Registration Open for Powder Coating Week 2023

The Powder Coating Institute’s Powder Coating Week returns to the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, from February 6-8.

The event will again be comprised of four separate programs that offer the perfect combination of training, keynote presentations, technical sessions, tabletop exhibits, roundtable discussions, expert panels, and social activities. Three days packed with all things powder coating. Powder Coating Week 2023 is the best opportunity for everyone involved in powder coating to expand their knowledge and connect with others.

PCW 1 The week begins with PCI’s Powder Coating 101 Workshop on Monday, February 6, and Tuesday, February 7. The Custom Coater Forum will take place on Monday afternoon, February 6, opening with a noon luncheon followed by the program beginning at 1:00 PM. The Powder Coating Technical Conference begins with breakfast and an OEM panel discussion on Tuesday, February 7. Chris Kuehl with Armada Corporate Intelligence will deliver the general session keynote, followed by breakout sessions through Wednesday, February 8. The Tabletop Exhibition will be open Monday evening and during Tuesday’s lunch and evening reception. See registration information for tabletop access for each attendee type. The Powder Coating Technical Conference will close with a lunch and roundtable discussions that will bring attendees and speakers together to exchange ideas and share information among peers. This popular session will capture initiatives for maintaining staff, informative tips, and a collection of all the critical take-aways to share with the entire audience which makes it the perfect way to close the event.

“Powder Coating Week grows bigger each year, and we are excited to continue the success back at the Renaissance in Orlando in February. We have outstanding speakers and enthusiastic exhibitors ready to share their knowledge with everyone in the powder coating industry,” says Kevin Coursin, PCI Executive Director. “We continue to see new faces and younger generations getting more involved, which benefits all our members and the future of the powder coating industry. We are looking forward to seeing you in Orlando.”

Visit https://conference.powdercoating.org for complete presentation descriptions, registration fees, hotel reservations and more.

General Information

Location: Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, 6677 Sea Harbor Dr., Orlando, FL 32821

Dates: February 6-8, 2023

Events:

PCI Custom Coater Forum, February 6
101 Workshop Powder Coating Done Right - The Basics, February 6-7
Powder Coating 2023 Tabletop Exhibition, February 6-7
Powder Coating 2023 Technical Conference, February 7 -8

Hotels: PCI has a discounted group rate at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld. Visit https://conference.powdercoating.org and click on the Hotel/Travel button at the top of the home page to make your hotel reservation. Note, rooms are limited at these rates and are expected to sell out quickly. The discounted group rate at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld is $209/night + tax and resort fee. The hotel cutoff date for reservations at our discounted rate is January 13.

Schedule Of Events

Monday, February 6

Powder Coating 101 Workshop, Custom Coater Forum, Tabletop Exhibition

7:00: Registration Opens
8:00 – 8:30: Breakfast for Powder Coating 101 Workshop Attendees
8:30 – 4:30 : Powder Coating 101 Workshop
Noon – 1:00: Lunch for Workshop and Forum Attendees
1:00 – 4:30: PCI Custom Coater Forum
4:30 – 6:30: Powder Coating 2023 Tabletop Exhibition and Reception

Tuesday, February 7

Powder Coating 101 Workshop, Powder Coating 2023 Technical Conference and Tabletop Exhibition

7:00: Registration Opens
8:00 – 8:30: Breakfast for Workshop Attendees
8:30 – 11:30: Powder Coating 101 Workshop
8:30 - 9:30: Technical Conference Breakfast
9:30 – 11:00: Technical Conference Advanced General Session
11:00 – 1:00: Lunch in the Powder Coating 2023 Tabletop Exhibition
1:00: Technical Conference Opening Keynote
2:00 – 5:15: Technical Conference Breakout Sessions
5:15 – 7:00: Powder Coating 2023 Tabletop Exhibition and Reception

Wednesday, February 8

Powder Coating 2023 Technical Conference

7:30: Registration Opens
8:30 – 9:30: Breakfast
9:45 – 11:15: Technical Conference Breakout Sessions
11:15 – 12:45: Closing Lunch and Roundtable Discussions
1:00: Technical Conference Concludes

Powder Coating 101 Workshop

PCI’s Powder Coating 101 is a 1½ day workshop that introduces attendees to powder coating by focusing on materials, application, reclamation, testing and evaluation, quality control, the powder manufacturing process and much more. Attendees will gain knowledge of powder coatings and the powder coating process from industry experts as well as have the opportunity to network with speakers and other attendees during lunch and breaks. They will also benefit by attending the Tabletop Exhibition reception on Monday evening and Tuesday during lunch. This PCI training workshop is unbiased, commercial-free, and provides a great foundation for the technical conference that follows through the week.

Custom Coater Forum

PCWeek CCF PCI’s Custom Coater Forum is designed for custom coaters to network with peers and industry leaders, hear presentations on timely issues important to their business and participate in roundtable discussions that allow for sharing information. This unique event is designed especially for custom powder coaters to foster business learning and networking experiences among industry peers. Topics included in the Custom Coater Forum program will address how shops can utilize existing data to improve processes and increase profits, company branding to gain exposure and increase sales, and the popular roundtable session that allows attendees to share innovative ideas, current trends and common troubleshooting issues. Forum registration includes lunch and access to the Power Coating Tabletop Exhibition and Reception on Monday evening. The connections you make during the Custom Coater Forum will benefit you and your business long after the event.

Technical Conference

PCI’s Powder Coating Technical Conference has been offering outstanding education to the industry for the past 33 years. The Technical Conference features general sessions of interest to all powder coaters, breakout sessions covering all aspects of powder coating and includes admission to the 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 and register now!

Tuesday, February 7

8:30 – 9:30: Technical Conference Opening Breakfast

9:30 – 11:00: 1.: Technical Conference Advanced Session

OEM Panel Discussion
Diamond C Trailers
Mercury Marine
Additional panelists to be added. Check website for updates.

One of the best ways to learn is by listening to the experiences of your peers. In this advanced session that opens our 2023 Technical Conference, we’ve pulled together several OEM industry experts that have varying experiences in powder coating in their manufacturing facility. This session will take you on a journey with these powder coaters to discuss important topics that make a company stronger and produce better products including how they got into powder, how they go about improving powder coating operations, how they determine when to upgrade or expand their powder coating operations and more.

11:00 – 1:00: Tabletop Exhibition and Lunch

1:00 – 1:55: 2.: Opening General Session Keynote

Explaining Tomorrow Why Predictions of Yesterday Didn't Come True Today – Understanding Our Economy; Chris Kuehl, Armada Corporate Intelligence. The economy is certainly a huge topic of discussion these days. There is no better way to stay up to date than to hear from finishing industry economist, Chris Kuehl. He monitors a variety of manufacturing economic indices and delivers information to the industry that is understandable, entertaining and honest. Chris promises to engage the audience to make everyone understand why the economy is important.

2:00 – 3:30: Sessions

3.: Setting Up and Operating a Batch Powder System? Learn Best Practices Now.

Frank Mohar, Nordson Corporation; John Sudges, Midwest Finishing Systems; and Mike Withers, Axalta Powder Coatings. There are many factors to consider when installing and running a batch powder system, with initial design layout being at the forefront. Three field experts will explore different sizes and styles of batch cleaning systems, dry off and batch cure ovens, as well as powder booths and manual guns, all designed to fit your application needs. Along with this, they will help you decide some overall footprint sizes to help you determine what system is right for your space and budget.

4.: Cleaning Metal with Sustainable Pretreatment Practices.

Zirconium Pretreatment in the Real World; Rashid Zakeri, Circle-Prosco. Attendees will learn about a typical zirconium pretreatment process and how the chemistry responds to a variety of manufacturing challenges. We will compare and contrast the performance of zirconium pretreatments to that of iron and zinc phosphate systems using lab created panels and case studies. Also discussed will be changes required to pretreatment lines and preventive maintenance schedules in order to switch from conventional chemistry to zirconium-based pretreatments.

Save the Green - How Sustainable Paint Pretreatment Can Increase Profitability and Reduce Carbon Footprint. Brandon Lloyd, Atotech USA. Recent developments in pretreatment technologies offer applicators sustainable alternatives to replace conventional processes without compromising quality and cost. Next-generation processes also enhance surface treatment operations, generate less waste, consume less energy, and offer safer working environments. This presentation will explore how these new pretreatments can offer a more sustainable and economical solution for applicators. The focus will be on processes free of elements/compounds of concern (phosphorus, zinc, boron, nickel, alkylphenol ethoxylates) while offering energy and carbon footprint reductions with longer solution life and lower operating temperatures.

5. Don’t Take Safety for Granted, Marty Korecky, MJ Korecky Consulting. This session will be a combination of classroom and hands-on safety discussion and demonstrations centered around common safety hazards associated with a powder coating finishing system. It is designed to be entertaining, informative and most importantly to make you think about safety. Attendees won’t need PPE, but the instructor will as he presents a few fun and educational demonstrations. During this session attendees will be required to stand, sit, bend, lift, watch, listen, laugh, and most of all. . . learn. The session will touch on all aspects of safety including personal protective equipment; ergonomics; chemical, electrical, mechanical safety; and minimum explosible concentration of powder coatings.

6. Maintenance Best Practices to Optimize Your Powder Line

Maintenance: Make Time or Break Time; Ryan Allen, Gema USA. There is an unfortunate trend within the powder coating industry, where companies are struggling with resource constraints to meet production goals. Many are working with limited resources for effective operation and maintenance management. Companies are finding that their conveyorized process line(s) “get shorted” in the maintenance arena. Recognizing that there are multiple processes on a finishing line, many maintenance tasks are overlooked. This presentation will discuss ideas and methods to re-balance labor while performing maintenance tasks and optimizing their system.

Sustainable In-house Paint Removal: Lower Running Costs and Improved Productivity; Stephen Taylor, Atotech USA. Maintaining clean racks, hooks and fixtures is critical in ensuring the highest level of paint transfer efficiency for parts. Unfortunately, due to the hazards and cost considerations for conventional processes, paint applicators often outsource their paint removal demands. However, with recent advancements in modern chemical applications, in-house options exist which are safe, highly efficient, and suitable for long-life use. This presentation will review the often-hidden costs associated with conventional methods and explore the cost benefits of transitioning to a newer, sustainable paint removal process.

3:45 – 5:15 PM Sessions

7. Uses and Characteristics of High-Performance Powder Coatings

Effects of Particle Size on Appearance; Connie Przeslawski, AGC Chemicals Americas. Fluoropolymer resins, such as fluoroethylene vinyl ether (FEVE) provide the superior weatherability required for a long-life coating. When selecting electrostatic spray settings, it’s essential to consider the powder’s physical characteristics to yield a quality high-performance topcoat. Changes in the powders’ particle size or particle size distribution can create certain effects or defects on the coating’s surface. In addition, these changes can also affect physical characteristics of the coating. This presentation will review particle size, particle size distribution, and its role in appearance and mechanical properties of FEVE resin-based powder systems and other super-durable topcoats over metallic substrates. Additional evaluations in accelerated weathering (ASTM D4587) will also be shared.

Advancing Powder to Further Support a More Sustainable World; Sameer Shaikh, Arkema. As the popularity of powder coatings continues to expand, this technology is gradually replacing traditional liquid paints and coatings for appliances, automotive parts and a wide range of consumer goods. This is driven by the attractive combination of solvent-free and high transfer efficiency processes. Innovative and more sustainable solutions help coatings manufacturers advance their formulations. Low temperature and fast-curing powder resins revolutionize substrates – from metal to solid wood, MDF plastics, and composites powering up powder coating resins. These systems can be traditional petroleum based polyester resins or based on recycled material or bio-organic origin.

High-Performance Powder Coating Trends in the Architectural Market; Phil Hagerty, AGC. This presentation will provide insights and trends into high-performance powder coatings in the architectural market. With little or no VOCs, high transfer efficiency, superior weatherability, corrosion resistance, and excellent impact resistance, the future adoption trends of FEVE-based coatings are going to accelerate very quickly. Other benefits include extremely high transfer efficiency rates to reduce labor, increased quality, reduced material waste or recycling, and improved operational costs.

8. Rack and Roll with the Gun Movers

Choosing the Right Hanging Method for Your System; Isaiah Haley, Magic Rack. Choosing the right type of hanging system can be a huge challenge. Often, companies choose the easiest or the first option they see. With countless hanging methods available, evaluating different options is often overlooked, leading to less efficient powder coating lines and costing valuable labor. This presentation will cover different types of racking (modular, welded, individual hooks, part specific), discussing the pros and cons of each, and how to select the best style for your system.

To Move or Not to Move; Joseph Glassco, Wagner Industrial Solutions. Proper selection of gun mover technology will impact the effectiveness and operational cost of your powder coating system. Which method of gun movement is right for different applications? This presentation will look at fixed-guns oscillation and radial oscillation, horizontal short stroke and long stroke reciprocation, and multi-axis movment robots.

9. New Technologies

Game-Changing Next Generation Zirconium-based, Non-phosphorous Pretreatment, Gardobond X 4548; Suresh Patel, Chemetall US. The market continues to convert from conventional phosphate-based pretreatments to thin film zirconium-based pretreatments which pushed forward the development of Gardobond X 4548.

GemaConnect - Cloud Based Digital Intelligence Tool; Chris Merritt, Gema. GemaConnect is an interactive cloud-based digital intelligence tool. GemaConnect allows users to monitor their system status and key performance indicators (KPIs) from any location or time. This presentation will review GemaConnect and capabilities users will have to monitor and analyze real-time data for optimal powder coating equipment performance.

UniPrep ACS 1000P: The Path to Cleaning and Descaling in a Single Step; Brandon Lloyd, Atotech USA. Introducing UniPrep ACS 1000P, a sustainable chemical process for achieving cleaning and descaling in a single step. This new product introduction marks yet another innovation in the UniPrep AC product line of near neutral pH weld and laser descaling products.

Novel, Super Durable+ Flexible Powder Coatings ; Josh Gesford, Covestro. The architectural and façade powder coating market is facing challenges regarding sustainability and improved product properties, such as enhanced outdoor durability in combination with flexibility, a lower deep-matte appearance, and scratch resistance. To fulfill the main unmet needs for the architectural powder coatings, Covestro has developed a novel super durable powder paint system. Crosslinked with hydroxyalkylamide, the system is based on an optimized amorphous resin combined with a novel crystalline resin. Having a crystalline resin in a powder coating provides many improved properties but comes also with new challenges.

10. Powder Coating on Wood-Based Substrates? Yes, You Can; Scott Perysn, PPG and JR Rogers, Wagner Industrial Solutions; If you want to learn the ins and outs of powder coating on wood-based substrates as a proven, sustainable solution, this is your chance. Speakers with expertise in powder formulation, manufacturing, application, and curing will educate attendees on advancements in powder coating on wood-based substrates (WBS), the application process, and how powder coating can be a more sustainable, cost-effective process than liquid finishing solutions as well as compare the differences to powder coating on metal.

5:15 – 7:00: Tabletop Exhibition and Reception

Wednesday, February 8

8:30 – 9:30: Breakfast

9:45 – 11:15: Sessions

11. Maximizing Your Finishing Line - Cradle to Grave; Daniel Nesper, Max George and Dave Garczynski, DuBois Chemicals. This cradle to grave session focuses on choosing the best options to maximize your powder coating line. Starting with pretreatment and why you choose one over the other, this session will include a discussion of iron, zinc, and zirconium, including media blasting. Next we’ll move to hooks, racks and fixtures and ways to maximize your system. Then we’ll look at the carting process and ways to protect your product and organizing your line. We’ll also look at burnoff and the different ways to strip your parts and hooks, from blasting to ice to burnoff before finishing with a brief discussion on material handling and how you easily flow parts to and from your paint system.

12. Acid Etching and Thermoplastic Powder Coatings for Corrosion Protection

The Importance of Acid Etching of Aluminum; Martin Ings, BASF/Chemetall. For the powder coating applicator, why is an acid etching of aluminum necessary? What are the limits of different options especially related to sustainability and application? With longer service life of buildings and rise in higher warranty the importance of correct pretreatment of aluminum especially for higher corrosion and weathering classification is critical. Use of acidic etching prior to chrome-free passivation is especially important however, the choices available today are not fully documented and explained for the specifier and applicator. This presentation will summarize the results and limits of acid etching on aluminum and subsequently applied architectural powder coating.

Thermoplastic Powder Coatings: What Are They and Where Can They Be Used? Michael Withers, Axalta Coating Systems. This presentation will cover thermoplastic powder coatings, what they are, where can they be used and how they are different from thermoset powder coatings. We will discuss how they can perform in severe corrosion environments. We will also discuss the application process. Lastly, we will talk about how they can be used in combination, thermoplastic as a primer and thermoset as a topcoat.

13. Powder Gun Pro Tips

Proper Powder Coating Techniques - How to Do It Right; John Cole and Riley Cole, Parker Ionics. This presentation will cover all things coaters need to understand to optimize their coating time, quality and effectiveness. Multiple videos will be presented demonstrating the proper way to apply powder under various conditions. The presentation is geared to those who are actually applying powder and will be detail oriented. A must see for anyone who wants to improve their powder coating.

Tips for Manual and Automatic Gun Settings; Dan Bowens, Nordson Corporation. This presentation will provide a basic understanding of handgun settings including voltage and air flow and how each of those settings affect the coating process. The presentation will demonstrate several close-up videos of how electrostatic and air flow adjustments can influence transfer efficiency and faraday penetration. We will also be discussing painting defects caused by improper gun settings.

14. Tracking and Measuring for Accuracy and Savings

Jetness - Understanding Jetness Measurement and its Importance in Production; Jeralyn Camp, BYK-Gardner. We aren’t talking about airplanes. This presentation will cover what Jetness is, the challenges in quantification of blackness, how reflectance affects the color black, the effect of undertones on black, what typical reflectance jetness values are for black, the difference between blackness My and jetness Mc, and what makes an instrument suitable for measuring jetness.

Cost Savings Measures for Powder Coaters; Bob Kelly, PPG. This presentation will explore multiple cost savings measures for powder coaters. Learn how you can save money and optimize your application process as we explore the following topics: Specific gravity - understanding cost per sq. ft. vs. cost per lb.; Line density - understanding first pass transfer efficiency and why it matters; Usage - the importance of tracking and measuring powder consumption rates; Maintenance - how grounding, powder flow, kVs, fluidization and overall line maintenance affect efficiency.

11:15 – 12:45: 15. Closing Lunch and Roundtable Discussions

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 2023 Technical Conference program. These informal discussions will be captured and shared with the entire audience. Roundtable topics will include:

Challenges and/or successes you’ve faced in upgrading your powder coating system
Tips for controlling the quality of parts coming off your line
Initiatives that are helpful in maintaining staff
The biggest challenge you foresee in the next year related to your manufacturing/powder coating operations.

Registration Fees

PCI is hosting four separate events in Orlando during Powder Coating Week 2023 (Powder Coating 101 Workshop, Custom Coater Forum, Powder Coating 2023 Technical Conference and Powder Coating 2023 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, February 6 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.