History and Development of TMC and New Technology Conversions: An Opinionated View

摘要

TMC is here and will continue to expand. Those who approach it correctly and do the testing necessary to verify the potential results will be best served in the long run. Like any emerging technology, there is a definite learning curve. Those finishers who jump in and take shortcuts will probably be dissatisfied. There are many differences between the several chemistries being offered by the pre-treatment companies. You may hear this: "We now have nano-ceramic conversions," or "Look at our new development with transition metal conversions," or "Our zirc conversion is the best," or "Ours is just like the ABC companies but better," or "Our organic out surpasses their inorganic," or "Sure, make our iron phosphate stage a rinse and just put this in..." Reactions to any statements like these may be the wrong choice. Selecting the right TMC for your product can only be made after a careful re-evaluation of where you are today, where you want and need to go, and after a strong evaluation process. Companies should be selected for not only their unique formulas, but for the kind of service, and technical support they can provide in the long run. It is an exciting time for pretreat-ment, metal finishing and powder coating. Huge improvements in technology don't come along every day. This development has been in the works since the elimination of hex chrome, but it has finally arrived! Good luck, and do the proper testing to gain this jump in performance and technology.