Ask the Experts
The "Ask the Experts" sections of Metal Finishing and Organic Finishing provide forums for sponsors to review reader inquiries and provide answers based on their respective areas of expertise. Metal Finishing assumes no responsibility or liability regarding the accuracy or effectiveness of the advice or recommendations offered henceforth in this section.
Experts will respond to your queries on the following topics:
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Rectifiers, Rectifier Controls
Peter van Gorp is the Technical Manager for Rectifiers and related products for American Plating Power, LLC. As a co-founder of the company, Peter is responsible for the production and test management of American Plating Power’s products. His expertise includes Thyristor Controlled Rectifiers, Switch Mode Power Supplies, Variable Transformer Rectifiers, Reverse Pulse Power Supplies, and various Controllers. Peter has been with American Plating Power for 6 years, and also heads up their R & D and Technical Service divisions. Peter received his electronics education in the Netherlands, and has over 18 years experience in design and development of power electronics products and software design.
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Zinc Plating, Zinc Alloy Plating
Jeff Grodecki is the Technical Support Manager for Columbia Chemical Corporation. His academic credentials include bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from Tri-State University. Jeff works closely with the sales team and customers, both distributors and end-users, addressing issues involving zinc plating and its related processes. His eleven years in the industry have taken him to customers’ shops around the world including China, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, Spain, Thailand, and Italy. He has extensive experience in a range of finishing applications including the automotive, appliance, and electronic metal surface finishing markets. Jeff looks forward to answering your questions on zinc and zinc alloy plating processes.
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Powder Coating, including development, manufacturing, quality control, material selection, performance, coating formulation, and UV cure technology
Kevin Biller, a.k.a. “Joe Powder,” began his career in powder coatings in 1978 at the Glidden Paint Company. He held various technical positions during his 15 years there, including group leader–Automotive Coatings, and section leader–European Core Laboratory while he worked in Birmingham, England for Glidden’s parent company ICI Paints.
Biller is now a 30-year veteran of the powder coating industry, including positions with Herberts Powder Coatings, Wabash Powder Coatings, IRIS Powder Coatings, and Jamestown Powder Coatings. He also formed a consulting firm, Biller Technical Resources, Ltd., and established the Powder Coating Research Group. This R&D laboratory provides powder coating evaluation, testing, and product development.
Biller holds four U.S. Patents in powder coating technology and has delivered numerous papers and written over 50 articles on industrial coatings. In addition to being a powder coating educator, he has published a handbook, Powder Coatings: Foundation for the Novice Formulator and writes the regular monthly “Ask Joe Powder” column for Metal Finishing magazine.
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