Metal Finishing Shop

Ali Farvid, Supervisor - 926-2580 or 926-3946

Click to see a listing of the MFD Metal Finishing Shop's cleaning and plating process specifications.

Correct metal finishing procedures and practices are critical to the proper performance of a metal under specified conditions. High quality metal finishes are one of the major objectives of the MFD Metal Finishing Shop.

There are many reasons why cleaning and plating quality have become a major concern of most industries. Cleaned parts and plated deposits are specified for a variety of technical reasons and it is essential that these perform entirely as expected.

To prevent cleaning- and plating-related defects, the Metal Finishing Shop has string cleaning and plating specifications and tests which have been developed over 30 years. With a complete in-house chemical laboratory, all process variables are controlled within their critical limits using different analytical instruments and techniques such as ion chromatography and atomic absorption.

Each and every part from start to finish is processed in a precise manner by qualified employees. The shop's supervisors are college-trained chemists and the metal finishing staff are experienced and highly trained. The shop strives for a quick turnover time for normal work, and responds to emergency and rush jobs.

Plating Shop Honors

1998 DOE/OAK Pollution Prevention Award

Ali, head of our Metal Finishing Shop, was one of the recipients of the 1998 DOE/OAK Pollution Prevention Award. The awards were given out based on the following criteria:

1. Individuals and groups who have been devoted to preventing pollution over the long term (+3 years) as evidenced by the implementation of change in laboratory operations or procedures;
2. Individuals who pursue an ongoing search for new pollution prevention opportunities; and,
3. Individuals who display a continuous improvement attitude above and beyond management expectations and a willingness to share new knowledge and encourage others to prevent pollution.

Ali has reduced hazardous waste in SLAC metal finishing operations by over 50% since 1993, and has been a leader in the promotion of good environmental stewardship by training his staff and encouraging them to use pollution prevention practices in their everyday work. Congratulations, Ali!

Menlo Park 2000 Environmental Quality Award

From the SLAC press release:

Menlo Park Honors Stanford Linear Accelerator Center for Near-Zero Emissions

The City of Menlo Park has given the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) a 2000 Environmental Quality Award in recognition of SLAC's success in reducing air pollution. Members of the Environment Commission presented the award, which recognized SLAC for "exceptional resource conservation," at the January 23 City Council meeting.

Frank Carney and Deirdre Digrande (both of the Menlo Park Environment Commission) present the award to Ali Farvid.

Stanford University operates SLAC for the US Department of Energy. Located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, it is a world-class basic research laboratory used by more than 3,000 scientists from around the world. To support its research mission, the Lab has a variety of highly advanced fabrication techniques, some of which utilize solvents to clean metal parts. While SLAC at all times operated within the emissions limits specified by both local and federal regulations, the machining process nonetheless resulted in the emission of several thousand pounds of chlorinated solvent per year into the atmosphere.

The phasing out of certain solvents mandated by the 1990 Clean Air Act led SLAC to develop an alternative to solvent cleaning.

Frank Carney, Deirdre Digrande, Ali Farvid, Butch Byers (SLAC Air Quality Manager), Greg Loew (SLAC Deputy Associate Director)

“This was a pioneering effort since the alternative degreaser we chose had not previously been used in the State of California and it was a considerable investment for the Lab,” said SLAC Director Jonathan Dorfan. The amount of chlorinated solvent air emissions dropped to near zero in the year 2000, from a level of 2,000 pounds in 1999.

Representing SLAC at the award ceremony were Butch Byers from the Environment, Safety, and Health Division and Ali Farvid from the Mechanical Fabrication Department. “I’m delighted that the efforts of our high trained and dedicated staff members are being recognized by the community,” said Dorfan. “Butch is our air quality program manager and Ali is the head of our plating shop. They are just two of the many talented people here at SLAC who have helped in this project.”