The 33rd Annual Anodizing Conference and Exposition, hosted by the Aluminum Anodizers Council, will be held October 1-3 in Cleveland.
The AAC conference delivers industry-focused information and education, giving anodizers the tools and know-how to make well-informed decisions. In addition, the AAC School for Anodizers will include an Anodizing Essentials Class, and an Anodizing Quality and Troubleshooting Workshop will be offered as well.
Visit https://www.anodizing.org to register for the conference. The event will be held at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown.
Program topics range from business information to industry analysis, which will help you gain insight, develop industry relationships, and achieve a higher level of understanding of aluminum finishing.
AAC developed the School for Anodizers as an educational program for industry professionals to improve their operations and expertise. The following courses are offered as additional educational options during the conference. Additional fees and registration are required. Further program details can be found online at www.Anodizing.org.
- Anodizing Essentials Class: Monday, September 30 from 8:30 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. This one-day program for anodizers teaches the fundamentals and the foundation of quality anodizing. This basic course explains how to anodize aluminum properly and was developed by anodizing professionals for anodizing professionals. With an emphasis on quality, the program takes the learner through the entire process – beginning with the metallurgical properties of aluminum alloys commonly anodized right through to the final rinse and sealing processes. This course is ideal for those who may be new to working the anodizing line, as well as those who oversee the process or who may simply want a refresher – a reminder of best practices. Registration for this course includes continental breakfast, lunch, and course materials.
- Anodizing Quality and Troubleshooting Workshop: Tuesday, October 1 from 8:30 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. This all-day tutorial workshop focuses on all aspects that influence anodizing quality, conducted industry experts, and featuring anodizing technical presentations and table discussions. Topics include Anodizing Basics for Aluminum Surfaces, Manufacturing Processes, Effective Troubleshooting, A Systems Approach to Quality Anodizing, and Breakout Tabletop Discussions of Anomalies (defects) and their Causes and Cures. Registration for this course includes continental breakfast, lunch, and course materials. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own small samples of anodized aluminum and questions for the group to help troubleshoot a solution.
Outlined below are the educational programs you will find at this year's conference.
General Session: Wednesday, October 2
Janette Courtney and Meghan Bates8:00 a.m. - 8:40 a.m.: AAC Chairman's Welcome, AAC Annual Meeting and Business Report; Janette Courtney, Bonnell Aluminum
8:40 a.m. - 9:25 a.m.: Leadership is an Activity, Not a Position; Meghan Bates, Luke Engineering. As Aristotle put it, “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Turning leadership into an activity and not just a position requires small actions, repeated over time, consistently. When motivation stalls and human nature sets in, it’s your habits that will set you apart in life and in leadership. This presentation discusses the habits I have deemed necessary to generate the most impact in developing a future leader. Through listening, gratitude, follow through, and humility, I have built trust with my team and have empowered others to see themselves as leaders without holding a certain title.
9:25 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.: Academic vs. Industrial Anodizing — What are the Common Parts? Dr. Wojciech J. Stępniowski, Military University of Technology. Anodic aluminum oxide sparks numerous but varied interests in academia and industry. While academic researchers focus mainly on the well-organized honey-comb nanoporous arrays of anodic alumina formed on pure aluminum, industrial researchers focus mainly on the corrosion performance and mechanical properties of the surface of anodized aluminum alloys. Recent Cr(VI) regulations triggered fundamental research on finding environmentally friendly type I electrolyte substitutes based on organic acids and corrosion inhibitors, a topic that bridges the interests of both academic and industry counterparts. Is it the only route that both types of researchers can contribute and provide synergistic insights? What are other external drivers that can develop common ground to integrate academic and industrial anodizing research?
10:25 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.: Emerging Applications for PPA Membranes with Morphologies Tailored by Pulse Anodizing; Dr. Mikhail Pashchanka, Warsaw Institute of Technology. Porous anodic alumina (PAA) is a self-organized electrochemical system with nanoscale features. New applications employing tune-able nanoscale features of the oxide structure are being developed. Nanophotonics uses light-scattering properties of discrete PAA membranes. One indicator of suitable conditions for oxide structure self-organization is spontaneous electrical current oscillations, evident from recorded anodizing curves. Oxide structures are tailored by how current is applied, modulating individual pores sizes and long-range ordered domains in PAA, depending on pulse anodizing current frequency change. Systematic changes in PAA nanostructures grown utilizing pulse anodizing are presented, showing interesting changes in light-scattering properties of unsupported, stand-alone PAA membranes.
11:10 a.m. - 11:55 a.m.: Challenges in Anodizing Wastewater Treatment; Steven Buday, Haviland Products. Wastewater from the anodizing process and the requisite pretreatment chemistry contains high amounts of contaminants that must be treated prior to discharge to a municipality or to surface waters. The nature of the water and newly strict regulations create challenges for anodizing plants. This presentation will discuss some of these challenges and ways to overcome them. The goal will be to give techniques to make wastewater simple and reliable. This will keep your focus on part quality and manufacturing while meeting new environmental requirements.
Focus Session Tracks Wednesday, October 2
1:10 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Preventive Maintenance: Stopping Problems Before they Start; Casey Selle-Charging, AaCron Anodizing. This presentation will address some of the preventative maintenance necessary for running a productive anodizing line. The talk will focus on providing an overview on how to start being proactive rather than reactive, and working to minimize unplanned down time. Topics addressed will include titrations, maintenance of anodizing tanks and hardware on the line, dumping schedules, and rack inspection.
Best Practices for Continuous Improvement of Safety Programs: Rebecca Robbins, Bonnell Aluminum. With an increased focus on safety comes a danger of complacency. Attendees will gain insights into new ideas to optimize safety programs while enhancing operational efficiency. This session will provide innovative methods to bolster safety standards, employee participation, and reduce incident rates throughout your organization. Through technological integration into current programs and introduction to best practices attendees will leave this presentation with a deeper understanding of these tools to improve both their safety culture but their bottom line
Anodizing Mechanism and Oxide Properties of Additive Manufactured Aluminum Alloys; Iris de Graeve, Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The anodizing mechanism and anodic oxide structure of powder-based additive-manufactured (AM) aluminum alloys differs from conventional cast and wrought alloys. AM aluminum-silicon alloys’ fine microstructure has a nearcontinuous silicon network, with connectivity depending on silicon content. This silicon phase consumes part of the anodic charge during anodizing, converting into silicon oxide. Heat treatments disrupt this connected network, depending on heating time/temperature, influencing anodizing behavior. AM aluminum anodizing is possible: film structure and properties are unconventional, but provide corrosion protection.
2:10 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Dump, Decant, or Adjust Conditions: Ensuring Lightfastness for Black Dye; Jacqueline Cook, Reliant Aluminum Products. We have established that while choosing a quality dye is an important step in ensuring a lightfast coating, it is only the first step as we now have to ensure that a sufficient amount of dye is absorbed into the anodic pore. It is recommended that the minimum amount of dye in the anodic coating for an architectural part is 46 mg/dm3. In this presentation we will explore the different factors contributing to dye intake, when we should decant to ensure longevity of the bath, and when to cut our losses and start fresh.
- Changes to Upstream Cleaning Processes and Their Implications on Anodizing; Mike Valenti, Hubbard-Hall. Regulations for many of the chemicals used to clean (degrease) aluminum parts are becoming more restrictive. Fabricators who would normally pre-clean heavily soiled parts prior to shipment, would start to push that burden to the Anodizers. In this session we will look at how to prepare for this problem, and some practical solutions. We will review one case study using a novel cleaning process.
Anodizing Strategies for Recycled Aluminum Alloys with Aerospace Applications; Dr. Jude M. Runge, CompCote International. In recycled-content aluminum alloys, trace elements can develop intermetallic particles of varying solubility, posing anodizing challenges because anodic oxide develops from substrate material. Complex alloy metallurgy is reviewed for aerospace/aircraft industry, discussing varying alloy content, size/shape/distribution, and solubility of resultant intermetallic particles, and impact on anodic oxide growth/ development. Reactions early in anodizing, and reactions occurring with different intermetallic particles and phases are presented. Anodizing strategies are discussed to mitigate resistance effects on anodic oxide due to anode microstructure variations.
3:10 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Anodizing Rack Design for Increased Load Sizes; Sam Stella, Rightech Fabrications. This presentation is based on educating end users on what information must be gathered about their facility and the product, to design racking that maximizes production from the line. Topics discussed include material choice of racks, part orientation, solution drag-out, rack marks, adaptable racks for future parts, and replaceable components designed into racks for onsite repairs. This discussion focuses on 101- and 201-level racking concepts. Racking should be an investment that makes money, not equipment that costs money.
Effect of Alloy Chemistry and Pretreatment on the Anodized Surface Appearance of Recycled Alloys; Malgorzata Halseid, Hydro Aluminum. Higher Fe/Cu/Zn concentrations in post-consumer scrap recycled alloys potentially impact anodized surface appearance. Achieving a matte surface finish in preanodized aluminum alloys involves alkaline or acid etching. Preferential grain etching (PGE) can occur during alkaline etching. Additives help balance etching rates, minimizing depth difference between grains. Additives’ complexing agents bind trace elements, reducing their effect on PGE. Alloy chemistry and pre-treatment are explored; alloys containing different Cu and Zn concentrations and subjected to various pretreatment parameters are discussed.
Exploring Brush Anodize and Its Applications; Danijela Milosevic, Sifco. Brush anodizing is used in industrial applications when limited, selective areas of large complex aluminum assemblies require anodizing to restore previously anodized surfaces, or to fulfill original specification requirements. The SIFCO Process of selective anodizing is used for demanding OEM and repair applications. This versatile, portable process is used in the shop and in the field. Brush anodizing is introduced, providing a basic understanding of the process, industrial applications are reviewed, and selective brush anodizing benefits are discussed.
4:10 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Great Quality is No Accident; Brian Holt, Lorin Industries. Doing what it takes to meet the quality expectations of the market you serve is achievable with the correct processes and the right tools. Knowing and understanding the quality expectation leads the way. Building the right quality into your processes, products and services will benefit your customers, your business and the entire market.
Interaction of Seal and Current Density on Anodized Aluminum Quality; Dr. George Oh, Quaker Houghton. Previous work in our group shows that ADT performance is primarily driven by seal type and conditions, but grossly low current densities can adversely affect the performance. We examine a matrix of seal types, seal temperature, and anodize current density, and report the results quality tests including AAMA-611 tests for thickness, ADT, abrasion resistance, coating weight and density, and appearance.
Keys to Processing and Extending Corrosion Protection of Aluminum with Trivalent Passivation; Jacob Weingart, Columbia Chemical. Environmental compliance and safety concerns increase demand for trivalent chromium passivates for aluminum. Keys to processing and extending corrosion protection with trivalent passivation are explored. An overview of features and general applications are discussed. Processing, appearance, and surface morphology are examined, with overall corrosion performance studied by salt spray analysis. Data and imaging evaluate pretreatment processing effects. This presentation benefits various industries in understanding the principles and importance of processing aluminum prior to trivalent passivation and factors impacting its success.
General Session: Thursday, October 3
8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Finishing Operations; Tim Pennington, FinishingAndCoating.com. What makes the difference between a finishing operation that is profitable, efficient, and has a workforce engaged in the mission of the company and those that often don’t measure up? It’s usually found in the habits and business practices of its owners and managers, and we look at shops that have refined what it means to be effective operations in the finishing industry. You will learn about these habits by hearing directly from the shop owners and managers in short videos in which they explain the principles of their highly effective habits.
9:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Elevate Your Aluminum Anodized Business; Steven Soderman, Lorin Industries. Marketing your products, services and capabilities is your way to communicate the value that you have to offer. There are many ways to tell your best story in a way that gets the right message to the right people at the right time. And, it doesn’t need to break the bank or consume all of your time.
10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Application Based Assessment of Anodic Coatings vs Their Competing Finishes; Tej Patel, Techevon LLC. This paper will compare the performance of anodic coatings with relevant coatings used in different markets. The markets that will be considered would be Automotive, Electronics, Cosmetics, Medical, Military, Aerospace and Architectural. Within each of these markets the most competitive coating will be considered and the performance of each of these coatings will be compared to that of Anodizing. Wherever possible, examples of applications will be identified and testing results will be compared to that of anodizing.
Michael McGinty and Nathan Manninger11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.: Billet in, Product Out: Full-Plant Cost Savings and a Discussion with an Anodizer; Michael McGinty; Nathan Manninger, BASF Chemetall/Tower. Here at the AAC we focus on Anodizing technologies, trends, and industry outlook. While back at the plants, an anodizer sees how all this translates to productivity, quality, and costs. From the moment a billet arrives, extrusion and finishing are important to an anodizer who stands behind their commitment to their customers. Anodizers know that everything in their plant is an opportunity for continuous quality improvement and an avenue for cost savings. In this discussion, led by both a supplier to the industry and an Anodizer, we will take a full-plant approach to cost savings, environmental improvements, and customer support with topics including extrusion, a disruptive technology for the acid etch bath, training, wastewater, and more.
11:45 a.m. – Noon: Closing Remarks
