PCI’s Powder Coating Technical Conference has been offering outstanding education to the industry for the past 36 years! The Technical Conference features general sessions of interest to all powder coaters, breakout sessions covering all aspects of powder coating and a Tabletop Exhibition, allowing for networking, learning and conversation with exhibitors and other powder coaters. This is your chance to learn about the latest innovations and explore all things powder coating.
Read through our keynote and breakout sessions below. Review them closely then select your sessions during the registration process. You will be able to switch sessions on site, but preselecting your sessions helps immensely in setting each room with the appropriate number of seats.
This advanced session is designed to explore emerging markets for powder coating. Our panelists will make short presentations in their area of expertise before we open the session up to questions and interaction with the audience. Join us to learn more about the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for powder coating.
Looking back to 2023 economists were wrong far more often than they were correct. We’ll open Powder Coating Week’s Technical Conference with a look at what took everybody by surprise and then try to determine if there will be more shocks in the coming year. So much depends on inflation numbers, interest rates, the job market, consumer attitude and the impact of what is likely to be an intensely nasty election (among other things). Where will we end up in 2024? Don’t miss our opening session to find out what could lie ahead!
Some of the best information exchange at the conference comes from roundtable discussions with peers. The roundtables will take place during the closing luncheon on the last day of PCI’s Powder Coating 2025 Technical Conference program. These informal discussions will be captured and shared with the entire audience. Roundtable topics to be discussed will include:
Click on presentation titles for complete descriptions.
In this session you will learn about potential issues with pretreatment and powder coating, and not only how to resolve them, but how to prevent them from returning. This session will share real examples from powder users, approach the troubleshooting process through the eyes of the coater, give you a methodology to understand how defects are created, diagnose the root causes and eliminate them.
Whether your company is considering upgrading an existing powder coating system or installing a new one, identifying the proper method of processing parts will contribute to the overall success of your powder coating operation. This presentation will explore the main drivers of batch vs. automated powder coating processes, how/when to introduce automation equipment and best practices for obtaining higher product throughput. With labor at a premium, companies aiming to improve throughput by increasing efficiency or adding automation will benefit from the cost-saving considerations outlined in this presentation.
The focus of this presentation is on custom masking and racking, and its ability to increase throughput, profit, and reduce quality issues.
Powder coating is already considered a greener, eco-friendly technology; however, as environmental and sustainability pressures continue to escalate around the globe, the powder coating industry is responding with innovative solutions that are better for the planet and society. This presentation explores new green initiatives, including powder coatings derived from bio-based resins, the incorporation of recycled materials into coatings, and the recycling of waste powder.
Known for their resiliency, non-stick characteristics, durability, and stain- and water-resistance, PFAS compounds are used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. However, intense efforts are underway to restrict their use as they do not break down in the environment over time. This presentation explores regulatory efforts to eliminate or reduce the use of some of the most widely used PFAS chemicals, and how coatings manufacturers are developing new, more sustainable powder coatings made with fewer chemicals of concern.
A novel toughening system in which CSR (core-shell rubber) particles are completely dispersed into solid thermoset resins used in powder coatings. The perfect dispersion of CSR particles brings a good appearance and highly improved performance characteristics without depressing the Tg or other thermal properties related to the crosslink density. Learn more about this novel toughening system in this presentation.
If you are a job shop with constantly changing parts or processing heavy weldments, optimizing cure productivity can be challenging. This presentation covers powder formulation and its impact on curing, how the curing process occurs, convection and infrared ovens, the use of boosts, how each curing method affects cure, and best practices to ensure an ideal cure.
Improve oven performance and efficiency by conducting a self audit of current manufacturing processes using combustion systems. We will also review real examples of previous audits done on oven and combustion systems. Improving line efficiency by reducing emissions, reducing power consumption, future trends, and tips on how to reduce carbon emissions to meet 2035 government mandates will also be explored.
Powder coatings offer a tough, durable coating when applied correctly. But when the coating is unacceptable, a high percentage of the problems typically come from two areas: a poor foundation, or a poor application. This presentation will review the most common problems and offer techniques to identify and address the root causes. By utilizing these techniques, coaters will avoid many of the most challenging headaches, save time, and improve profitability; all while producing repeatable high quality and visually appealing parts.
Though fluidized bed dip application has been a fundamental coating process since the 1960s, there are still very few clear guidelines regarding how to properly construct a professional coating system of this type. This presentation reviews many common troubleshooting examples to delve deeper into novel solutions by contrasting popular corrective actions with sound science and engineering principles.
This presentation will address the following components: visual perception of class A surface appearance; waviness and structure size; image forming quality (IFQ); objective measurement of waviness; objective measurement of image forming quality; structure spectrum; and orange peel and DOI measurement on high to semi-gloss surfaces. There will also be examples for attendees to get a better understanding of these elements.
There are many factors to consider when installing and running a powder system, with the initial design layout being at the forefront. Three field experts will explore different sizes and styles of pretreatment systems, dry-off and cure ovens, as well as powder booths and manual guns, all designed to fit your application needs. In addition, they will help you calculate overall footprint sizes to help you determine what system is right for your space and budget.
Presenters in this session are permitted to use product and tradenames in their discussion as they are presenting new technologies.
Collapse Session DescriptionsPPG recently developed the next generation of zinc-containing primers. This ultradurable, polyester-based, zinc-rich primer overcomes issues with traditional zinc-containing primers without sacrificing corrosion protection. The new technology has high transfer efficiency; offers better edge coverage; is easier to apply; and has improved flow, wrap, and penetration. The patent-pending primer will be widely available in 2024.
Real Michael Addition (RMA) chemistry has been explored at Allnex for ultra-low temperature curing powder coatings. The high reactivity of RMA reaction enables lowering of curing temperature significantly to 212-266°F (100-130°C). Through the design of a novel catalyst system, good control over curing speed can be reached and a retarded curing profile achieved. Such a curing profile maximizes paint flow and appearance for heat sensitive substrates such as MDF, solid wood, plastic, composite, and thick, slow to heat metal components.
Edge corrosion on parts with sharp edges is the leading cause of corrosion claims. For OEM manufacturers and tier suppliers, protecting critical assets vulnerable to decreased edge performance and costly maintenance is a top priority. Powdura Hi-Edge from Sherwin-Williams is an innovative direct-to-metal (DTM) powder coating providing excellent edge coverage and substantial gloss in just one coat. Twocoat protection can be achieved with one-coat efficiency and defend valuable assets against corrosion from edge to edge.
Thanks to their robust industrial housing, the new generation of OptiSense PaintChecker Industrial Line laser sensors can be operated even under harshest environmental conditions. The optimized thermal design enables continuous operation at high measurement rates of up to 2.5 Hz.
TTX’s Battery Electric Automated Conveyor Carrier (ACC) technology was designed for conveying very large, heavy loads. TTX has recently released a new model ACC 150 designed for conveying much smaller, lighter loads. This new battery electric model can be integrated with powder coating systems that historically used monorail or power and free conveyors.
3D laser scanning offers benefits such as ensuring proper dimensioning and clearance for new and retrofitted systems. This new technology addresses the benefits that 3D laser scanning offers finishing systems manufacturers.
Achieving the highest quality powder finish requires an equally high-quality surface finishing process. Innovations in pretreatment technologies offer a broad range of sustainable solutions that resolve many of the headaches associated with outdated processes. These low temperature cleaning and conversion coating chemistries offer cost savings in energy, waste, and improved production efficiency, while advanced oxide and scale removal processes offer a better base for superior paint adhesion and corrosion characteristics.
This presentation focuses on the use of neutral pickling in the pretreatment process to remove inorganic soils such as welding soils and corrosion from metallic substrates. The need for an alternative to acid pickling has grown due to the increased use of zinc coated substrates in various markets and ever evolving performance and safety standards. Attendees will gain an understanding of the benefits and limitations of using neutral pickling to remove inorganic soils.
Iron phosphate provides excellent paint adhesion and superior bonding and salt spray hours. Zirconium conversion coatings provide advanced bonding and anti-corrosion treatment for all metals. During this lively debate, our experts will help attendees decide which process will pack the bigger pretreatment punch for their operations; or is it a combination of both? Attendees will learn the advantages/disadvantages of each application type, how to optimize their process, and regulatory issues to be aware of.
Attendees will learn how to assess team member/position fit, leverage employee communication style and strengths to get the most from their role and from their team overall. We’ll explore best practices that can be implemented for training and integration of new employees into a powder coating business to ensure long-term success. We will also share practical resources for rapid training and competency development so new employees are able to contribute quickly in a way that improves confidence, job satisfaction, and your bottom line.
This presentation will provide help from STEAM to AI for young professionals to become the next go-to employee “MVP.” It will look at current and future ways that you can be a top contributor to your employer while continuing to grow your skills and become a “Rock Star!”
This presentation will discuss early coating thickness measurement, even with the most complex geometries. Some instruments measure without any contact, so the coating quality can be checked non-destructively even before curing. Practical examples show that early testing can save time-consuming rework, minimize scrap, and lead to benefits such as cost savings, process optimization, and excellent quality.
Robots and automated measurement systems are increasingly used in areas requiring accuracy, precision, and high throughput. Automation of repetitive tasks, such as dry film thickness (DFT) measurements, offers benefits including cost savings, measurement consistency, process control, and improved quality control. Advancements in digital sensors and measurement integration with PLC systems readily enable coaters to optimize their coating process.
Automating a paint system using robotics can increase efficiency and consistency of the coating, but can have some challenges if not done correctly. This presentation will include how robots can improve your paint system; efficiency, reduced variation, and elimination of manpower issues; types of robots used for powder coating; full automation vs. supplemental application; integration and install setup; racking for robots; and more.
Manufacturers and custom coaters process a wide variety of products. Each of these range from simple to complex in their ability to be powder coated. For many, finding a way to automate the coating process and reduce the coating challenges is imperative. This reduces a reliance on labor and improves productivity, product quality, and product appearance. While the use of robots is an attractive use of automation, another automation choice is Dynamic Contouring. This is an effective use of automation in lieu of or in conjunction with robotic equipment. Dynamic Contouring is easy to use, reduces or eliminates manual coating, and does not require complex programming associated with other automation methods. This presentation will be an overview of how dynamic contouring works, what types of results to expect, and some examples for current uses of this automation technology.
T.A.K.T. time is the calculation of the available production time divided by customer demand. Material, labor, and overhead costs all drive companies to look at color change improvements. This is when the debate starts. Do I spray to waste or do I reclaim, and what equipment cost is required? How do I achieve this and be able to grow in the future? This presentation will help end users decide what is best for them.
Misconceptions, old wives’ tales, anecdotal information, and well-meaning bloggers can lead to confusion about how to successfully powder coat parts. This presentation will carefully lay out ten top tips to follow that will go a long way to making you a successful powder coater.
Companies exhibiting at Powder Coating Week 2025!
PCI is hosting four separate events in Orlando during Powder Coating Week 2025 (Powder Coating 101 Workshop, Custom Coater Forum, Powder Coating 2025 Technical Conference and Powder Coating 2025 Tabletop Exhibition) and each event has a separate registration fee. We are offering discounted combination fees to attend the Technical Conference with either the Powder Coating 101 Workshop or Custom Coater Forum.
Note: The Powder Coating 101 Workshop and Custom Coater Forum registration fees alone do not include admission to the Technical Conference. Admission to the Tabletop Exhibition is included on Monday evening only, March 11 for Custom Coater Forum attendees not registered for the Technical Conference. Powder Coating 101 Workshop attendees may visit the tabletops on Monday evening and during lunch on Tuesday only.
See the Combination Registrations below for available discounts.
If you are registering 3 or more people, please contact PCI at 859-525-9988 about the availability of a group discount rate.
