What will our workforce look like in the future? More and more manufacturers are asking this question as they search for new employees from an aging, slower growing, and often less experienced labor pool. After considering how to shape its own next generation of workers, Texas-based powder coating manufacturer IFS Coatings chose a proactive approach: create an innovative internship program.

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Let’s first talk about oven conditions. It is paramount to understand that powder coatings respond best when...

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There are two primary reasons to coat an object – to protect and to beautify. The inclusion of color into a formula satisfies the latter objective. Before delving into the particulars of pigmentation, a few definitions are in order. Colorant pigments are sometimes referred to as prime or opacifying pigments.

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We often think of technology in terms of software, computers, robotics or other tangible machinery that automates some part of our daily lives.

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When you think of playground equipment, you might envision bright primary colors – a twisty blue slide beside brilliant red monkey bars.

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When comparing two samples with the same pigmentation, but different degrees of gloss, the one with the higher degree of gloss is visually perceived as darker and more saturated than the matte sample. For this reason, it is very important to measure both surface effects separately.

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This edition of Technology Interchange is all about calculations. In our daily life as powder coating professionals, it is essential to quantify everything from quality to cost to color to size and beyond. A wise person once said (probably more than once), “if you can’t measure it, you don’t know it.” Let’s get started.

 

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Founded in 1896, The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is the recognized leader in developing and publishing safety standards. The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) identified 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that killed 119 workers and injured 718, and extensively damaged industrial facilities.

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Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is defined by Wikipedia as “clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer’s body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemical, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter.” This definition continues to state: “The purpose of personal protective equipment is to reduce employee exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or effective to reduce these risks to acceptable levels. PPE is needed when there are hazards present.”

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Manufacturers’ approach to safety has changed dramatically in the last decade. Today, no injury is acceptable. Here, safety professionals from original equipment manufacturers and industry suppliers throughout the United States share their tips, techniques and best safety practices.

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