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Measure Surface Profile And Coating Thickness With One Instrument Coating Thickness Material Analysis Nanoindentation Material Testing (860)683-0781 www.fischer-technology.com info@fischer-technology.com Measure peak-to-valley distances according to ASTM D4417 Method B and other standards Assessment of blasted surfaces before coating Rugged probe tip is field replaceable Automatic maximum results Easily interchangeable with coating thickness probes ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Fischer's FMP Series paired with the NEW digital surface profile probe is more repeatable and efficient than other methods 16 NOVEMBER 2016 — PFonline.com THE VOICE OF FINISHING 80 YEARS Buying Wingmaster Valley Chrome Plating became profitable almost immediately after the shift in its business focus, and in 2006 it parlayed that success into buying Wingmaster, an established firm that made its mark on stainless steel turbo wings for pickups and tractor trailers, but also sells visors, cab and sleeper panels, window trim, light panels, toolbox fairings and other truck accessories. The current 90,000-square-foot facility includes three main buildings, one of which houses the fabrication of the bumpers and another that chrome plates them. The raw material is cut into sheets by lasers and then formed into a bumper shape by a 400-ton press. It is then welded, and holes are laser-cut into the metal to fit the desired truck design. From there, the heavy metal bumpers have taken shape and are sent to the buffing and polishing area, where they are cleaned up before heading to the building that houses the plating operation. For Ray Lucas, the plating line is home. Starting out as a 15-year-old, he spent many hours back working the lines for his father. He then worked himself up to eventually become president of the National Association for Surface Finishing, where he transformed the association into what it is today. Ray is still president of the Metal Finishing Association of Northern California, and an active speaker at the NASF Sur/Fin events and at regional conferences. The talk he gave at the 2016 show centered around Valley Chrome Plating's zero-discharge system, which was installed in 1990 and has been one of the most efficient operations in all of metal finishing. Cathy's future husband at the time, Jeff Booey, and the Lucas family helped design an ion exchange system in which the charged media attracts contami- nants and exchanges them for less toxic ions. The immediate benefit of the zero-discharge system is that shops save on water costs—extremely high in draught-stricken California—as well as no discharge to the publicly owned treat- ment works (POTW) and the ability to re-use some of the chemicals. At Valley Chrome, the process includes live rinses that are pumped to holding tanks to be treated and filtered before returning to the rinses every few weeks. Decanted solids are then sent to an evaporator and waste treatment unit; as the cleaner evaporates, dead rinse is added to cleaner tanks and the counter-flow rinses are added to the dead rinse so the closest tank to the process tanks is always the cleanest. Ion Exchange System In the ion exchange system for the cation resin, the rinse water is cycled through resin to capture nickel or chrome, and the clean rinse water is returned to rinses by way of pumps. When the resin is saturated with metals, an acid is added to release the metals and they are then sent to the evaporator or in the case of The Lucas family includes, left to right, Matt, Cathy Booey, Tom, Ray and Greg. PLATING