Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Plating School?

Wondering if anyone had an opinion or a personal preference on formal plating schools/training. I am aware of Kushner, AESF Certification, and I also believe Enthone has a training department. If you guys were to have your own employees trained what course would you recommend?

J. Giddings
Plating Shop - Pennsylvania
December 29, 2005

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Although this question is important to you, Mr. Giddings, it's of a type that is problematic for us because it's asking for a recommendation of one proprietary product over another and we can't responses to questions of that sort because the anonymity of the internet often leads to phony testimonials and a race to the bottom :-(

AESF is the world's most important plating resource, which this site completely supports. Another complicating factor is that I am a certified instructor for AESF. In my opinion you can't go wrong with either Kushner or AESF as they both have been running for decades and are respected worldwide. ASM also has a plating course that I have instructed for before I went over to AESF.

But in truth many plating shop employees do not have the math, chemistry, & science background (and the attention span for study) to take the best advantage of the format of several concurrent days of formal all-day coursework. Personally, I think the branch plating schools such as offered by the Garden State Branch, Philadelphia Branch and other AESF branches are the best bet for many employees. They are the most economical because the instructors aren't compensated; they are local; they usually run a couple of hours a night, one night a week for a semester, so they fit the aptitude of many line employees better; and in many cases they involve shop visits which expose the students to the real world. They certainly don't add as much to a resume as Kushner or AESF National courses due to their lack of rigor, but for some people they are perfect.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2006