The EPA agreed to a full question and answer public meeting held in Chicago, Ill., concerning the EPA's new proposed regulations relating to "Metal Products And Machinery". The EPA proposal would drastically escalate costs for finishers, the EPA seeks a 50-80% lower reduction of metals in discharged waste water.

According to EPA estimates provided, approximate cost per facility to comply with the new rule would be $150,000.

Pollutant concentrates in the discharged wastewater that were part of the EPA model using a sample facility were higher than actual values by as much as four times greater.

The EPA had extended the new rule enforcement until July 2, 2001, to allow time for rebuttals by the industry. As of the publishing of this newsletter, there has been no release of any information by the EPA.

For more information on the proposed MP&M regulation, please contact Christian Richter or Jeff Hannapel with the Government Relations office at (202) 965-5190.

Recommended wrap materials for (uninterrupted) plating cycles are:

Cotton--Cotton batting is considered an initial wrap, requires a wear resistant final wrap. Cotton is attacked by many acids.

Cotton/ dacron tubegauze-Blended cotton/ dacron is used almost exclusively as a final wrap. It is the most wear resistant tubegauze. Moderate purity with poor absorbency.

Cotton tubegauze--A final wrap that has very little wear resistance but a high degree of absorbency and purity.

Dacron tubegauze--A final wrap that can be used in place of cotton. It has a better wear resistance than cotton, a fair degree of purity and moderate absorbency.

Polywool--An initial wrap usually used as a substitute for cotton. It comes in very thin sheets and is ideal for small rod anodes.

Dacron felt (1/8" & 1/16")--A combination wrap that has excellent purity, absorbency and wear resistance. Used generally for lengthy plating procedures. The 1/8" will last for the long jobs but causes more electrical resistance. The 1/16" is more pliable and makes it easier to wrap complex shaped anodes.

Red scotchbrite--A combination wrap. Poor absorbency but high purity and very good wear resistance. Helps disperse the solution uniformly over the plating surface. Pumping the solution is required when using this wrap. It is highly abrasive and should be used with harder deposits. The constant abrasion of the plating surface allows for thicker deposits while maintaining a smooth deposit as well as reducing deposit stress and porosity. But, as with all scotchbrite wraps, the operator must watch closely for the buildup of metal in the wrap.

Scratch depth measurement used to be an art, now you can do it in less than 20 seconds. Introducing the 8400K Digital Optical Micrometer. It lets you measure the width of scratches using the reticle eyepiece and the vertical depth of surface features to evaluate the severity of mechanical damage such as scratches, corrosion, pits and blemishes. You can perform cost-saving, accurate measurements of surface damage to mechanical parts such as leading edges, shafts or other components in a matter of minutes and quickly determine a course of action.