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-----Newbie wants help writing plating procedures
Hi. I just started in the plating industry and we do just about every kind you can think of. The only problem is the plating department really does not have a set of written procedures. If you ask about cad or passivation the people just have it in their head. Do you know of any Internet sites that have a good listing of procedures for the plating industry. I don't want company secrets, just a basis to start from,
Thanks...and awesome web site!
- Anderson, Indiana USA
2000
Bob, As a veteran of over 35 years in first line supervision, please consider my advice.
While the Internet may be useful for specs, suppliers, MSDS info, etc., your best source of info on what your company does specifically, is the "old timers" working there. Your complaint about lack of written instructions or procedures was exactly what I found on each new job assignment I took over. Call it an insecurity of the personnel, but there is a general reluctance to share those "tricks-of-the-trade" one learns over time with your co-workers. What you need to do is open a dialogue with the operators that will touch on their egos. Let them know you believe they walk on water. If you keep a notebook of what you learn, don't ever walk around showing it to anyone, or they may shut you out. It is not easy to get people to follow written instructions, unless they believe in them, either.
Try to promote a team approach where a few minutes are taken weekly, to sit everyone in your department down, and talk about what went on, especially problems and solutions found, at least since the last meeting. Keep a hit list of 5 items that the group agrees needs working on, adding a new one when one gets solved. Keep and publish minutes so everyone knows what was said, and who contributed toward solutions. Buy them donuts, or even lunch! The cost is well worth it, and when the company sees the team thing working, it will gladly pick up the tab as a group reward. Good Luck.
- Rome, New York
2000
2000
Bravo, Carl, you've shared a valuable lesson.
No matter what procedures one tries to write, they will fail until you have the cooperation of the operators and line supervisors, because they are the only ones who can see what is really going on.
I've seen engineers and managers sit in their offices, poring over colorful graphs of percent defects vs. time-of-day vs. day-of-week, and theorizing yada, yada, yada. Those engineers are in the position of Plato's man who is born chained inside a cave, with his face to the wall, trying to divine the nature of the great outside world from the shadows and light that play across the cave walls.
Then I've gone down to the plant floor and seen that the barrel rotation drive in the acid tank is missing its gear, some barrels have broken welds or bent doors such that parts are stuck in position, the soak cleaner tank is cold because the coil is leaking, etc. That's just today, tomorrow the problems will be different.
Here's a universal example: a plated part gets knocked off the rack during processing or unloading. Nobody has told the operator what to do when this happens, and s/he fears that if s/he brings it up s/he'll just get yelled at for being clumsy--so there is no procedure. Instead, depending on the operator and who's looking, and intangible factors, the part randomly gets re-run, or passed through, or thrown in the re-melt bin.
Sometimes--and I promise I'm not kidding--people are careful to keep the operational procedures loose enough that it is possible to satisfactorily plate. That is, they don't really use the procedures as operator instructions, but as window dressing to meet the customers' requirements. So they'll specify a temperature range for the plating tank of 85 to 115 because they don't know the right temperature, and just want to make sure the operator has sufficient latitude that s/he'll be able to make good parts, unconstrained by the procedures 🙂
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
Kudos to Mssrs Erickson and Mooney! Their advice is beyond priceless. There is, however, one other source. Your suppliers can also provide valuable advice. Get them in to do a process audit! Usually, they will be glad to do so, and, in doing so, will provide you with a guide to the things you need to control, and also show you things you don't really need to worry about.
James Totter, CEF
- Tallahassee, Florida
2000
With about 30 years of "hands-on" experience as a plater, technician, supervisor, and consultant, let me say- I've gone the "kiss butt" route, and I don't like it. In my experience, any company that operates a plating facility without detailed operational specs is basically operating "out of control". All too frequently the "witch doctors" that control the tanks don't really have a firm grasp of the processes, but somehow manage to keep them running. I personally believe that with the proper documentation and training, any plating line will, in the long run, operate more efficiently. The very first thing I do now is put process specs on paper.
George Brackett III- Utica, New York
2000
George,
I agree that written procedures are essential, and that any shop attempting to operate without them is running "out of control". But Bob is not going to find the procedures he is seeking on the web; he has to start by cobbling together what he can from here and there, and to do that he will want the cooperation of the people who know generally how to process the parts even if they don't really have a "firm grasp of the processes". You have to start somewhere before you can start improving.
I do disagree though with the implication that written procedures will solve all the problems. They absolutely don't, not only for the reasons I mentioned, but because no procedure can pull itself up by its own bootstraps; every procedure always assumes a level of expertise on the part of the reader and operator. Where would you begin to write procedures for performing an appendectomy? You have to start with the assumption that you are writing for an experienced and competent surgeon.
An operator will make good parts if he has the right tools including adequate training and written procedures, and if he wants to. If the operators don't care whether they make good parts, they won't, and no amount of procedures and micro-management will change that.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
2000
2000
Bob !
I agree with all that excellent advice. You are damned lucky to have so many experts (yes, EXPERTS) give you gratis advice.
But. goldarnit, there's a plethora of information, books, papers, articles courtesy of the Finishing.Com. Have a look-see. Go to the library section. Printed data galore.
Regarding 'printed data', there's a good & pertinent Kraut saying that we unfortunately don't have,
WAS GEDRUECKT IST, LUEGT! THE PRINTED WORD LIES! This was by the famous German philosopher and writer, GOETHE.
In other words the 'printed words' should never be taken as gospel but as a guide to wise men.
What might benefit yourself would be if you could come up with trouble shooting data for each process. In other words guidelines not specifics.This you could print as a guide to when things go wrong, as they will do. Just ask Murphy !
Cheers
Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).
Do it all... There is a lot of info out there to start with, but remember. If what the guys are doing works..and it's not in violation of any customer requirements or specs.. its' a lot easier to say what you do and do what you say. Documented procedures are the best training for new ops and above all reduce variation in the process. Put something in writing!
Tim Martinplating shop - Springfield, Massachusetts
2001
Sorry! Finishing.com is temporarily Read-Only.
Ted Mooney is retiring but I have several offers to take it over.
We're working hard to make sure we find it the best new home.