By: Sharon Spielman
The dates for The Powder
Coating Institute’s annual meeting
have been set for June 18-22, 2017.
This year’s venue is the Hyatt Regency
Tamaya Resort & Spa, located between
Albuquerque and Santa Fe in New
Mexico. All the events and education
you have come to enjoy from a PCI
annual meeting will be back. And
once again, we will co-locate with
the Chemical Coaters Association
International’s (CCAI) annual meeting.
PCI will have several events on
its own (optional social activity;
committee meetings, business
meetings) as well as several events
held in conjunction with CCAI
(welcome reception, joint general
sessions, joint golf outing). You may
choose to attend only the PCI meeting
or both.
A remarkable combination
of luxurious amenities with the
culture and history of the Tamayame
people creates an outstanding resort
experience at the Hyatt Regency
Tamaya Resort and Spa. We have
secured a rate of $185 per night at the
Hyatt Regency Tamaya. Reserve your
hotel room for New Mexico, The Land
of Enchantment, now!
For more information and to
register, click on the Events tab at
www.powdercoating.org.
FABTECH 2016 Was a Knockout
FABTECH 2016, North America’s largest
collaboration of technology, equipment and knowledge
in the metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing
industries, welcomed 1,500 exhibiting companies and a
total of 31,110 attendees from more than 120 countries to
the Las Vegas Convention Center this past November.
CCAI’s FINISHING Pavilion alone spanned 42,000
square feet, giving attendees ample opportunity to see
manufacturing’s latest innovations, interact one-on-one
with key vendors and learn about new finishing industry
trends.
Throughout the three-day event, attendees had access
to more than 100 education sessions and expert-led panel
discussions. A variety of special programming was featured
as well, including a powerful opening keynote from
boxing legend and entrepreneur Sugar Ray Leonard and an
appearance from cast members of the hit reality TV show
“Counting Cars.”
“We are so grateful to our exhibitors, attendees,
special guests and the City of Las Vegas for helping make
FABTECH 2016 such a resounding success,” said Mark
Hoper, vice president of expositions & media, FMA. “The
enthusiasm and commitment displayed by everyone at
the show to improve our industries were contagious. By
participating in FABTECH 2016, attendees now have
stronger, more diverse business networks and increased
knowledge on manufacturing’s top trends and best
practices.”
Hundreds of live product demonstrations showcasing
manufacturing’s most cutting-edge equipment and
technologies took place daily on the exhibit floor. These
demonstrations allowed FABTECH exhibitors to present
their current product offerings to targeted buyers and
generate quality sales leads.
Special event and panel discussion topics varied
and covered important matters relevant to all of today’s
manufacturers.
For more information about the 2016 event in Las Vegas
or about the upcoming 2017 event, which will take place in
Chicago from Nov. 6-9, visit fabtechexpo.com.
For future updates, you can follow FABTECH on
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Around FABTECH 2016
Say Hello to PCI's Newest Members
Consultant
ChemQuest Group, Inc., The
Cincinnati, OH • 513-469-7555
www.chemquest.com
Custom Coaters
A.M. Metal Finishing Inc.
Orlando, FL • 407-843-0182
www.ammetal.com
Blackfoot Powder Coating and Sandblasting
Brazil, IN • 812-531-9315
Medina Powder Group
Medina, OH • 330-952-2711
medinapowdergroup.com
Sewah Studios
Marietta, OH • 740-373-2087
www.sewahstudios.com
OEMs
Ameristar Perimeter Security USA Inc
Tulsa, OK • 918-879-6041
www.ameristarfence.com
BUSS USA
Carol Stream, IL • 630-933-9100
www.busscorp.com/en
Guld Coast Powder & Control of Louisiana
Iowa, LA • 336-625-8333
Southwell Co., The
San Antonio, TX • 210-223-1831
www.southwellco.com
United Alloy, Inc.
Janesville, WI • 608-758-4717
www.unitedalloy.com
Powder Scholarships Awarded
The Powder Coating Institute
(PCI) has named its 2016-17
scholarship recipients and recently
recognized the worthy students at
the PC Summit in Columbus, Ohio.
The PC Summit, presented by PCI,
Powder Coated Tough magazine, and
the Powder Coating Research Group,
offers in-depth presentations and panel
discussions led by top researchers
from the world’s preeminent coatings
institutions and a fine array of industry
engineers and formulators. The
scholarship recipients participated in
the summit to further enhance their
learning and grow their connections
for the future.
PCI’s Education Committee
administers the Scholarship Program
Powder Scholarships Awarded >>
and works with PCI staff to promote
and solicit scholarship applications
from students and education
institutions. PCI received many
qualified applicants and is excited to
watch the research and development
of the projects generated by these
talented students. The scholarship
fund continues to grow and attract
bright new talent to the industrial
coatings technologies, including
polymer science, manufacturing
and engineering. The PCI 2016-
17 Scholarship Program awarded
$10,000 collectively. PCI’s executive
director, Trena Benson shares, “It is
a true privilege to present the PCI
scholarships to these deserving, and
very appreciative, students. They
represent the future of our industry
and what better way to support their
goals.”
Congratulations to each of
the following students, all from
Eastern Michigan University, who
were awarded scholarships this
year: Youcheng Du, Diana Marcela
Rodriguez, and Ozlem Akdogan.
The Powder Coating Institute
established a scholarship fund for
students pursuing studies in powder
coating technology. These scholarships
are awarded annually to deserving
student researchers who have applied
for this scholarship. The criteria for the
awards include: relevance to powder
coating technology, comprehensiveness
of the university program, future goals,
unique qualifications and a letter of
recommendation from their adviser.
Nordson and Axalta, each in
conjunction with PCI, also awarded
scholarships to worthy recipients at
the PC Summit. The first Nordson
BUILDS/PCI Scholarship was awarded
to Jakob Waffen, a freshman at
Ohio University. This merit-based
scholarship is intended to put
awareness back on the importance of
American manufacturing with the goal
of introducing young minds to the
world of powder coatings.
The inaugural Axalta Achievement
Scholarship was presented to
Zhongzheng Cai, a University of
Houston PhD Chemistry student.
Congratulations to all of these
worthy scholarship recipients.
Axalta's Color Report Shows Preference for Neutrals, But Color Coming Back
Axalta Coating Systems’ Global Automotive 2016
Color Popularity Report confirms a continued global
preeminence by white, while hints of colorful hues enliven
traditional neutral colors to bring color back into the
mainstream.
“We are seeing a clear preference for the neutral shades,
but there is a catch,” explains Nancy Lockhart, Axalta’s
Color Marketing Manager. “We are seeing colorful hues
being added to these neutrals to create eye-catching tones.
Watch for tints and effects to add depth and beauty to these
neutrals in the future.”
Regional highlights from Axalta’s 2016 Color Popularity
Report include:
- Worldwide: White stays in first place on nearly four of
every 10 new vehicles.
- Africa: Light colors are most favored here: silver
and white combined make up 63 percent of new
purchases.
- Asia: In China, more than half of vehicles sold are
white. Solid white is more popular than pearl white
by more than 39 percentage points. Conversely, Japan
prefers pearl white (27 percent) to solid white (seven
percent).
- Europe: At 17 percent, gray is more popular here than
any other region. Black is declining and now seven
percentage points behind first place white.
- North America: Gray is making a mark rising two percent
in popularity and lengthening its lead over silver.
- Russia: Beige/brown is at eight percent, just as in China.
No other region reaches that mark.
- South America: Green comes in at five percent, tied with
Russia for green’s most popular regions.
According to Elke Dirks, automotive OEM color
designer for Axalta’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region,
Axalta uses the color popularity data to assist customers in
decision making. “Our trend reporting enables Axalta to
be nimble as we work with automakers on future colors,”
she said. “Understanding consumer preferences and trends
provides insights that help us forecast where consumer
choices may be heading in the years to come.”
“Consumer appreciation of color nuances such as the
differences between solid and pearlescent white across Asia
reflects the subtle differences among consumer preferences,”
added Annie You, Axalta OEM color designer based in China.
The report can be viewed and downloaded at axaltacs.com/colorreport.
TCI Provides Innovation for Jeep's Anniversary
In 2016, the Jeep brand achieved an important
milestone: its 75th anniversary. To commemorate this
landmark, the Jeep marketing team rolled out Anniversary
Special Edition models of several vehicles. Exclusive details
included distinct vehicle colors and trim packages on
the 2016 Jeep® Wrangler Unlimited fleet. The specialized
bronze-colored trim package along with off-road bumpers
are now painted and protected with TCI Powder Coatings.
Flex-N-Gate, a leading manufacturer of large stamped
metal and welded components, is a Tier 1 supplier for the
automotive industry and provides the bumper used on the
Rubicon Jeep in conjunction with Powder Cote II, a leading
powder coating finisher that applies the bumper coating.
TCI Powder Coatings collaborated with Chrysler to
develop a coating that would meet manufacturing process
demands of Flex-N-Gate and Powder Cote II as well as
styling expectations. The metallic coating they created
was so successful and received such positive feedback that
Chrysler’s styling team expanded the use of the color to the
tow hitch in the trim package. The metallic bumper also
captured the attention of the broader Chrysler styling team
and was ultimately extended as an option for the higherend
Jeep Sahara and Wrangler anniversary edition models.
You can read the full case study at www.tcipowder.com/case-study-jeep.html.
CCAI Brings Education, Chapter Activity to Alabama this Winter
CCAI returns to Alabama Power’s Technology
Applications Center (TAC) in Calera, Ala., in February
2017 to present the popular Powder Coating and Curing
Processes Seminar. A proven success, this seminar always
satisfies and provides attendees with important training
and valuable networking to increase every day productivity
and improve processes. CCAI is also
pleased to announce that a group of
enthusiastic members have started
the Alabama Chapter to continue
CCAI’s mission of working together
to build a better finishing industry.
The day and a half seminar
features an introduction to the
powder coating process, including
cleaning and pretreatment, powder
coating materials, application
equipment and booths, curing
options, part movement, running an
efficient system and testing methods.
All the classroom training will be
instructed by industry experts from
some of the leading companies in
the finishing business, including
Nordson, Sherwin-Williams, Coral
Chemical, Midwest Finishing Systems, Kolene, DeFelsko,
Georgia Power, Heraeus Noblelight and Fostoria, a division
of TPI Corp. The seminar is slated for February 21-22.
Along with the educational instruction, attendees
will spend time in the fully equipped lab at the TAC
to experience live demonstrations and opportunities
for hands-on training. This
interactive format allows attendees
to get applied knowledge of the
technologies they are learning in the
classroom. Attendees will have the
chance to powder coat and cure a
part onsite to take home with them.
The Alabama chapter held their
kick-off meeting, a plant tour of
Alabama Washer and Oven, last
month. The chapter is working on
the 2017 calendar with anticipated
events such as a fishing trip, plant
tours, a golf outing and several
technical presentations.
For more on the seminar, visit
www.ccaiweb.com, click on the
Events tab and scroll down to the
seminar.
Sharon Spielman is editor of Powder Coated Tough magazine. She can be reached via email at sspielman@powdercoating.org.