Session #2

The Building Blocks of a Successful Powder Coating System

Greg Dawson, Nordson Corp.

John Sudges, Midwest Finishing Systems, Inc.

Michael Withers, Axalta Coating Systems

Whether you are planning to convert from an existing liquid paint system or getting into powder coating from scratch, there are essential elements, or building blocks, required to ensure your best chance of success. This session will discuss the building blocks of a well-designed, high-performing powder coating system, from pretreatment to powder application and recovery to curing. Experts of the various equipment and materials disciplines will collaborate to help you make the right choices for a system to best meets your needs.

Session #3

Specialty Applications

Two-Coat Powder Coating System Selection - How They Make Cents (and Dollars) For Your Business

Tabitha McLeish, The Sherwin-Williams Company

Two-Coat powder coating systems provide applicators with ample benefits – superior corrosion protection, edge coverage and asset longevity – to name a few. With many different primers, topcoats, and systems available, it can be challenging to understand the options and what is right for your application. This session explores the different types of primers and two-coat systems that are available today. However, more importantly, you’ll learn how to choose the best fit for your business or application, the most effective methods for applying two-coats, and overcoming some of the more frequent challenges with their application. Attendees will leave with a better sense of how two-coat systems make cents (and dollars) for their business.

Benefits, Myths, and Markets for Teflon™ Powder Coatings

Chris Dohl, Intech Services

For decades, Teflon™ fluoropolymer coatings have been used to solve problems in virtually every industrial and consumer segment around the world. These coatings are widely characterized to have outstanding low-friction, nonstick, chemical resistance, and hydrophobic properties. This presentation will discuss in detail the Teflon™ powder coatings that can be applied to various substrates to increase performance in the above categories. It will review the myths that surround Teflon™ and review in detail the process of applying these coatings using the same equipment as traditional powder coating. The presentation will conclude by discussing the high value that these performance coatings offer to customers and layout detailed markets and applications where Teflon™ powder coatings are currently being used on a daily basis.

Session #4

Running an Efficient Powder Coating Line

New Economical Fast Color Change System Allows Powder Coater to Minimize Lead Times

Carl Troiano, Trojan Powder Coating

Frank Mohar, Nordson Corp.

Carl Troiano, owner of Trojan Powder Coating, will discuss his new economical fast color change system and how it has helped increase his productivity by over 50%. This session will include a question and answer segment on how his sublimation process works, along with samples available for attendees to see the results first-hand. Carl’s entertaining, down-to-earth style of extolling the benefits of powder coating by interacting with the audience in a question and answer format is a unique and thought-provoking way to learn.

Learn to Love your Powder Application Process

Loren Smeester, Nordson Corp.

Greg Popp, SMC Metal

The powder paint line -- always the “problem child” in Monday morning staff meetings. Safety, regulatory, throughput, workforce development, employee engagement issues and powder application challenges were all preventing SMC Metal Fabricators from delivering finished products within spec and on time. This case study presentation will detail the process of considering alternatives, performing the due diligence, engaging the paint line players, establishing the goals, implementing the choices, achieving the intended goals, and capturing return on investment required by management. The success story of SMC and their people is an amazing one, and one which the powder industry can embrace and learn how to love their powder line.

Session #5

Previously Session #14

Please note this session has changed from Session #14 to Session #5, and may show the previous time in printed materials.

Architectural Applications

Architectural Powder Applications in the Monumental Building Market

Scott Moffatt, PPG Industries

Architectural powder products in the past have been used primarily in the residential and light commercial markets. Within the last five years, there has been a movement to use powder on monumental commercial buildings and powder is being specified regularly for both interior and exterior aluminum extrusion applications. This presentation will review this latest trend.

Vertical Powder Coating for Aluminum Extrusions

Alberto Formenti, SAT S.r.l.

Aluminum extrusion powder coating with vertical plants was introduced in Europe in the early 1980s. This technology allowed for significant growth in the market share of aluminum in various ranges of applications, especially in the architecture field. Today the verticality is universally recognized as the most efficient way to coat aluminum profiles, even for small batches like house lots.

Session #6

The Importance of Measurement & Testing: Getting it Right!

Best Practices for Preparing Samples and Performing Common Testing of Powder Coated Parts

Nick Liberto, Powder Coating Consultants, Division of Ninan, Inc.

Test results can be horribly skewed if the samples are improperly prepared or the test method is poorly executed. This presentation will discuss best practices for preparing test samples, statistical significance and common test faux pas to be avoided.

New Technology - Measuring Coatings Over Aluminum

Robert Weber, Fischer Technology Inc.

Coatings inspectors need to be aware of factors capable of influencing the accuracy of dry film thickness (DFT) reading on aluminum parts. Changes in the aluminum substrate and part curvature can both cause significant measurement errors when using the standard hand-held eddy current gauges. The solution to prevent these errors is to use a gauge that has automatic compensation for both substrate conductivity changes as well as part curvature built into the gauge to insure accurate readings are obtained.

Explore Color and Gloss

Jeralyn Camp, BYK-Gardner USA

Understand how gloss affects color. Know how and when to use color measurement technology to tell you whether you see a color difference or a gloss difference.

Session #7

Curing Hot Buttons

Understanding Heat Transfer: What's the Right Technology for Me?

Marty Sawyer, Trimac Industrial Systems, LLC

This presentation will focus on a case study of various heat technologies and the impacts they have on the powder curing process on various test parts. Utilizing light, heavy, and complex shaped parts, studies completed analyze how long-, medium- and short-wave infrared and convection heat technologies affect oven design, process and quality improvements.

Restricting the Limitations of Traditional Thermal Systems for Finishing Processes

Lee McWhorter, Heraeus Noblelight America LLC

Increasing production demands, higher performance coatings, and an increasing array of substrates in the finishing market have pushed the traditional paradigm of thermal technologies past their limits. The net outcome of this trifecta created adverse tradeoffs between quality, throughput, and economics. This presentation addresses the limitations of existing and traditional thermal systems for finishing processes and explores the technological benefits of synthesizing numerous technologies for a comprehensive needs-based approach to finishing applications.

Seeing Infra-RED Can Make You GREEN

Josh Gilmore, Trimac Industrial Systems, LLC

We take a brief look into infrared heating technology as an environmentally friendly method of curing powder coatings and lean initiatives afforded by infrared heat that result in additional capital savings to the manufacturer. Evaluations of electric infrared, gas-catalytic infrared and convection heating technologies to determine the most environmental curing method will be reviewed.

Session #9

Optimizing Your Powder Coating Operations

Suresh Patel, BASF/Chemetall

John Sudges, Midwest Finishing Systems Inc.

John Cole, Parker Ionics

As with most “processes,” there are many well-known and easily identified areas where optimization can translate to cost efficiencies. This session will discuss optimization opportunities specific to powder application and booths. Attendees will go home with many specific hints and things to look at in their own operations that can equate to cost savings and their bottom line.

Session #10

Automation for Today’s Powder Coating Lines Part I

The Future of Finishing is Automation and Connectivity

Jeff Hale, Gema USA Inc.

Just mention “Industry 4.0” and you get a lot of varying thoughts and opinions. Regardless of the conversation, the consensus is that machine automation, communication, and data acquisition are some of the top subjects discussed. For the powder coating professional, the question is, “How will this affect me?” Within this presentation, topics discussed will include improving line management, data communication, and preventive maintenance. All of these are tools that can improve the users return on investment.

Process Control for the Pretreatment Industry

Robert Bodak, BASF/Chemetall

Automating and maintaining key data from your pretreatment process is a key to success. Knowing which parameters can be used for process automation and developing a system that can access and alarm when these and other parameters are out of specification will alert you of potential problems before the parts leave the building. This presentation demonstrates how to "Keep the Process Visible."

Session #11

Pretreatment Improvements & Cost Savings

Introduction or Improvement of a Pretreatment System

Sergio Mancini, BCI Surface Technologies

What are the best ways to start a pretreatment process if you don’t have one now? What are the choices in equipment and chemistries? Also, if you currently have a rudimentary pretreatment process, such as a spray wand, a small immersion line, or a small spray washer, how can it be improved? We’ll review your choices and the ramifications of those choices in both quality and costs.

Savings in the Pretreatment Process that Reduce Costs Before Powder Coating Application

Tomasz Slezak, BASF/Chemetall

This presentation will cover possible savings in a pretreatment process. Topics of discussion will focus on possible savings through process optimization, changeover to thin-film technologies, reduction of carbon footprint, utilization of auxiliary equipment to extend bath life and process automation following Industry 4.0 trends. These process improvements minimize rejects while reducing operational costs and unexpected downtime. All factors lead to cost savings by improving process conditions and quality of finished goods.

Will a Low Solids Water System Improve Your Pretreatment Process?

Gordon Johnson, Therma-Tron-X, Inc.

Water is often the most important component in many industrial processes, but often, it is not suitable in its primary existing state or as provided from municipalities. We will discuss both reverse osmosis (RO) and deionized (DI) water systems and if either are right for your processing needs. We will explain why the low solids water that either of these methods produce has advantages for a company’s powder coating operation.

Session #12

Powder Coating Non-Conductive Substrates

Stop, You Can’t Coat That!

Chris Merritt, Gema USA Inc.

"You can’t coat that!" Some believe that statement when it comes to applying powder coating to a non-conductive substrate. However, new technology in materials and application equipment is energizing industries producing wood-based products. Attendees in this session will learn about new advancements in appearance and performance that are used on non-conductive substrates, as well as some of the tools used to apply these materials.

Plasma, Plastics and UV-Cured Powder Coating

Michael Knoblauch, Keyland Polymer UV Powder, LLC

This presentation will demonstrate how plasma treating plastic and composite substrates changes the surface conditions enabling the use of UV-cured powder coating to finish these heat sensitive substrates. The presentation will describe plasma treating, operating conditions, and surface condition measurements before and after plasma treating. The second part of the presentation will describe adhesion results of UV-cured powder coating with and without plasma treating on various plastics and composites. The presentation will conclude with an evaluation of substrate material suitability for plasma treating and UV-cured powder coating.

Powder Coating on Alternative Substrates

Thomas Duesel and Scott Persyn, IGP North America LLC

Alternative substrates are becoming increasingly important for powder coating – they achieve more with less. The proportion of aluminum material will decrease in the future in favor of lightweight components made of GRP and MDF, which already form the base as an innovative material for high-quality furniture. As a result, the manufacturers of powder coatings are well prepared for this development. Powder coatings are already available for these innovative materials and other heat sensitive substrates. Benefits of these materials include ecological advantages; low cure temperatures with short cure time cycles; and design protection with all the attributes that powder coatings offer.

Session #13

Automation for Today’s Powder Coating Lines Part II

Benefits of Automating Industrial Finishing Door Systems

Zach Morrow, RollSeal

In recent years, many markets have shifted towards using a variety of roll-up fabric doors in high cycle applications or in applications where the sealing capability of the door becomes the most prevalent need in designing a system. Not every oven or paint booth is the perfect fit for a fabric door. Factors such as static pressure present, number of daily cycles and available mounting space always need to be considered. This presentation will walk through the process that goes into determining whether your system is the right fit for a roll-up fabric door as well as the steps that need to be taken to determine whether you would see an ROI benefit from automating the door system on an existing booth or oven. Additionally, field trial data and completed case studies will be shared.

Automation for Coating Operations – Specialty Movements

Marty Powell, Carlisle Fluid Technologies

Automation comes in many forms. We often think of robots when automation is mentioned; many believe robots are taking jobs from workers when automation is used. This presentation will focus on other forms/concepts of automation. Reciprocators, X-Y machines, indexing systems, automatic loading of ovens, and other specialized conveyor movements that add automation to a process will be discussed. Attendees will be given concepts to be used to automate or improve operations they may not be aware of or are not commonly discussed.

Increasing Line Efficiency Using Robotic Pick/Place

Christopher Aiken, AikenControls

The presentation will focus on the opportunity to use robotics to automate rack loading/unloading and create both optimized and consistent rack layouts. The content will center on the development of innovative rack structures that enable automatic pick and place of parts without operator intervention. In addition, there will be a review of using optimization software to dynamically create rack layouts.

Session #14

Previously Session #5

Please note this session has changed from Session #5 to Session #14, and may show the previous time in printed materials.

Understanding Batch Systems

Best Practices for Manual Pretreatment Applications

Kirk Beaster, BASF/Chemetall

This presentation discusses the best practices recommended to provide consistent results when applying pretreatment using manual equipment. Using these practices to develop the proper SOPs and conducting regular hands-on training is vital to providing consistent finished product quality. Cleaning, rinsing and conversion coating best practices will be presented for advanced pretreatment (zirconium, thin film, non-phosphorus, etc.) processes as well as the conventional iron phosphate processes utilized in many facilities.

Options to Consider in a Manual Powder Coating Application Process

Jackson Horne, Nordson Corp.

The correct setup and configuration are keys to an efficient manual powder coating process. Knowing the options when it comes to equipment settings and application environment will help drive your product to a consistent and efficient finish. This presentation will cover manual handgun systems, pumps, air settings, electrostatics and application environment.

Efficient/Effective Racking and Hook Selection in Batch Systems

Isaiah Haley, Magic Rack/Production Plus Corp

Batch systems are often the ‘bottle neck’ of paint lines due to inefficient hanging methods and tying up expensive real estate – such as paint booths, curing ovens, etc. That costs both valuable time and money. Whether you are using an overhead rail, batch carts or any other system to hang parts, learn how you can increase profits by rethinking racks, hooks, space utilization, AND improving flow.