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Protective Finish For Tooling

June 7, 2006
Birchwood Casey, Eden Prairie, Minn., (www.birchwoodcasey.com) says its Tru Temp low-temperature, nonpolluting black-oxide finish is an attractive and protective finish for high-value, tight-toleranced tooling components such as toolholders, ...
Birchwood Casey, Eden Prairie, Minn., (www.birchwoodcasey.com) says its Tru Temp low-temperature, nonpolluting black-oxide finish is an attractive and protective finish for high-value, tight-toleranced tooling components such as toolholders, workholding and turret press tooling.

The process forms a nondimensional, deep-black finish that does not affect tool function and allows tools to be positioned as premium-grade products. Small parts can be processed in bulk loads while larger tools are finished on racks. The company says most existing tank lines can be retrofitted to accommodate the process, or it will supply new process lines.

The company says its Tru-Temp process can be safely operated in-house to enhance control of quality and turnaround time. Total processing time is 25 minutes, and operating costs (including chemicals and heating) is under 3 cents per pound of finished work. The process operates at 200 eliminating severe splattering and boilover hazards, and the solutions used in the process prevent formation of red coatings and white salt leaching. The process contains no EPA-regulated chemicals so it does not require waste treatment, and in most areas the rinse waters can be dumped into sewers as nonhazardous discharge.