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Interested in plating business

I am interested in plating business but I have a thousand questions about the many processes available in that industry i.e., paintable, dipping,plating, etc. I own and operate an automotive business in Canada and want to bring this to this area (dipping wheels) due to the few companies that offer this type of work. E-mail me back info that I could get from the local library and if possible.

RICHARD SINHA
- RICHMOND, B.C, CANADA
2003

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Hi Richard. Few companies offer it because electroplating (sometimes called 'chrome dipping', but it's not) is one of the more difficult to enter businesses. In the USA it was our nation's first categorically regulated industry, and you immediately become responsible forever for the unavoidable waste products. It may be similar in Canada. The business is fairly capital intensive. Libraries may have an introductory text, but this is a business you can't enter on a whim, so you'll want to build a library, join the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society (www.nasf.org), and take a training course before you are ready to think seriously about it. Then when you've got a handle on it, you'll probably want to retain a consultant. Best of luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003