From the May 30, 2006 Issue of The Cape Cod Times

Manufacturer's paint operation noted for green

By JASON KOLNOS
STAFF WRITER
ORLEANS - With one click of his revolver-style gun, Dick Hersey shoots color onto a suspended sprocket in a magnetic show not found in most industrial businesses.

"We've made dramatic changes that make environmental sense, health sense and economic sense," Richard Hersey says.

The magic here is how he pumps blue powder onto his target without producing harmful byproducts typically released after intensive painting.

That's because he's not really painting. Electrostatic spraying uses a pigmented powder at a fraction of the cost, energy, materials and pollution traditional painting techniques would.

The Hersey Clutch Co. produces a variety of customized, patented torque limiters used on dry-cleaning conveyors, furnaces, electronic doors and various packaging equipment.

A torque limiter is essentially a mechanical fuse used to shut down a machine and allow the rotating energy to dissipate without causing damage.

The steel sprocket is a key piece to building these vital parts, and they need to be ''painted'' before completion.

Sure, Hersey could use oily petroleum-based acrylic enamel to paint his products, as they do with cars, but he doesn't want to deal with harmful byproducts like acetone and toluene.

Instead, powder is supplied through a delivery hose and spray gun and is conveyed by dry, oil-free air. The powder is charged by the spray gun's electrode and, when directed at a conductive object, deposited and held to that object by static charge.

Using such techniques is a reason Hersey is a leader in a movement toward industrial responsibility through sustainable practices.

''Since this is a completely dry process, there are no volatile organic compounds emitted,'' Hersey said. ''It's much better for the environment and your health.''

Honored by students

The Cape Cod Youth Council on Sustainability, an organization of middle and high school students dedicated to promoting wise resource use, plans to present Hersey with its first Sustainable Small Business Award tomorrow at the Museum of Natural History in Brewster.

Sustainability is economic development that takes full account of the environmental consequences of economic activity and is based on the use of resources that can be replaced or renewed and, therefore, are not depleted.

It would have cost Hersey $200 to paint a standard lot of sprockets with acrylic enamel. Just $8 of powder is used before the sprockets are baked at 375 degrees for 10 minutes in an ovenlike device.

''He is being innovative in a field where it's kind of hard to be innovative,'' said Paul Niles, an associate director and science teacher at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Orleans. ''There's a lot of traditional ways of doing this type of business, so it requires quite an investment to make a progressive transition.''

Many manufacturing systems incorporate inefficient energy use and toxic materials, Niles said. ''It takes the kind of dedication Hersey has to build ecologically friendly techniques into the design of the business in the way we need more of.''

Model of neatness

One might think a process as technically complex as Hersey's would produce a grimy mess of industrial solvents, lubricating oils, paint chips and fumes.

But in Hersey's modest green building on Commerce Drive, steel bars that will eventually be shaped into his products lie neatly

inside wooden boxes. There are no steel chips strewn across the cement ground. Instead, all scraps are stored neatly in large bins for monthly recycling.

''We've made dramatic changes in recent years that make environmental sense, health sense and economic sense,'' Hersey said.

He's replaced harsh petroleum-based solvents and lubricants with environmentally friendly materials. That's evident in his vertical machining center and lathe, which use water-based coolants on tools and parts while maintaining dimensional accuracy.

The process is different from traditional methods, which use sulfur-based cutting oils to produce environmentally sensitive products. ''Plus, this significantly reduces the labor-intensive cleaning process.''

Hersey has also outfitted his shop with up-to-date ''smart'' machinery certified as energy efficient by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, decreasing both costs and environmental impact.

Just the beginning

''You just have to look at your operation and work down the list by knocking off the worst offenders first and then on to the next item,'' said Hersey, whose father founded the business in Minnesota before moving it to Orleans in 1978. ''We live in a beautiful part of world, and we intend to keep it that way.''

If that's not enough, Hersey uses his resources to educate the next generation in sustainable practices. He is currently working with students from the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School to refurbish an antique wind turbine that will be used to power a mobile ham radio unit.

Leo Laemmle, 11, of East Dennis was among a handful of students sanding a generator Thursday before it could be attached to the stand. Installing a 6-foot blade is one of the final steps to erecting the 12-foot turbine, which will power a 12-volt battery for the radio.

''I just love learning about electricity and circuits,'' Leo said. ''Knowing you can do it with wind is good because it's better for the environment.''

Jason Kolnos can be reached at jkolnos@capecodonline.com.

(Published: May 30, 2006)