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 28 | 9:00 am – 11:30 am
This series of three 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.
Smart & Multi-Functional Coatings
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.
Coatings “101”: An Introduction
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, short course will advance application of knowledge on research, development, and innovation challenges.
Radiation-cured Coatings
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 – 12:30 pm | (3) Pre-conference Short Courses and Luncheon
The Pre-conference Short Courses will run from 9:00 am to 11:30, following by lunch till 12:30.
1:00 pm – 1:15 pm | Welcome Address
Kent Young, Director of Technology, The Sherwin-Williams Company; Chair, ACA Science and Technology Committee
Ramesh Subramanian, Director, Liquid Resins & Additives (LRA) Americas, allnex; Chair, the ACA 2021 CoatingsTech Program Subcommittee
Scott Braithwaite, Director of Product Stewardship, Science & Technology, ACA
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm | Keynote Address: The Role of the Coatings Industry in Attaining Global Sustainability
Kurt Olson, Associate Director, Center for Macromolecular Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
Olson will address specific actions the coatings industry can take to impact the world’s global need for Sustainability, examining the role of coatings and coatings development in the profitable attainment of a more balanced ecosystem, both now and in the future.
2:15 pm – 4:45 pm | CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS
Session 1 and Session 2 will run concurrently. Please click a Session topic track below to see the complete list of presentations.
Session 1: Novel Applications
2:15 pm – 2:45 pm: Gloss Control Powder Coatings Resin for Robust Manufacturing and Processing Efficiency
Cal Ezeagu, allnex
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm: Hollow, Plastics Microspheres as Multifunctional Pigments in Next Generation Coatings
Evan Montanez, Coadtech
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm: TBD
3:45pm – 4:15 pm: Novel Hydrolytically Stable Silane Additives for Improving the Performance of Waterborne Acrylic Roof Coatings
Jacob Shevrin, Evonik Corporation
4:15 pm – 4:45 pm: Improving Indoor Air Quality with Amino Alcohols
Mark Langille, Angus
Session 2: Analytic Methods/VOC
2:15 pm – 2:45 pm: Diving Deeper into VOCs: Understanding Volatility Mechanisms and Improving Quantification Using Neural Networks
Eric Sapper, CalPoly
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm: Cooperative ASTM Development of Accelerated Dirt Pick-up Resistance Method with Correlation to Natural Outdoor Weathering
Partha Majumdar, ASTM
3:15 pm – 3:45 pm: Thin Film Drying Mechanism Determination Using Non-invasive Light Scattering Techniques
Gordon Irvine, Formulaction
3:45 pm – 4:15 pm: Novel Hybrid Grinding Resin for Industrial Paints with Broad Compatibility and High Efficiency
Morris Bingham, allnex
4:15 pm – 4:45 pm: TBD
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm | Networking Reception
A break from lectures, following strict safety measures.
8:30 am – 9:30 am | Morning Address & Continental Breakfast
Kent Young, Director of Technology, The Sherwin-Williams Company; Chair, ACA Science and Technology Committee
Ramesh Subramanian, Director, Liquid Resins & Additives (LRA) Americas, allnex; Chair, the ACA 2021 CoatingsTech Program Subcommittee
Scott Braithwaite, Director of Product Stewardship, Science & Technology, ACA
9:30 am – 10:30 am | Mattiello Award Lecture: Driving Sustainable Development and Performance Breakthrough of Waterborne Coatings – An Industrial Chemist’s Experiences and Reflection
Wenjun Wu, Research Fellow and Global Waterborne Innovation Leader, Arkema Coating Resins
Wu will focus on the development of emulsion polymers to meet increasing demands for greater performance and sustainability, highlighting that emulsion polymers, encompassing vast resin chemistries, are the cornerstone of waterborne paint formulations.
10:30 am – 12:30 pm | CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS
Session 3 and Session 4 will run concurrently. Please click a Session topic track below to see the complete list of presentations.
Session 3: Bio-based Materials
10:30 am – 11:00 am: U.S. Soy: The Sustainable Solution for Paint and Coatings
Kris Weigal, OmniTech International
11:00 am – 11:30 am: Bio-based, Zero-VOC Coalescent for Architectural and Industrial Coatings
Zuzanna Donnelly, Arkema
11:30 am – 12:00 pm: Improving Coating Performance with Bio-Based Epoxy Resins Derived from Distilled Tall Oil
Wumin Yu, Ingevity
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: Waterborne Antimicrobial Latex Coatings
Gianni Spencer, Georgia Southern University
Session 4: Resin Technology I
10:30 am – 11:00 am: Low-VOC Topcoats Using Ultra High Solids Resins
Gautam Haldankar, allnex
11:00 am – 11:30 am: Rheological Studies of Fully Formulated Coatings Thickened with a HEUR Associative Thickener: Effects of Surfactants
Ray Fernando, CalPoly
11:30 am – 12:00 pm: Novel Waterborne Formulations Using Solvent-free Polyurea Technology
Arthur Bouchut, Vencorex
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: Advanced Dual-curable Coatings Obtained from Multi-Functional Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Oligomers
Hamidreza Asemani, Eastern Michigan University
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm | Luncheon
Lunch break from lectures, following strict, safety measures.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS
Session 5 and Session 6 will run concurrently. Please click a Session topic track below to see the complete list of presentations.
Session 5: Resin Technology II
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Non-Isocyanate Coatings with Fast Return-to-Service and Excellent Appearance for Industrial Flooring
Ulises Brauer, allnex
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Polymeric Aziridines: Safe Waterborne Crosslinkers
Ad Overbeek, DSM
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Novel High Performance Oxidatively Cured Catalyst to Maintain Coating Performance in Low VOC Formulations
Kellie Salerno, Borchers
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Waterborne Epoxy Coating – Lifting Performance for Tomorrow
Adrian Potts, Applied Graphene
Session 6: Industry Innovation
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: How to Design and Measure Coated Materials to Correlate with Best “Human” Sense of Touch
Brian Yates, Dell
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Smart Paint Factory: New Approaches in Digitalization for the Paint and Coatings Industry
Ralph Woerheide, Orontech GmbH & Co. KG
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Achieving Health, Safety and Environmental Regulatory and Sustainability Objectives through Lifecycle Assessment and Waste Minimization
Huzaifa Matawala, Regent Paints Inc
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Delivering the Future of Coatings Manufacturing through Smart Information Processing: Industry 4.0
Daniel Chaplin, Oneira Corporation
4:00 pm | Adjournment
Conference End
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.
Sponsorship
ACA’s 2021 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
$1,500| BRONZE SPONSORSHIP will entitle you to:
– Listing in onsite program materials
– Signage at event
$3,000 | SILVER SPONSORSHIP will entitle you to the above +
– Company logo on main CoatingsTech Conference page
– (1) complimentary registration to attend 1 short course
$5,000 | GOLD SPONSORSHIP will entitle you to the above +
– Embedded video ad on CoatingsTech Conference registration page
– (1) complimentary registration to attend full conference
Sponsorship Opportunities
Click to view varied opportunities
$5,000 | Meeting Room WiFi
$3,000 | Personal Protective Equipment
MONDAY, JUNE 28
$1,500 | Short Course Breakfast
$1,500 | AM Refreshment Break
$3,500 | Welcome/Keynote Address
$1,500 | Session 1: Novel Applications
Alberdingk Boley | PM Refreshment Break
$5,000 | Networking Reception
TUESDAY, JUNE 29
$5,000 | Continental Breakfast
$3,000 | Mattiello Award Lecture
$1,500 | Session 3: Bio-Based Materials
$1,500 | Session 4: Resin Technology I
$1,500 | AM Refreshment Break
$1,500 | PM Refreshment Break
$5,000 | Conference Luncheon
$1,500 | Session 5: Resin Technology II
$1,500 | Session 6: Industry Innovations
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