- 26 February 2007 -
DoD Metal Finishing Workshop Slated for May

Another Department of Defense (DoD) workshop to focus on the commercial applications of chromate alternatives for conversion coating and sealing is being planned for May 15-17 at Hill Air Force base in Ogden, Utah. This technical workshop is intended to bring together DoD and industry experts to identify specific needs, solutions and performance data for replacing hexavalent chromates processes used for overhaul and new weapons systems in vehicles, aircraft and vessels. 

Participants will offer perspectives on how emerging commercial materials and processes can be used for military applications or modified to meet DoD's needs for specific applications. In addition, a site tour of the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base is also being planned to educate commercial finishers and suppliers regarding the surface finishing applications at a DoD facility.

The surface finishing industry has been working cooperatively with the DoD on critical metal finishing technical issues. In May 2006 at the industry's Washington Forum, the Pentagon's Strategic Environment Research and Development Program (SERDP) and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) funded a metal finishing workshop that focused on technology issues for surface finishing processes, primarily within the DoD depots repair and maintenance system as well as applications and alternatives in the defense manufacturing base.

As a follow up to that event, a second workshop was held Nov. 28-29, 2006, as part of SERDP's and ESTCP's larger annual "Partners in Environmental Technology:  Technical Symposium and Workshop." This workshop focused on best approaches for applying commercial finishing successes to "clean" technologies for defense uses and reducing potentially hazardous materials in defense weapons systems and facilities. An open forum for DoD and industry representatives was also held to discuss what clean technologies were being used successfully in the surface finishing industry.

For more information about this valuable and informative workshop, please contact Christian Richter at crichter@thepolicygroup.com or Jeff Hannapel at jhannapel@thepolicygroup.com.