The Italian Association of Metal Finishing, A.I.F.M. was founded on April 8 1988, before as separated harm and later on, as the prosecution of AIG, the Italian Association of Galvanotechnic, by Prof. Eugenio Bertorelle, former President of AIG.
At the foundation, President of AIFM was Pietro Luigi Cavallotti, who was also Professor of Metal Science at the Leonardo Politecnico of Milano. Nowadays, the President is Prof. Luca Magagnin.
The Association is open to all the operators of the Surface Finishing market segment, having the scope to provide the widest possible service to the Plating and the Surface Treatments Industry; the Association qualifies itself through its engagement diffusing both the scientific and the technical knowledge, with its own technical magazine "Galvanotecnica e nuove finiture" and with the organisation of seminars, workshops and educational courses for galvanic operators.
It is since January 1949 that Prof. Bertorelle started the publication of "Galvanotecnica e nuove finiture" the monthly scientific and technical magazine of the Italian metalfinishing market. The magazine today is published bimonthly by A.I.F.M., under the direction of Prof. Luca Magagnin as the official journal of the Association. Typically the annual issues of the magazine are five, covering the following periods: January-February – March-April – May-June-July – August-September-October -- November- December.
Both the Association and the magazine owe their rise to Prof. Eugenio Bertorelle, a unique figure of scientist and teacher because of his strong engagement spreading and promoting the Surface Finishing culture and know-how and the institution of the association, as the elective tool to establish and manage relationships, not so easily manageable by individual plating shops, which are typical PMI. His main work, the " Trattato di Galvanotecnica - the Italian Electroplating Engineering Handbook- ”, has been and still remains the "Bible" of the metalfinishing operators in Italy and in many countries of the South American continent too.
The mission of AIFM is:
- Defend, protect and develop the future of the Metalfinishing Industry in Italy.
- Develop and spread the results of R&D studies related to Metalfinishing processes and applications.
- Operate for the protection of the environment.
- Help and favour the exchange of Information at the national and the international levels.
- Organise Courses, Seminars and Workshops to promote the scientific and the technical education of the metalfinishing workers and operators.
- Officially represent the plating industry in front of the National and the European institutions.
