Surface World May 2020 Surface World May 2020 | Page 28

INDUSTRY NEWS
Creating a safer and more
sustainable future
It’s not just the electroplating process
that’s feeling the impact - this research and
development is paving the way towards a
much safer and sustainable future for repair
mechanics and the environment. Working
with a team of engineers, Danjiela develops
REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation
and Restriction of Chemicals) compliant brush
plating alternatives to the toxic chemicals that
are currently in use across the globe.
For example, cadmium and hard chrome are
commonly used by maintenance repair
engineers who are undertaking component
repairs for a wide range of industries due to
their increased wear resistance, surface hardness
and durability. However, exposure to both
metals in their compound state can be incredibly
harmful for both plating technicians and the
general public, as they are carcinogenic.
Danijela and her team’s seemingly small
actions are beginning to have profound
consequences on the plating industry and
the planet. Through exploration, analysis
and development, SIFCO ASC has developed
brush plating solutions that aim to replace
cadmium and chrome in the future.
“Right now, there is no ‘one size fits all’
solution for drop-in replacement of cadmium
or chrome, so we’re focusing on making
solutions such as ZnNi (Zinc-Nickel) as
cadmium alternatives, and MMC (metal matrix
composite) solutions for chrome alternatives.”
This will unquestionably make a change
in the world and will undoubtedly impact
future generations.
The challenge of being a
woman in STEM (Science,
technology, engineering,
and mathematics)
When asked the question “what are the
challenges of being a woman in STEM?”,
Danijela says they are the same stereotypical
barriers that have been internalised over
several decades. She talks about the
unconscious bias where both men and
women are conditioned to think that men
are more inquisitive, motivated and in charge.
As a result, women have to work harder.
However, she muses that if we change the
narrative, we may be able to remove the
glass ceiling for both women and minorities
in STEM, if we start to celebrate their
accomplishments, rather than the challenges
they face. She says:
“Every woman in a STEM field has a unique
set of challenges ahead of her that no man
will ever have to experience.
“I’d like to shine a spotlight on the
accomplishments of women in STEM
historically so that we can lay a framework
for continued recognition of our girls as
they turn into women and change the
world alongside their male colleagues.”
For any female looking to advance a career
in STEM, whether younger or older, Danijela
says that believing in yourself and finding a
mentor who will advise you and push you out
of your comfort zone is the best thing you can
do. There’s one experience with her first boss
and mentor that left a life-long impression on
her and helped shape her future. She said:
“Before any big meeting, we would run
through my presentation and attend the
meeting together. There was one high-level
meeting where there were four levels of
managers in attendance, quite overwhelming
for a young woman especially when most
of the crowd was male. I ran through my
presentation with my boss beforehand,
and he told me he’d meet me there.
“Only, he didn’t show up. I survived the
meeting, walked over to his office and asked
why he didn’t show up. He told me he “didn’t
want to take the spotlight away from me,
he didn’t want the rest of the room to see
a MAN standing behind me.” He taught me
that I was quite capable of standing on my
own two feet and that I shouldn’t ever feel
inferior regardless of who is in my company.”
Find out more about Danijela’s research
and SIFCO ASC’s plating solutions at:
https://www.sifcoasc.com/
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MAY 2020
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