Electrochemicals Blog - EPI - Electrochemical Products Inc.

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. 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 »

July 1st, 2008

By Eric Olander

Matt Linstedt,Sales Manager of Artistic Plating of Milwaukee,WI (web site www.artisticplating.net  ) won the ipod that was copper  plated by Sid Arthur Senior Service Engineer of EPi in EPI's E-Brite Ultra Cu alkaline non cyanide copper process. The E-Brite Ultra Cu plated directly to the stainless steel back of the nano ipod with excellent adhesion. Ultra Cu also plates directly to zinc die casts, steel, brass and other substrates. Shortly coming to www.epi.com will be the video showing Sid Arthur plating the ipod at Sur/Fin 2008 in Indianapolis.

Posted in Copper Plating | 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.

Posted in Eric Olander Happenings, Metal Antiquing, Trivalent Chromates | No Comments »

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 14th, 2008

By Eric Olander

 Interesting result with  two black oxide processes,  Ultra Blak 400hot black oxide and  Insta Blak 333room temperature blackening, they provide an excellent anti-galling surface on steel parts. What is anti-galling? Anti-galling is necessary to break in mating parts, the anti-galling surface sacrifices the lubricating layer of black during the initial contact and abrasion while a work hardened surface is formed. An example of this is drill bits and also concrete nailing hammers. A  blackened drill bit when it first touches the steel being drilled into serves as a lubricant to the steel that is being drilled into. After that drilling operation the drill bit is surfaced hardened ready to take on other drilling operations. Another application by one of EPI's customer was concrete  nailing guns. The Insta Blak 333  process actually provided better anti-galling  results than the hot black oxide processes. The Insta Blak process resulted in the appropriate torque values for that anti-galling situation  in concrete nailing guns that the hot black oxide process could not, it was too hard.

Posted in Black Oxide | 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!

Posted in Eric Olander Happenings | No Comments »

May 6th, 2008

By Eric Olander

EPI's E-Brite 757 nickel plating process is know for its excellent coverage in rack and barrel applications. What we have found with this nickel plating process is that it plates more nickel in the low current density area, approximately 20-33% more nickel than other nickel processes. On long tube parts we have found that you will achieve the minimum thickness faster, which means for the nickel plater less nickel usage per part saving the plater money.

In barrel applications you will achieve excellent ductility and brightness with the E-Brite 757 . Masterlock uses the E-Brite 757 on its shackles that you see on their combination and laminated locks.

Another fact is this process gives excellent chrome coverage. I remember one customer who is used the E-Brite 757 process on a bed spring display that was 2 feet by 3 feet by 6 inches deep. The chrome covered the entire bedspring area including the deep recesses. The other processes left nickel showing.

Posted in Electroplating, Nickel Plating | No Comments »

April 29th, 2008

By Eric Olander

Goodrich Corporation's Advanced Sensors Technical Center sent EPI's lab in New Berlin, WI samples of Kovar parts for blackening. Their challenge was that the traditional stainless steel blackening of 416 series was more grey than black. Kovar contains a high amount of nickel 29% and cobalt 17% metals. Larry Abbott tried our Ultra Blak 465, hot black oxide process for nickel. Attached is an SME picture taken at 10,000x magnification. Goodrich likes the uniform black color because it was black with no grey which works better for their light sensor applications.

Posted in Black Oxide | No Comments »

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.

Posted in Eric Olander Happenings | No Comments »