Products Finishing magazine is the No. 1 industrial finishing publication in the world. We keep our readers informed about the latest news and trends in plating, painting, powder coating, anodizing, electrocoating, parts cleaning, and pretreatment.
Issue link: https://pf.epubxp.com/i/156873
NASF REPORT COMPLIANCE ALERT: EPA issues final rule for disposal of industrial wipes. After more than a decade of debate, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy signed a fnal federal waste management rule for solvent-contaminated industrial wipes that was published in the Federal Register on July 31 (78 Fed. Reg. 46448). The fnal rule states that industrial wipes contaminated with solvents that are listed as hazardous waste or that may exhibit one or more characteristics of hazardous waste may be conditionally excluded from regulation as a hazardous waste. The wipes must not contain any free liquids as determined by the Paint Filter Liquids Test (EPA Methods Test 9095B). Solvent-contaminated industrial wipes that are sent (either on-site or of-site) for cleaning or reuse are excluded from the defnition of solid waste. NASF TECHNICAL PAPER While the wipes are not considered solid waste, any solvents recovered from the cleaning or reclamation would have to be managed as a waste, depending on whether it is a listed hazardous waste or exhibits one or more Solvent-contaminated characteristics of hazardous waste. industrial wipes that are Those wipes that sent (either on-site or ofare sent for disposal site) for cleaning or reuse are excluded from the defnition of are excluded from the hazardous waste defnition of solid waste. and may be disposed in a municipal solid waste landfll. The wipes may be accumulated on the site of the generator for up to 180 days in a closed container before being sent for cleaning, reuse or disposal. The fnal rule represents a common-sense approach for managing solvent-contaminated industrial wipes and becomes efective on Jan. 31, 2014. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Jef Hannapel at jhannapel@thepolicygroup.com. Edited by James Lindsay, NASF Technical Editor Cyanide-Free Electroplating of Copper-Tin Alloys By Uwe Manz, Dr. Sascha Berger, Klaus Bronder, Klaus Leyendecker, Bernd Weyhmüller and Guenter Wirth, Umicore Galvanotechnik GmbH Copper-tin alloys, especially bronzes, are some of the frst metallic materials used by mankind. Their excellent properties, including good resistance to outdoor exposure, white or yellow (gold) color with a bright appearance, hardness and polish-ability, diamagnetic properties for high-frequency connectors, and good wear resistance, have led to the development of electroplating solutions. In fact, electroplating of copper-tin alloys is more than 170 years old, with the frst activities reported around 1842. A further advantage to their use is the fact that copper-tin (Cu-Sn) alloys do not cause allergies and can be substituted for nickel in many decorative and some technical applications. Presently, industrial electroplating is still performed from solutions containing cyanide. There have been many 14 SEPTEMBER 2013 — pfonline.com attempts to substitute for cyanide, but so far with only minor success. The results have not been satisfying with regards to appearance, operating window, plating speed and other properties, so cyanide-free electroplating of bronze is still just a wish for many platers. However, regulatory requirements regarding health and environment are increasing, and the need for alternative cyanide-free electrolytes is high. This paper reviews some basic chemistry and concepts as well as recent developments in the electroplating of Cu-Sn from cyanide-free electrolytes. The infuence on properties such as alloy composition, appearance and operating window are highlighted. The full paper can be accessed and printed from short.pfonline.com/NASF13Sep.