2021 CoatingsTech Conference
June 28 – 29, 2021
Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown | Pittsburgh, PA
This meeting will be conducted with strict health and safety measures in place,
in accordance with local and CDC guidelines and the Wyndham Grand
Pittsburgh Downtown’s COVID-19 standards.
Essential Coatings Technology: Supporting Tomorrow’s Sustainable Development Challenges Today
Through a series of specialized lectures from notable industry experts and focused technical sessions, ACA’s 2021 CoatingsTech Conference offers an unprecedented opportunity for all levels of coatings professionals to participate and learn from each other. Embracing the theme, “Essential Coatings Technology: Supporting Tomorrow’s Sustainable Development Challenges Today,” the 2021 conference will feature the latest science and technology developments, including advance notice on technology-forcing factors to help industry set a sustainable trajectory for meeting future market challenges.
Concurrent Short Courses
MONDAY, JUNE 26 | 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
This series of five specially designed short courses will focus on the fundamentals and emerging developments in coatings technology, and will be held concurrently. NOTE: These short courses will be held prior to the conference opening, and are not included in the conference registration fee.
8:30 am – 12:00 pm | Smart, Active & Multi-Functional Coatings: How They are Conceived and Made
Jamil Baghdachi
Professor of Polymers and Coatings
Eastern Michigan University Coatings Research Institute
This short course will provide insight on bringing research to market, highlighting the tools and technology used to identify functional needs and apply coatings science to address them. From self-cleaning and direct-resistant technology, to superhydrophobic and ice-phobic films, this course will explore the basic research and high throughput assessment tools that assist in breakthroughs.
9:00 am – 11:30 am | Coatings “101”: An Introduction
Ray Fernando
Arthur C. Edward Chair in Coatings Technology and Ecology
California Polytechnic State University
Designed for new coatings technology professionals to provide an introduction to a broad range of practical coatings science for all product categories. Led by notable scientists from industry and academia, the short course will advance application of knowledge on research, development and innovation challenges.
9:00 am – 11:30 am | Radiation-Cured Coatings
Michael Dvorchak
Dvorchak Enterprises, LLC, Sponsored by RADTECH
This course will highlight the fundamental principles of free radical chemistry as it centers around 100% solids, UV-cure aromatic/aliphatic polyurethane, epoxy, polyester, polyether oligomers and their use with monomeric acrylates in combination with specific photoinitiators. The short course will focus on how these UV coatings are formulated and used/applied in new and emerging markets and examine some of the newest innovations that offer significant advances for green coatings technologies.
9:00 am – 11:30 am | Low-Temperature-Cure Powder Coatings
Kevin Biller
President
ChemQuest Powder Coating Research
Considerable technical effort has been devoted to introducing low-temperature cure of powder coatings for wood-based substrates. As powder applications for medium-density fiberboard and hardwoods become commonplace, low-temperature powder coating technology is evolving as an option to finish a variety of non-traditional substrates, such as plastics, composites and molding compounds. Students will learn about emerging powder technologies and the application techniques that serve these innovative end-uses.
9:00 am – 11:30 am | Corrosion-Resistant Coatings
Rigoberto “Gobet” Advincula
UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair of Advanced and Nanostructured Materials
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
What principles govern the corrosion of metals, and how can protective coatings help in preventing corrosion? This short course will review the fundamentals of electrochemical processes, and the typical ingredients and formulation characteristics of anticorrosive coatings will be outlined and discussed.
8:00 am – 9:00 am | Continental Breakfast
8:30 am – 12:00 pm | (5) Pre-conference Short Courses
10:00 am – 11:30 am | ACA Science & Technology Committee Meeting
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm | Luncheon & Welcome Address
Ramesh Subramanian, Director, Liquid Resins & Additives (LRA) Americas, allnex; Chair, the ACA 2022 CoatingsTech Program Subcommittee
Scott Braithwaite, Director of Product Stewardship, Science & Technology, ACA
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm | Keynote Address
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS
Session 1: Protective and Industrial Coatings
Chris Baldy, PPG Industries
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Formulation Design and Testing of Long-term Performance
Remi Briand, Tnemec
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Carbon-Michael Addition: Single vs. Dual Cure
Stephanie Vanslambrouck, EMCO-Inortech
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Enhancing Durability of Aging Underground Pipes with a Protective Coating
Bhawesh Kumar, PPG Industries
Session 2: Biobased and Sustainability
Shandi Ramirez, Covestro
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Novel Functional Coatings and Inks Fabricated with Biobased Polymers
Shan Jiang, Iowa State University
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Architectural Coatings as a Tool for Combating Urban Heat Islands
Audrey McGarrell, Cool Roof Rating Council
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Incorporation of Sustainability and Circular Economy Principles in Product Development
Mike Jeffries, Covestro
4:00 pm – 4:45 pm | Plenary Address
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm | Networking Reception and Poster Session
A break from lectures, with more than 22 student posters to view and engage with their authors.
6:45 pm – 7:30 pm | Student Tour of The Sherwin-Williams Company Breeh Technology Center
8:00 am – 8:30 am | Continental Breakfast & Welcome
Welcome
Scott Braithwaite, Director of Product Stewardship, Science & Technology, ACA
8:30 am – 9:30 am | Mattiello Memorial Award Lecture
TBD
9:30 am – 12:00 pm | CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS
Session 3, Session 4, and Session 5 will run concurrently. Please click a Session topic track below to see the complete list of presentations.
Session 3: Advanced Resins and Formulations
9:30 am – 10:00 am: Multi-objective Optimization of Automotive Clearcoat Resins
Erik Sapper, California Polytechnic State University
10:00 am – 10:30 am: Next Generation Self Matting Resin Technology
Gautam Haldankar, allnex
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Abrasion of Polymer Coating on Thin Substrate
Chinmay Saraf, PPG Industries
11:00 am – 11:30 am: Fast Reacting Epoxy Resin with Excellent Adhesion and Good Stability
Yong Zhang, Huntsman Corporation
11:30 am – 12:00 pm: Polyolefin Thermosets Provide Unique Properties for Coatings
Madhura Pade, Materia Inc.
Session 4: New Application Methods and Functional Coatings
9:30 am – 10:00 am: Epoxy Resins, Monomers and Derivatives, as well as their Formulations without Crosslinkers, as Functional Coatings
Weih Lee, Sherwin-Williams
10:00 am – 10:30 am: Precision Application Technology: Potential Benefits and Current Challenges
Brian Rearick, PPG Industries
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Inkjet Printing of Aerospace Decorative Liveries
Kjersta Larson-Smith, Boeing
11:00 am – 11:30 am: Easy Ice-removal through Heterogeneous Surfaces from Self-segregating PU-PDMS Coatings
David Boucher, North Dakota State University
11:30 am – 12:00 pm: Sustainable Direct to Metal Nano-composite Coatings
Sukanya Gangopadhyay, Mumbai Institute of Chemical Technology
Session 5: Novel Additives, Pigments and Colorants
9:30 am – 10:00 am: Many Shades of Green: The Use of Bio-sourced Materials in Waterborne and 100% Solids Colorants
Andrew Bartlett, Vibrantz Technologies
10:00 am – 10:30 am: Anti-Abrasive Graphene-Enhanced Architectural Paint - The Future of Graphene’s Role in the Paint Industry
Alexandre Correa, Gerdau Graphene
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Pigments: Optimizing Opacity, Performance & Sustainability in Powder Coatings
Romesh Kumar, Heubach Colorants
11:00 am – 11:30 am: Investigation of Electrochemical, Morphological, Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Nano-layered Graphene/Zinc Nanoparticles Incorporated Cold Galvanizing Compound at Reduced Pigment Volume Concentration
Muhammad Abid, Marjan Polymer Industries
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm | Luncheon & Presentation of Student Poster Awards
Lunch break from lectures, with award presentations for Student Posters.
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm | Panel Discussion on the Future of Laboratory Work
Panelists representing varied industry companies will speak to the future of lab work.
2:00 pm – 4:30 pm | CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS
Session 6, Session 7, and Session 8 will run concurrently. Please click a Session topic track below to see the complete list of presentations.
Session 6: Waterborne Technologies
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Improved Performance in a Waterborne All-Acrylic Latex without PFAS
Mary Chervenak, Arkema
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: A New Robust Acrylic Engineered for Architectural Deep-base Formulas with Low to Zero VOC and Exceptional Blocking Resistance
Ivan Tyre, Alberdingk Boley
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Next-generation Antimicrobial Waterborne Polyurethane
Emma Wrigglesworth, Inhibit Coatings
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Novel High Water-Resistant Flexible Cementitious Coatings
Zhenping He, Oriental Yuhong North American
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Functionalized Binders Derived from Novel Monomers to Enhance Performance of Waterborne Coatings
Tiffany Chen, Solvay
Session 7: Analytical Measurements and Curing Studies
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Mapping Rheological and Morphological Responses of Stimuli-responsive Systems
Chao Wang, PPG Industries
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Monitoring Drying, Curing, and Thermal Properties of Acid-catalyzed Alkyd-aminoplast Wood Coatings by Evaporative Dynamic Oscillation and Automated Dynamic Drying Time Recorder
Ronald Obie, Wood Coatings Research Group
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Real-time, aAccurate, Non-contact In-process Thickness Measurement of Paint, Automotive and Other Industrial Coatings
Vivek Komaragiri, Sensory Analytics
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Resource Efficiency: Coating Thickness Measurements
Jörg Mülleneisen, OptiSense
Session 8: Computation, Machine Learning and Equipment
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Using AI to Rapidly Develop New and Improved High-Performance Coatings
Marlene Cardin, ProSensus
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Combined Machine Learning and Computational Approach to Predict the Fouling Release Properties of Silicone Oil Modified PDMS Coatings
Anas Karuth, North Dakota State University
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Obstacles to Quality Control when Dealing with Sustainable Properties
Nico Frankhuizen, Industrial Physics
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: The Advent of Digital Color Standards in Automotive and Industrial Coatings
Sherri Thompson, Paul N. Gardner Company
4:30 pm – 5:15 pm | Concluding Address
TBD
5:15 pm – 5:30 pm | Presentation of 2023 CoatingsTech Best Paper Award
The CoatingsTech Best Paper Award recognizes the best overall paper contributed to the CoatingsTech Conference, and is accompanied by a cash prize.
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm | Networking Reception
Peer networking after the day's sessions end.
8:00 am - 3:00 pm | EHS Divers & Considerations Sessions
This third day of the conference day will focus on drivers and activity in the Environmental, Health, Safety space that industry should consider for impact on business and compliance efforts. A keynote address and lineup of speakers will be announced soon. Topics to be addressed include the following.
- U.S. EPA Activity under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
- Implementation of Maine's PFAS Reporting Law
- Reauthorization of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) and CISA Implementation
- California's South Coast Air Quality Management District Updates around PCBTF
- Static Electricity Safety in Coatings Operations
- Review of OSHA's Final GHS Rule
- Biocides Activity at U.S. EPA
- Sustainability Standard for Architectural Coatings
- SEC Update on ESG Reporting
A leading industrial scientist who has contributed to many discoveries in coatings technology, Olson spent his entire career at the research labs of PPG industries near Pittsburgh, Pa. He held various polymer synthesis and research management roles over his 38-year career, and he retired from PPG in 2019 as a corporate fellow.
He contributed to various technical advances in coatings technology including scratch resistant automotive clearcoats, water borne coatings, and powder coatings. Kurt has also made contributions to such diverse technologies as titanium dioxide supply chain development, electrodeposition, photoresists, and resin and coating manufacturing. He helped incubate ideas such as battery coatings, additive manufacturing, coatings for pipe infrastructure refurbishment, and various uses for PPG produced graphene.
He is an inventor on 68 issued US patents, with 12 patents pending. Awards include two R&D 100 awards, a PACE award, a Carnegie science award, and a Pittsburgh Award. He was elected to PPG’s “collegium” (the highest honor bestowed on PPG technical associates).
A native of Pennsylvania, Olson earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., in 1976 and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1981.
Wu is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. She has been recognized by prestigious industry awards including Society of Cosmetic Chemists Award, the Roon Foundation Award, American Coatings Best Paper Award, Siltech Best Innovative Paper Award, and the 2019 European Coatings Award. She has also earned 39 internal awards, including two best paper awards and two technology center awards from The Dow Chemical Company and two time Arkema CEO Performance awards.
Wu received her Ph.D. from University of Southern California in 1995.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS



Sponsorship
ACA’s 2023 CoatingsTech Conference offers myriad sponsorship opportunities for your company to maximize its exposure before industry’s leaders. If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact ACA’s Dorothy Brawner.
Sponsorship Categories
Click to view three (3) categories
$2,000| BRONZE SPONSORSHIP includes:
- Company logo on main CoatingsTech Conference page
- Listing in onsite program materials
- Signage at event
$3,500 | SILVER SPONSORSHIP includes the above +
- one (1) complimentary registration to attend one short course
$6,500 | GOLD SPONSORSHIP includes the above +
- Linked company logo on CoatingsTech Conference registration page
- one (1) complimentary registration to attend full conference
Sponsorship Opportunities
Click to view varied opportunities
$3,500 | Meeting Room WiFi
MONDAY, JUNE 26
$3,500 | Short Course Continental Breakfast
$2,000 | Short Course Refreshment Break
$6,500 | Welcome Address/Luncheaon
$6,500 | Networking Reception & Student Poster Session
TUESDAY, JUNE 27
$6,500 | Continental Breakfast & Mattiello Award Lecture
$2,000 | AM Refreshment Break
$6,500 | Conference Luncheon
$2,500 | PM Refreshment Break
$3,500 | Networking Reception
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28
$3,500 | Continental Breakfast & Mattiello Award Lecture
$2,000 | AM Refreshment Break
$6,500 | “EHS Drivers & Considerations” Session Luncheon
$2,000 | PM Refreshment Break
Contact
Conference Program
Scott Braithwaite
Director of Product Stewardship, Science & Technology
sbraithwaite@paint.org
202-805-4907
Sponsorship
Dorothy Brawner
Director, Meetings & Conferences
dbrawner@paint.org
202-719-3701
Registration
Shelby Ferguson
Manager, Events & Expositions
sferguson@paint.org
202-719-3708