Electrochemicals Blog – EPI – Electrochemical Products Inc.

August 29th, 2008

By Eric Olander

The last day we went through two training sessions on manufacturing  by Masterlock team members. The first session a group of suppliers had a goal of shooting a  ball with a catapult 12 feet plus or minus 6 inches. We had three variables, the ball ( a sponge ball and a golf wiffle ball), the launching angle ( a protractor device was built on the catapult for measuring the angle),  and the point where the catapult arm stopped after the arm released. A runner band was used as the springing device. You can see me on the right side of the picture helping to hold the catapult for back fire. Fortunately we had three engineers in our group so we taking the military approach in firing a mortar. Our goal was to find what variable had the largest effect on the distance. We first used the sponge ball and tried changing arm stop position. After two tries withbthe arm position we had it close , but it was too far. Next, we  worked on the launch angle finding that a 5-10 degree for the launch arm gave us our range and 8 -9 degrees was the best angle.  The last variable was the type of ball. We all thought  the whiffle ball would fly less. We kept the same settings on the catapult and the golf whiffle ball was in range! Therefore, the launch angle had the largest affect on the distance.

The next event  was to assemble a wooden car with four wheels, four wooden axles, and four disk brakes. We had six work stations and one person who transported everything. During the first ten minutes we only assembled three cars because of the rules of manufacturing that were given to us. I worked station three, assembling the wheels,axles, and disk brakes to the wooden car. I had to unassembled the three components and re-assemble them together.  We lost a lot of time not being efficient. Together we worked on developing a new process and our rules. We tried it again and we assembled 52 cars in 10 minutes!

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August 28th, 2008

By Eric Olander

This morning Bob Rice ,Vice President of Master Lock kicked off Masterlock's 2008 North American Supplier Conference. This is my first Masterlock NASC. The three previous conferences where held in Milwaukee ( Masterlock's corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility), Louisville, Ky ( Masterlock's distribution center) and Tuscon, AZ/NogalesMexico ( Masterlock's assembly center). I learned that China is becoming an expensive place to source product  because of the VAT rebate has been eleimnated, higher wages, labor law ( 80 hour weeks are 40 hour weeks/40hours of overtime), the appreciation of the yuan, and another factor is a  Chinese person worker can make a higher wage in the food service industry than in manufacturing industry.  China is having a labor shortage!I also listened to Adam Meister from Fortune Brands which besides  Masterlock also includes companies like Moen faucet , Jim Bean bourbon and Titlist golf. Adam discussed Fortune Brands expectations of its suppliers committing to Fortune Brand's Global Citizenship  policy. Adam also discussed how their audit program for suppliers works. To see this policy go to www.fortunebrands.com .

 We also listened to other Masterlock team members discuss their success  with Masterlock suppliers.  Greg Radaj  Sr Purchasing Manager discussed his consignment program and how it has made Milwaukee work better and save  money. After the morning talks we had two options go for a raft ride down the Snake River or take a bus tour of the  Grand Tetons. I selected the Snake River trip. Please note that the water flow was low so we really never had much white water, but we had awesome views of the Grand Tetons. I have pictures, but I have to learn how to do a slide show on Word-press so please be patient with me. Our tour guide and oarsman was Andy who was originally from North  Carolina, but went skiing once at Jackson Hole and has not returned since. Andy is finishing up his Geography degree from Wyoming University and he educated us of many geological facts  of the area. The Tetons are very young Mountains only 8 million years old if I remember correctly.  Yellowstone is about 50 miles from the Tetons and has an active volcano that goes off every 600,000 years. They know it went off 1.2 million years ago and about 600,0000 years ago. Geologists are predicting that it could blow any time the next 10,000 years. The Yellowstone volcano, when its blows top will be 250 times greater than Mt St. Helens.   This will destroy most of the western US and  put so much ash into the air that the ice age will come back and the glaciers will take over again like they did 15,000 years ago in this region. This was a great first day!

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August 22nd, 2008

By Eric Olander

Next week I will be attending Masterlock's North American Supplier Conference in Jackson Hole, WY. We hope to get in some river rafting and/or hiking in the Grand Teton National Park  besides working with Masterlock.

This week I recorded a i-podcast for MetalFinshing.com.  Reg Tucker  the editor of Metal Finishing magazine ask me questions about EPi's trivalent yellow chromate new developments longer  corrosion resistance up to 600-700 hours salt spray, passes the thumb test, and the E-Chrome Ultra Yellow 600  approaches salt spray hours of zinc alloy plating. We also discussed our new plating process for plating on magnesium, Ultra Blak 400 hot black oxide and Insta Blak 333 process for steel. Stay tune for this release of the podcast in the near  future.

EPi is also working on re-doing our web-site. Stay tuned!

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July 24th, 2008

By Eric Olander

EPI's E-Brite Ultra Cu , alkaline non cyanide copper plating process plates directly to the back of an Apple Nano I-Pod.  EPI's , Sid Arthur, Senior Service Engineer plated the I-Pod and was  interviewed by the President  of EPi Eric Olander. This process idea was developed by a Popular Science magazine idea. Now watch how it is done at EPi's booth at Sur/Fin 2008 in Indianapolis,IN. To view this video click this link .

Posted in Copper Plating, Electroplating, Eric Olander Happenings, Metal Finishing | No Comments »

July 24th, 2008

By Eric Olander

Eric Olander conducted an interview by Reg Tucker Editor of Metal Finishing magazine at Sur/Fin 2008 in Indianapolis to discuss EPI's new products which included a discussion about a fish. Check out the lates with EPI's newest trivalent yellow chromate, and BOX 311 metal antiquing process.  To see this video go to this link Sur/Fin 2008 Interview with EPI's president Eric Olander  .  Next years Sur/Fin show is in Louisville,KY to learn more about the show go to www.nasf.org .

Posted in Copper Plating, Electroplating, Eric Olander Happenings, Metal Antiquing, Metal Finishing | No Comments »

June 24th, 2008

By Eric Olander

EPi exhibited at the NASF's Sur/Fin  in Indianapolis last week. Bob Campbell, Sid Arthur, Paul Kozdron, and Eric Olander (pictured to the left) worked at the booth. New and old friends visited us to learn about the latest  EPi processes such as trivalent chromate blue and yellow, alkaline non cyanide copper, antiquing/oxidizing, and other EPi processes were displayed.

Eric Olander gave a paper on the diphenyl carbazide controversy and Trivalent Yellow. Our latest development E-Ultra Yellow 600 provides 600-700 hours salt spray to 5% white rust and  700-800 hours to red rust. We have found it offers  little white creeping corrosion.  You  cut an X into the film  and salt spray the part.  The results were 200 hours of corrosion protection  to the first signs of white creeping corrosion were the X was cut. The other trivalent yellow chromates resulted in about 24-48 hours. What does this mean for the zinc plater? It means it will offer scratch resistance in a zinc barrel plating operation. Metal finishers, suppliers, and even some EPA representatives were at this talk

Last Tuesday night we enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Indianapolis Speedway. We went to the museum and the hospitality tent for some beverage, food, and networking. The highlight of the night was getting a lap around the track . No, we  did not go in an Indy car or a Nascar, but a high speed van that might have hit 50 mph. We did get to stop at the start finish line where therer are some of the original bricks of the speedway. We had a picture taken (picture on the right) at the finish line of myself and our distributor of Russia Bulat Bayzuldin.

Sur/Fin 2008 was left many memories.

Next year the show will be in Louiville, KY June 16-18th.

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June 16th, 2008

By Eric Olander

 I am here in Indy Monday afternoon getting ready for Sur/Fin a two day show June 17-18th. Indy is a great conference town as over the years it has transformed itself to the new Midwest city ready to take on the world like Richard C. Longworth mentioned in his book "Caught in the Middle."

EPi looks forward to working with its distributors and cusomters discussing new finishes such as yellow trivalent chromate E-Chrome Ultra Yellow and EPi's alkaline non cyanide copper E-Brite Ultra CU and E-Brite 50/50 alkaline non cyanide  silver process.

I will be blogging about my presentation tomorrow on Trivalent Yellow Chromate and the Diphenyl Carbazide controversy. The blog will also discuss other trivalent chromates discussed tomorrow at 2-5 PM. Also on Tuesday and Wednesday we will be plating a nano I pod with our E-Brite Ultra Cu process. We will have a give away both days.

Posted in Copper Plating, Electroplating, Eric Olander Happenings, Trivalent Chromates | No Comments »

May 7th, 2008

By Eric Olander

EPi is starting to pack for Sur/Fin 2008 in Indianapolis,IN June 16th-18th, 2008. We are excited to see everyone again and also to talk about our products. Eric Olander will be session chair Track II Automotive Symposium Conversion Coatingsand a speaker on June 17th,2008 2-5 PM. The session I will be chairing is the about the latest developments on trivalent chromates for aluminum and zinc surfaces. My paper will discuss the latest developments on trivalent yellow chromates since our paper on E-Chrome Ultra Yellow last year in Cleveland,OH .  Some customers have been concerned about the color being to green. We will be announcing a new yellow-red version that is not as green as the  E-Chrome Ultra Yellow. Another subject that I will discuss is the diphenyl carbazide challenge brought up by Tom Rochester in Plating Surface Finishing October 2007 issue.

 Bring your I-pods for copper plating! Late last year Popular Science did an experiment using our E-Brite Ultra CUalkaline non cyanide copper process on plating the back of I-pods with this process. At Sur/Fin we will be  free offering copper plating to the back of your I-pod.  Sid Arthur  EPI's Senior Technical Service Engineer will be offering this service during the show. We also will be giving two I-pod's away during the show. One on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday. See you at Sur/Fin!

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April 25th, 2008

By Eric Olander

This week I attended the NASF's Washington DC forum April 22-24, 2008. There was an excellent line up of speakers that talked about the present and future issues; Competing against China, Fume Suppressants and alternatives to PFOS surfactants systems, REACH, Homeland Security, Nanotechnology, Patent Reform, Fred Barnes from Fox News, Climate Change Policy,Global Metals Outlook, Energy Policy,  EU nickel regulation, and an update from NAM. The last day I went to Capitol Hill to visit my WI Senators and Congress members. I actually  meet with Congressman Kind, see the picture in this blog. Congressman Kind is working  hard for manufacturing and trying to hold down health care costs. We had an excellent discussion on the issues and I also informed him of Richard C. Longworth's book "Caught in the Middle" which  I blogged out before.  I have been going to DC for 10 years now. I was there when 9/11 happen and going there helps me keep in touch with the aides of the Senator and Congress members. The aides are the ones that handle the issues for the Representatives.

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April 3rd, 2008

By Eric Olander

I participated in the annual NASF Milwaukee Branch Five Minute Supplier showdown held on April 1st,2008 This quick five minute presentation was about the Diphenyl Carbazide(DC) , indicating hexavalent chrome after ASTM B-117 salt spray testing, controversy that Tom Rochester discussed in the October 2007 issue of Plating Surface Finishing magazine. Tom discovered that you take a trivalent chromate and test it with DC prior to salt spray and it tests negative for hex chrome. After ASTM B-117 salt spray the test  was positive.

EPi we used the test method ISO 3613:2000(E) section 5.6 using a spectrophotometer both prior and after salt spray with negative results in both tests. We also tested our E-Chrome Ultra Blue and E-Chrome Ultra Yellow using Tom Rochester method after salt spray. We found out that our trivalent chromates do not test positive using the DC method.

Eric also talked briefly on a new trivalent yellow E-Ultra Yellow 300 that will be coming out this summer . Eric will be giving a more detail about this presentation on June 17th,2008 at Sur/Fin's technical conference Automotive Symposium Track II at 2-5 PM in Indianapolis, IN at the Indy Convention center.

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