The American Coatings Conference 2020, the major technology forum for the coatings industry, will be held concurrently with the American Coatings Show, March 31 through
April 2, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. In addition to the full schedule of invited and contributed presentations, an important feature of the program will be the pre-conference tutorials. To be held on Tuesday morning, March 31, these in-depth sessions will focus on specific areas integral to coatings technology.

This year’s roster of tutorials includes the following:

Tuesday March 31

8:00 AM–9:30 AM

Tutorial 1: Rheology

Ray Fernando, California Polytechnic State University

This tutorial is aimed at both seasoned professionals and those new to rheology. Participants will develop an understanding of basic rheology theory, be able to design meaningful experiments to characterize sample products, recognize and mitigate potential problems and pitfalls encountered during measurements, and interpret rheological data.

Tutorial 2: Easy-To-Clean Coatings

W. Marshall Ming, Georgia Southern University

Discussed and put forward for a variety of applications—including exterior and interior architectural coatings, industrial coatings, and even automotive coatings—effective and lasting easy-cleanability and self-cleanability of surfaces are quite high on the wish-list of coatings functionality. This tutorial will explain the different concepts that are put to work in such coatings and review the state-of-the-art systems in practice.

Tutorial 3: Anticorrosive Coatings        

Brian Skerry, The Sherwin-Williams Company

What principles govern the corrosion of metals, and how can protective coatings help in preventing corrosion? This tutorial will review the fundamentals of electrochemical processes. Typical ingredients and formulation characteristics of anticorrosive coatings will be outlined and discussed.

Tutorial 4: Waterborne High-Performance Coatings

Timothy December, BASF

Waterborne coating is a fast developing technology. In many applications, these systems have become a standard solution, replacing their solventborne counterparts. In some important clearcoat or topcoat applications, however, solventborne systems remain the preferred technology. This tutorial aims to discuss what is possible today with waterborne clearcoats for different substrates—including wood and metal —and what is not. It covers the theory behind different binder technologies, as well as fundamental aspects of the film formation process and the performance of these coatings systems. This tutorial will also cover some fundamental aspects of rheology for waterborne applications.

Tutorial 5: Polyurethanes     

Mike Jeffries, Covestro

Their chemistry is very versatile, as is their application and application potential: polyurethane (PUR) coatings and their typical components, polyisocyanates and polyols, will be reviewed and compared in this tutorial. This includes a discussion of the various PUR coatings technologies in use and their advantages and limitations. Covered are 1K and 2K solventborne, as well
as waterborne chemistries, radiation-
curing PUR coatings, and PUR powder coatings formulations, as well as their typical end-use applications.

Tuesday, March 31

10:00 AM–11:30 AM

Tutorial 6: Functional Films     

James Rawlins, University of Southern Mississippi

The most recent emerging technologies that provide a basis for the development of smart coatings will be reviewed. A brief discussion of smart polymers and coatings, governing principles, types and examples of smart coatings, necessary raw materials, approaches for their preparation, their unique properties, applications, and markets will be presented.

Tutorial 7: Titanium Dioxide

Michael Diebold, Chemours

Coatings formulators are increasingly interested in finding ways to use less TiO2 without compromising opacity performance. This tutorial covers TiO2 light scattering fundamentals and then uses this knowledge to provide practical advice and strategies for maximizing TiO2 efficiency. In addition, alternative technologies for paint opacity will be discussed.

Tutorial 8: Biocide Selection Process For Coatings

Beth Ann Browne, DuPont

Prevention of microbial contamination in the wet-state and microbial defacement of the dry-film are critical objectives for coatings manufacturers. Biocide selection is complex, and formulators need to consider global regulatory status, sustainability concerns and impact on paint properties, in addition to antimicrobial efficacy spectra including resilient micro-organisms that thrive in manufacturing facilities. This tutorial will guide participants through the biocide selection process. Topics will include: in-can preservation (including a bacteriology overview, detecting and enumerating contaminants, and in-can test methodologies), dry-film protection (including fungal overview, dry-film defacement, and test methods), biocidal chemistry overview, and regulatory overview. Microbial audits of manufacturing facilities and industrial hygiene will also be discussed.

Tutorial 9: Formulating With Intelligence: Machine Learning In The Coatings Laboratory

Erik Sapper, California Polytechnic State University

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications are making broad and deep impacts in diverse fields and industries around the world. Polymer chemists are familiar with structure-property relationships that are used to describe the properties of macromolecules. Coatings formulators are becoming more adept at using principles of statistics and designed experiments to more thoroughly optimize their formulations and production processes.

This tutorial will introduce attendees to a new way of approaching formulation science which augments traditional thinking with artificial intelligence and machine learning tactics and strategies. Also discussed will be strategies for implementing AI/ML workflows in the laboratory, as well as approaches for handling unstructured, textual data. No prior mathematical or computational background is expected of attendees.

Tutorial 10: An Overview Of Green Building Standards, Life Cycle Assessment, and ACA’s Forthcoming Sustainability Program 

Douglas Mazeffa, The Sherwin-Williams Company

As sustainability efforts continue to gain prominence in both the regulatory landscape and marketplace, manufacturers are tasked with the challenge of designing products to meet standards that are often ambiguous or problematic from a business perspective.  This session will provide an overview of Life Cycle Assessment and the leading green building programs to give context around this topic. Also discussed will be the forthcoming ACA Sustainability Program, which is a standard being developed through an multi-attribute, open-stakeholder process for Architectural Coatings to ensure that a credible eco-label exists for coating products. This effort is being completed to create a best-in-class program for use in leading Green Building Standards and incorporates elements of Life-Cycle Assessment and Life-Cycle Thinking.

Registration And Information

Registration for the tutorials, separate from the conference, is limited, and early registration is encouraged. Fees include the tutorial proceedings and full admittance into the American Coatings Show.

For additional information or to register, visit https://american-coatings-show.com/conference.