Kerry Pianoforte , Editor 09.11.23
The American Coatings Association (ACA) held its Technical Conference June 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency in Cleveland, OH. This two-day biennial event brought together more than 225 attendees. The theme of the conference was “Coatings Technologies: Adaptation in a Complex World.”
According to show organizers, this year’s theme reflects current challenges and trends including, increased bio-sourcing, supply-chain unpredictability and manufacturing onshoring. The conference featured the industry’s latest science and technology developments, including advance notice on technology-forcing factors to help the industry set a sustainable trajectory for meeting future market challenges.
The CoatingsTech Conference featured five pre-conference technical short courses; two days of multi-track sessions covering eight technical topics; and a full-day session focused on environmental, health and safety drivers and considerations for all professionals in the coatings industry. Other highlights of the event were a Keynote Address on sustainability and the future of the coatings industry, Mattiello Lecture and award presentations.
A longtime expert in the coatings industry, Dr. Gilbert joined Behr in 2007. Under his direction, the Behr team released the Ultra, Marquee and Dynasty paint lines. Recent product releases from his group include several pro-contractor paint lines, a stain-blocking ceiling paint, a deck restoration product, a roof coating line, and an all-acrylic exterior stain line. His industry career began in 1985 when he joined BASF Corporation in Southfield, MI. Dr. Gilbert spent 22 years in the automotive coatings area at BASF in various product development roles in electrodeposition coatings, primers, basecoats and clearcoats. From 1990 to 1992, he was assigned to BASF’s European automotive coatings group in Muenster, Germany.
Dr. Wood’s lecture was titled “Visualizing How Coatings “Fail” – Service Life Viewed Through the Lenses of Coatings Science.”
Dr. Wood has more than 30 years of experience in the coatings industry, where his research and work have garnered respect and accolades from his peers, colleagues, and numerous organizations. He is the recipient of several industry awards for his research, including the 1994 Eurocoat 2nd Prize Best Paper; the 2004 John A. Gordon Best Paper Award; the 2014 American Coatings Conference Best Paper Award; the 2017 CoatingsTech Conference Best Paper Award; and the 2021 SSPC Technical Achievement Award.
The David F. Darling Prize was established in memory of its namesake to recognize individuals who, through coatings science, technology, and research, demonstrate innovation in the areas of sustainability and environmental stewardship.
David F. Darling was ACA’s VP of health, safety, and environmental affairs, who passed away on Jan. 30, 2022. A staunch and effective advocate for ACA and the industry for 25 years, his expertise and contributions to the coatings industry extended into the sustainability sphere and the related area of product stewardship, where he developed a wide network of professionals with the goal of creating scientifically informed solutions for the coatings industry.
Dr. Jones’ accomplishments include inventing new and accurate volatile organic compounds (VOC) analysis methods for coatings and chemicals and developing ASTM methods for VOC analysis of architectural coatings. These methods are now widely used as a global industry standard.
As part of his work, he directed several California Air Resources Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA funded VOC research initiatives, including the following:
• VOC analysis of aerosol coatings
• Development of solvent database
• Relationship of hiding and VOC in coatings
Throughout his decades-long career, Dr. Jones has shared his expertise with industry, collaborating closely with ACA and many North American and global technical industry organizations. He was an active participant in the development of the national standard for recycled paint products for the ACA and its industry. He also consults in VOC analysis for global coatings and raw materials manufacturers to find sustainable solutions.
The CoatingsTech Best Paper Award recognizes the best overall paper contributed to the CoatingsTech Conference and is accompanied by a cash prize.
Hayeri and Mannari’s paper detailed research on a family of new-generation oligomers developed that is not dependent on a single-cure mechanism but is capable of curing independently by multiple cure conditions. This group of organosilane oligomers has been meticulously designed and synthesized with varying functional groups.
The research group has been working on this system to explore the best application for each curing technique and optimize ingredients, curing conditions, and all other variables in the coating systems.
Using a variety of catalysts and unique chemistries, the research successfully demonstrated coatings cured by thermal curing, UV curing, as well as ambient-temperature curing. Notably, these cure processes can also be combined to afford plural-cure capabilities, which overcome many challenges associated with conventional UV-cure coating systems, such as oxygen inhibition at or near the surface, uncured shadow areas, volume shrinkage, and chemical adhesion on various surfaces.
The cured coatings were characterized by FT-IR and the mechanical and thermal properties of the cured films were measured. Comparison of results for coatings cured with different curing techniques provides insight into the curing mechanism and its effect on film properties.
According to show organizers, this year’s theme reflects current challenges and trends including, increased bio-sourcing, supply-chain unpredictability and manufacturing onshoring. The conference featured the industry’s latest science and technology developments, including advance notice on technology-forcing factors to help the industry set a sustainable trajectory for meeting future market challenges.
The CoatingsTech Conference featured five pre-conference technical short courses; two days of multi-track sessions covering eight technical topics; and a full-day session focused on environmental, health and safety drivers and considerations for all professionals in the coatings industry. Other highlights of the event were a Keynote Address on sustainability and the future of the coatings industry, Mattiello Lecture and award presentations.
Keynote Address
Dr. John A. Gilbert, chief research and development officer at Behr Process Corporation, delivered the keynote address at the CoatingsTech Conference. His presentation was titled “Developing Coatings for a Sustainable Future.”A longtime expert in the coatings industry, Dr. Gilbert joined Behr in 2007. Under his direction, the Behr team released the Ultra, Marquee and Dynasty paint lines. Recent product releases from his group include several pro-contractor paint lines, a stain-blocking ceiling paint, a deck restoration product, a roof coating line, and an all-acrylic exterior stain line. His industry career began in 1985 when he joined BASF Corporation in Southfield, MI. Dr. Gilbert spent 22 years in the automotive coatings area at BASF in various product development roles in electrodeposition coatings, primers, basecoats and clearcoats. From 1990 to 1992, he was assigned to BASF’s European automotive coatings group in Muenster, Germany.
Mattiello Lecture Award
Dr. Kurt Wood, retired senior principal scientist at Arkema, Inc., and current consultant in coatings and service life prediction, delivered the Mattiello Memorial Lecture. The Mattiello Memorial Lecture Award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to science, technology, and/or engineering related to the coatings industry. Joseph J. Mattiello, whose memory is commemorated by this award, did much to expand the application of science in the decorative and protective coatings field.Dr. Wood’s lecture was titled “Visualizing How Coatings “Fail” – Service Life Viewed Through the Lenses of Coatings Science.”
Dr. Wood has more than 30 years of experience in the coatings industry, where his research and work have garnered respect and accolades from his peers, colleagues, and numerous organizations. He is the recipient of several industry awards for his research, including the 1994 Eurocoat 2nd Prize Best Paper; the 2004 John A. Gordon Best Paper Award; the 2014 American Coatings Conference Best Paper Award; the 2017 CoatingsTech Conference Best Paper Award; and the 2021 SSPC Technical Achievement Award.
David Darling Prize
The inaugural David F. Darling Prize was presented Dr. Dane R. Jones, professor and associate dean, emeritus at California Polytechnic State University’s Kenneth N. Edwards Western Coatings Technology Center in San Luis Obispo, CA. ACA presented Dr. Jones with the prize and accompanying monetary award during the final day its conference.The David F. Darling Prize was established in memory of its namesake to recognize individuals who, through coatings science, technology, and research, demonstrate innovation in the areas of sustainability and environmental stewardship.
David F. Darling was ACA’s VP of health, safety, and environmental affairs, who passed away on Jan. 30, 2022. A staunch and effective advocate for ACA and the industry for 25 years, his expertise and contributions to the coatings industry extended into the sustainability sphere and the related area of product stewardship, where he developed a wide network of professionals with the goal of creating scientifically informed solutions for the coatings industry.
Dr. Jones’ accomplishments include inventing new and accurate volatile organic compounds (VOC) analysis methods for coatings and chemicals and developing ASTM methods for VOC analysis of architectural coatings. These methods are now widely used as a global industry standard.
As part of his work, he directed several California Air Resources Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA funded VOC research initiatives, including the following:
• VOC analysis of aerosol coatings
• Development of solvent database
• Relationship of hiding and VOC in coatings
Throughout his decades-long career, Dr. Jones has shared his expertise with industry, collaborating closely with ACA and many North American and global technical industry organizations. He was an active participant in the development of the national standard for recycled paint products for the ACA and its industry. He also consults in VOC analysis for global coatings and raw materials manufacturers to find sustainable solutions.
Best Paper
The 2023 CoatingsTech Best Paper Award was given to Tahereh (Neda) Hayeri, Ph.D. candidate at Eastern Michigan University for her paper, “Thermally, UV, and Moisture Curable Novel Family of Versatile Oligomers,” coauthored by Dr. Vijay M. Mannari, professor of polymers and coatings at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Engineering Technology. Hayeri’s research is directed by Mannari at Eastern Michigan University’s Coating Research Institute.The CoatingsTech Best Paper Award recognizes the best overall paper contributed to the CoatingsTech Conference and is accompanied by a cash prize.
Hayeri and Mannari’s paper detailed research on a family of new-generation oligomers developed that is not dependent on a single-cure mechanism but is capable of curing independently by multiple cure conditions. This group of organosilane oligomers has been meticulously designed and synthesized with varying functional groups.
The research group has been working on this system to explore the best application for each curing technique and optimize ingredients, curing conditions, and all other variables in the coating systems.
Using a variety of catalysts and unique chemistries, the research successfully demonstrated coatings cured by thermal curing, UV curing, as well as ambient-temperature curing. Notably, these cure processes can also be combined to afford plural-cure capabilities, which overcome many challenges associated with conventional UV-cure coating systems, such as oxygen inhibition at or near the surface, uncured shadow areas, volume shrinkage, and chemical adhesion on various surfaces.
The cured coatings were characterized by FT-IR and the mechanical and thermal properties of the cured films were measured. Comparison of results for coatings cured with different curing techniques provides insight into the curing mechanism and its effect on film properties.
