By: Sharon Spielman
The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) will host its POWDER COATING 2017 Technical Conference from March 27-31, at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Long known as the event where the industry gathers to discuss all things powder coating, PCI is devoting an entire week to powder coating education, hands-on training, tabletop exhibits and networking with industry peers.
The event begins with PCI’s popular Powder Coating 101: Basic Essentials Workshop, offered Monday and Tuesday, March 27 & 28. The workshop includes classroom instruction based on PCI’s Powder Coating: The Complete Finisher’s Handbook, an evening reception where attendees can interact with workshop presenters & other attendees, and a trip to PPG Industries’ powder facility to experience hands-on demonstrations.
The technical conference sessions take place on Wednesday and Thursday, March 29 & 30, with general sessions each morning, followed by more than 15 breakout sessions. There will be a tabletop exhibition with a reception the first evening, along with hospitality salons sponsored by PCI members. This event offers the perfect balance of education and networking for all powder coating professionals.
To round out the week of powder coating events, PCI will conduct its Custom Coater Forum on Thursday and Friday, March 30 & 31. The program is created based on the needs of our Custom Coater members. The forum allows for valuable interaction among custom coaters while they pick up plenty of great tips and information that can positively impact their business.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn from the best in the powder coating industry. Representatives from manufacturing OEMs and custom coaters who apply powder coating and other industrial finishes will be attending this five-day event. PCI Members receive a discount on registration fees, and early bird pricing for the Technical Conference and Custom Coater Forum will be in effect until February 27. For more details on conference sessions and registration, and for the most up-to-date list of tabletop exhibitors, visit powdercoating.org/PowderCoating2017.
Powder Coating 101 Workshop
Monday, March 27 & Tuesday, March 28
PCI’s Powder Coating 101: Basic Essentials with Lab workshop is an introduction to powder coating that focuses on materials, application, reclamation, testing & evaluation, quality control, the manufacturing process, and much more. You will gain knowledge of powder coatings and the powder coating process from expert industry speakers as well as have the opportunity to network with speakers and other attendees during the reception. This PCI training workshop is unbiased and commercial-free.
Technical Conference
Wednesday, March 29 & Thursday, March 30
PCI’s Powder Coating 2017 Technical Conference will offer two full days of educational programming, with both general sessions and in-depth breakouts. Industry experts offer presentations covering topics from materials to application equipment and pretreatment to curing in a noncommercial setting.
A tabletop exhibition and networking opportunities will allow attendees the chance to speak one-on-one with suppliers and learn more about the latest innovations in the powder coating market.
Custom Coater Forum
Thursday, March 30 & Friday, March 31
PCI’s Custom Coater Forum is designed to provide custom coaters the opportunity to network, hear presentations on timely issues important to their business and participate in roundtable discussions that allow for the sharing of information.
The event will open on Thursday evening with a social networking event and continue on Friday with a full day of presentations and discussions.
Schedule of Events
Monday, March 27
POWDER COATING 101 Workshop
1:00 – 5:00 PM Powder Coating 101: Basic Essentials with Lab Workshop
5:00 – 6:00 PM Powder Coating 101: Reception for Workshop Attendees
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Tuesday, March 28
POWDER COATING 101 Workshop
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Powder Coating 101: Basic Essentials with Lab Workshop
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Wednesday, March 29
POWDER COATING 2017 Technical Conference
8:00 – 9:15 AM General Session
9:30 – 11:30 AM Breakout Sessions
11:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch and Tabletop Exhibits
1:30 – 3:00 PM Breakout Sessions
3:15 – 4:45 PM Breakout Sessions
5:00 – 8:00 PM Tabletop Exhibits & Reception
5:00 – 9:00 PM Hospitality Salons Open
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Thursday, March 30
POWDER COATING 2017 Technical Conference and PCI Custom Coater Forum
8:00 – 9:30 AM General Session
9:45 – 11:45 AM Breakout Sessions
Noon – 1:15 PM Lunch and Tabletop Exhibits
1:15 – 2:45 PM Breakout Sessions
2:45 PM Technical Conference Concludes
3:00 – 6:00 PM Plant Tour of Toyota Industrial Equipment
7:00 – 8:30 PM PCI Custom Coater Forum Evening Event
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Friday, March 31
PCI Custom Coater Forum
8:00 – 11:45 AM General Session
Noon – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 – 4:00 PM General Session & Round Table Discussions
4:00 PM Custom Coater Forum Concludes
Register now at powdercoating.org/PowderCoating2017
Tabletop Exhibitors
Aal Chem
ACT Test Panels
BCI Surface Technologies, Bulk
Chemicals, Inc.
Berndorf/SBS Steel Belt Systems USA
Blasdel Enterprises, Inc.
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Magazine
Caplugs
Carlisle Fluid Technologies
Chemical Coaters Association Int’l
Chemetall US, Inc.
Col-Met Engineered Finishing Solutions
Coral Chemical Co.
DeFelsko Corporation
DuBois Chemicals
Dynamic Software Solutions
Eisenmann
Elcometer
Engineered Finishing Systems
EPSI – Engineered Products & Services, Inc.
EXEL North America, Inc.
Fischer Technology, Inc.
Fostoria Process Equipment
Gema
General Fabrications Corporation
George Koch Sons, LLC
Henkel Corporation
IGP North America LLC
Intek Corporation
IntelliFinishing
Keyland Polymer
Lewellyn Technology
Midwest Finishing Systems
Nordson Corporation
Parker Ionics
Pneu-Mech Systems
Powder Coating Consultants
Powder Coating Institute
PPG
Products Finishing Magazine
Pretreatment Equipment Manufacturing
Richards-Wilcox Conveyor
Rohner
Rollseal
Sherwin-Williams
Therma-Tron-X, Inc.
TIGER Drylac U.S.A., Inc.
Uniform Technology
Vogel Industrial Coatings
Wagner Systems, Inc.
*Companies in bold are members of the Powder Coating Institute.
Check www.powdercoating.org/PowderCoating2017 for updates to the exhibitor list.
Technical Conference Sessions – Wednesday, March 29
8:00 AM
GENERAL SESSION
The TRUTH about Leadership!
- CM Sergeant (Ret.) Bob Vasquez, United States Air Force
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9:30 – 11:30 AM
1. POWDER COATING BASICS
Powder Coating Basics – Critical Components of an Effective Powder System
- Greg Dawson, Nordson Corporation
- John Sudges, Midwest Finishing Systems
- Mike Withers, Axalta Coating Systems
2. LOW-CURE POWDER BAKING
Ultra-Low Bake Coatings for Solid Wood and MDF, Clear Coat: Advancements for Powder Coatings
- Tony Varda, IGP North America
UV Curable Powder Coating – The Application and Curing Process, and Its Advantages
- Frank Mohar, Nordson Corporation
- Mike Knoblauch, Keyland Polymer
Powder Coating MDF
- Micky Ricard, EXEL North America
Thermally Cured Powder Coatings for Heat Sensitive Substrates
- Jeno Muthiah, Alpha Coating Technologies
3. POWDER COATING FORMULATIONS
Post-Addible Powder Coating Additive Technology
- Steven Thompson, The Lubrizol Corporation
Value Added FEVE Powder Coating Formulations for High Performance Applications
- Hongli Wang, AGC Chemicals Americas
Flexible Superdurable Powder Coatings System
- Cal EzeAgu, Allnex USA Inc.
Development of Clear, VOC-Free Static Dissipative Coating for Non-Conductive Substrates Enabling Them to be Powder Coated
- Atman Fozdar, Eastern Michigan University
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1:30 – 3:00 PM
4. ALL ABOUT OVENS
Selecting the Right Oven
- Martin Powell, Engineered Finishing Systems
Catalytic Infrared – What is it, How it Works, When to Use it
- Marty Sawyer, Trimac Industrial Systems
Curing Complex Parts
- Derek Dennis, Heraeus Noblelight America LLC
5. APPLICATION EQUIPMENT
Hunting Down and Eliminating Hidden Costs in your Powder Coating Operations
- John Cole, Parker Ionics
When is the Right Time to Upgrade Your Older Application Equipment?
- Martin Vicens & Larry Fenik, Nordson Corporation
6. POWDER COATING CASE STUDIES
Powder Coating Sublimination & Decoration with Trojan Powder Coating
- Carl Troiano, Trojan Powder Coating
- Frank Mohar, Nordson Corporation
Bicycle Manufacturing Gears Up with Powder Coating
- Jeff Hale, Gema
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3:15 – 4:45 PM
7. ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS
Chat with other attendees about a wide variety of topics to exchange thoughts and ideas about powder coating operations.
8. FAST COLOR CHANGE
High Speed Color Change, Facts and Myths
- Brian Garvey, Parker Ionics
Quick Color Change Success and Failures
- Sal Garcia, Nordson Corporation
9. YOUR COMPANY'S FUTURE
Mentoring: Growing your Business One Employee at a Time
- Richard Gehman, Keystone Koating LLC
Training for Keeps: A Return on Your Investment
- Matthew Wallace, VRSim Inc.
Effective Customer Service
- Martin Powell, Engineered Finishing Systems
Technical Conference Sessions – Thursday, March 30
8:00 – 9:30 AM
GENERAL SESSION
The Evolution of Powder Coating Technology
- Kevin Biller, Powder Coating Research Group, Inc.
Managing the Regulatory World of Powder Coatings
- Marty Korecky, Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc.
The Elements of an Effective Dust Hazards Analysis (DHA)
- Jason Reason, Lewellyn Technology
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9:45 – 11:45 AM
10. ULTIMATE POWDER COATING
Ultimate Powder Coating: An Advanced Powder Session
- Ron Cudzilo, George Koch Sons, LLC
- Steve Houston, Col-Met Engineered Finishing Solutions
- Chris Merrit, Gema
- Rodger Talbert, Col-Met Engineered Finishing Solutions
11. THE BUSINESS OF POWDER COATING
The Cost of (Poor) Quality
- Todd Wenzel, Throughput I Bluestreak
Customers' Expectations for System Install
- Bill Brawley, Pneu-Mech Systems
Delivering the "Guarantee" – Customer Service
- Jena Ottery & Jenifer Cooper, EPSI
12: POWDER COATING MATERIALS
Scratch Resistance and Robust Surfaces: Advancements for Powder Coatings
- Aris Rollins, IGP North America
Durable and Ultradurable Coatings for Wire Goods and Complex Metal Parts
- Susan Miller, PPG Industries
Metallic Powders – They Don't Have to be the Biggest Pain in the $#%*&
- Phil Flasher, Gema
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1:15 – 2:45 PM
13. PRETREATMENT
Eliminating Phosphorus from Your Pretreatment Process
- Kirk Beaster, Chemetall US, Inc.
Why Change My Pretreatment From an Iron Phosphate to a Phosphate-free or Zirconium Process
- Sergio Mancini, Bulk Chemicals, Inc.
Effectively Manage Transitions from Conventional Phosphates to Advanced "Phosphorus-Free" Pretreatment Technologies!
- Suresh Patel, Chemetall US, Inc.
14. POWDER COATING BEST PRACTICES
Quality Air – The Foundation to Flawless Coatings
- Salleigh Grubbs Southern Fluid Systems, Inc.
Accuracy, Efficiency and other Technology Advancements for Common and Complex Coating Thickness Measurement Applications
- Jay Kunick, Fischer Technology
Be Nice to Mother Earth! Remove Oils & Soils from Your Wastewater; Recycle Your Aqueous Cleaning Solutions
- Raymond J. Graffia, Jr., Arbortech Corporation
15. SYSTEM DESIGN
Future of Finishing – Designing your Powder Coating System for the Unknown
- Josh Gilmore, IntelliFinishing
Understanding and Controlling Your Powder System's Operational Costs
- Nicholas Liberto, Powder Coating Consultants
Sharon Spielman is editor of Powder Coated Tough magazine. She can be reached via email at sspielman@powdercoating.org.