General Magnaplate Corp.

Issues with feeder rolls constantly cause production downtime in the food packaging and processing industries, and one particular packager approached Magnaplate with enormous 10 x 40 feeder rolls that were used for applying double sheet poly.  The issue was that the rolls were suffering from impact during use, so the Magnaplate team recommended a coating of PLASMADIZE®.

PLASMADIZE provides superior restoration of worn surfaces and features unsurpassed resistance to wear.  The enhanced thermal spraying technique produces a coating more ductile than chrome plate, which can be applied in thick or thin layers.  In addition, PLASMADIZE provides a release (non-stick) or gripping surface and is USDA/FDA/CFIA compliant.  The application of PLASMADIZE has provided highly satisfactory results.

A food packaging company has a production line dedicated to filling individual serving cups with salad dressing, but its aluminum hard-coat anodized parts could not stand up to the cleaning fluid used on the production line.  The mild alkaline cleaner was removing the hard coat within 7-10 days and the process was extremely inefficient.

Magnaplate took a couple of the aluminum blocks and tested them with a series of TUFRAM® coatings: TUFRAM 608, TUFRAM 641 and TUFRAM 641 black.  TUFRAM was developed by Magnaplate to protect aluminum and aluminum alloys against wear, corrosion, sticking and galling.  It dramatically increases surface hardness to a range of Rc 40 – RC 65, and provides superior resistance to corrosion, chemicals, acids and alkalines.  For this customer, it was critical that the TUFRAM coatings meet FDA, USDA and CFIA codes.  The result of the series of coatings being tested was that after six weeks of production, there was still no sign of wear or erosion of the coating on any of the samples.  The customer eventually selected TUFRAM 608 for the aluminum blocks.

Gripper Bar

Problem:
The print industry is notoriously tough on its machinery because the presses are often working 24 hours a day to ensure healthy profits in this highly competitive industry.  Production downtime due to part failure is simply not an option for printers. One printer manufacturer discovered that the gripper bars in an offset printing press had a tendency to slip and, as a result, were wearing out prematurely.  The purpose of the gripper bar is to feed materials into the press – both paper and plastic – so any failure can be responsible for completely shutting down production.

Solution:

Upon Inspection, General Magnaplate’s technical team recommended coating the part with Plasmadize, which is designed for the restoration of worn surfaces.  Plasmadize provides unsurpassed abrasion resistance for diffuse loads and can be applied in substantial thicknesses, extending wear life.  As a result of the coating, the part has doubled its lifespan and provided outstanding levels of non-slip traction.

PET bottle mold components

Problem:
Ultra-precise, highly-polished surfaces on PET bottle molds, with aluminum female and stainless steel male sections, exhibited severe pitting due to moisture condensation and galvanic corrosion. The plastic’s abrasive action aggravated the pitting problem. This led to frequent repolishing, poor mold release and excessive reject rates.

Solution:
A TUFRAM coating on the aluminum section, coupled with a NEDOX coating on the steel component, eliminated the corrosive pitting, prevented abrasive wear, and ensured quick and easy mold release of a smooth-surfaced, crystal-clear bottle.

General Magnaplate is pleased to announce that our licensee Aluminum Surface Technologies in Burlington, Ontario, Canada recently added TUFRAM® to their coating capabilities.  AST already has a license for our LECTROFLUOR® processes, and is looking forward to adding NEDOX® in the near future.  Since the mid-1970′s, AST has specialized in processes for aluminum, including military specification and automotive.

General Magnaplate’s headquarters in Linden, New Jersey celebrated the grand opening of our exhibit in our town’s Historic Society Museum.  All of our employees visited the museum and viewed the displays, historic documents and pictures from the early days of Linden and companies with a long history of business in the town.  We celebrated several milestones — General Magnaplate’s 60^th anniversary in business, with 45 years in Linden.  We opened our Linden plant in 1967, at first manufacturing TUFRAM® pots and pans, then converting to industrial surface enhancement coatings a few years later.  

Please visit our booth #3039 at the Eastpack show in Philadelphia, PA at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from May 22 – 24, 2012.  Stop by our booth to discuss your application with our technical sales team. You can also pick up your free friction CD!

Check out this video on coatings to extend waffle iron griddle life.

General Magnaplate California installed 668 solar panels on the roof of our plant in Ventura in December 2011.  We worked with a local solar company, Coastal Solar, and our local power company, Southern California Edison.  The installation costs were partly offset by state incentives and federal tax credits.  So far, we have been able to cut our electricity expense in half, and have been able to provide power back to the grid on low usage days and weekends.  The introduction of solar power in our Ventura plant has not only reduced operating costs, but also presented an opportunity to support local businesses!

Follow this link to our Media page to view Videos filmed during tradeshows, hosted by our very own Corey Wesnitzer.  You will see a variety of parts being displayed, examples of how our coatings have solved problems for our customers, and demonstrations on low friction and lubricity.

In our Podcast, you will hear about the many benefits of surface enhancement coatings, tips on selecting the proper base metal to achieve the best results from a coating, and the limitations of certain base metals.

We kicked off our 60^th anniversary year with the first of three celebrations with a special event held at Squashed Grapes in Ventura, California.  Our California plant’s employees enjoyed making a take-home bottle of wine along with a wonderful dinner.  Each employee was presented with a logo imprinted gift of a tie or tote bag during the evening.