coating technology that have been developed for application to
plastic and composite substrates.
According to Biller, mounting environmental and efficiency
pressures have motivated industrial engineers to seek alternatives
to traditional metal fabrication techniques. He said that the
transportation industry, in particular, has been replacing metal
components with lighter products made with plastic.
“This sea change in substrate technology brings a crossroad
to the powder coating industry,” said Biller. “Well-worn powder
coating technology serving these industries is largely unsuitable
for plastic substrates. The incorporation of these advanced ma-
terials in engineering have stimulated powder coating technolo-
gists to create innovations not seen since the 1980s.”
“Nanocrystal Inks for Spray-Deposited Photovoltaics” was
presented by Brian Korgel of the University of Texas at Austin.
“We have been developing colloidal copper indium gallium
selenide and copper zinc tin sulfide nanocrystal dispersions, or
inks, as precursor materials to fabricate with low cost photovoltaic solar cell devices,” said Korgel.
He presented on the properties of the nanocrystal films and
their relationship to the observed device efficiency, as well as how
to improve the efficiencies of the nanocrystal-based devices.
“Evolution in Aerospace Coating Technologies” was presented by Pat Kinlen of The Boeing Company.
“Changing environmental regulations, market needs and mate-
rials of construction continuously drive the evolution of aerospace
coatings and application processes,” said Kinlen. “Boeing actively
pursues a continuous improvement strategy for its products to meet
these changing demands. This strategy is based on extensive inter-
nal R&D programs as well as significant collaborations with sup-
pliers, universities, as well as small and large businesses.”
The presentation reviewed the challenges involved in devel-
oping new, more environmentally friendly coatings and will focus
on current approaches to eliminate hexavalent chromium in fu-
ture coating systems and processes.
Sidney Lauren Memorial Lecture
A new addition to this year’s event was the introduction of The
First Annual Sidney Lauren Memorial Lecture. Sidney Lauren’s
son, David, introduced the lecture and gave an overview of his father’s contributions to the coatings industry and his commitment
to education.
“When my sister Barbara and I learned that the University of
Southern Mississippi was naming both a learning center after my
father and a memorial lecture at the annual Waterborne Confer-
ence, I think it’s fair to say we both immediately recognized the
great appropriateness of these two honors,” he said. “My father
was dedicated to both the paint and coatings industry, and to the
education of future members of the industry.”
Lauren concluded his tribute with a quote from his father: “I
believe that if my education and research I have done to com-
pose the hundreds of lectures I have delivered to academic and
industrial audiences have enabled me to see further, and con-
tribute to their own ability to teach, it is because ‘I have stood on
the shoulders of giants.’”
Rob Storey, co-chair of the Symposium, presented The Shelby F.
Thames Best Paper Award to Jens Voepel of Ytkemiska Institute, YKI
– Institute for Surface Chemistry for “Making Cleaner Surfaces.”
The inaugural Sidney Lauren Memorial Lecture, “CIEF: Industry’s Vital Link to Dedicated University Coatings Science, Programs and Graduates,” was presented by George Schmitz of
Geochem Solutions.
“The Coatings Industry Education Foundation (CIEF) is the
coatings industry’s foremost non-profit coatings technologies educational platform,” said Schmitz. “For over 25 years, CIEF has
fostered the evolution of a nationwide network of top-flight university undergraduate polymers and coatings programs, where
highly motivated students receive CIEF scholarships to pursue
Jeff Smythe of the Southern Society for Coatings Technology (SSCT)
presented the Best Student Paper Award to Joshua Hanna for his
paper, “Tracking Steel Corrosion in Halide Solutions with a pH Stimuli Responsive Polymer.”
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