close to them. Standing near the third turn, we watched as they approached and then flew by.

The Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI) held its annual meeting in Tucson, Ariz., June 18-21. It was hot!! The temperatures were over 100°F everyday, and the program (held in air-conditioned comfort) was fantastic.

In 1994, Dale VanDyk saw a need for a specialty welding service that could deal with small parts that were hard for manufacturers to integrate into their own facility. He started Smart Manufacturing, a business built with the flexibility of a small job shop. It wasn't long before some of his customers asked him if he could also provide these parts with the coating already applied and ready for assembly or shipment. Two of his larger customers had products that needed to be powder coated and so he considered adding powder to his operation.

The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) held its 24th Annual Meeting in Destin, Fla., May 23-25, 2005. The overall message at the meeting was getting back to the basics that made powder coating one of the fastest growing coating technologies of all time.

Many people like to read and spend time learning, researching and following current events. There are many sources of information and opportunities for learning from all over the world. It can be an interesting exercise to try to keep up on world affairs. Anyone who follows the news can testify to the fact that it can be depressing. Issues such as fewer manufacturing jobs, inflation, corporate greed, political double-dealing, war and environmental disaster are often in the headlines.

A frequently repeated theme in business is avoidance of responsibility. Think of all the recent corporate scandals and try to think of any corporate officer who stood up and said, "It was my idea, I did it, and I am the one who is responsible." Or when we read of failures in Government it is never the leaders who acknowledge poor leadership, it is an isolated mistake in the lower echelon.

The idea of quality control has been around a long time. A QC program involves certain accepted policies, methods and standards for the finished product. Many companies have QC departments and policies, but standards and methods are very different for different products and industries depending on expectations, traditions and current manufacturing trends.

There are a variety of chemical methods used to remove soils from parts prior to application of a coating. But in many situations the use of chemicals is not practical. The part may be very large or the shop where it is coated may be too small to set up a spray cleaning operation. The part may be contaminated with old paint, rust or mill scale that is difficult or impossible to remove with chemicals.