Twenty-eight years ago, I began my career in the powder industry. One of my first projects was to develop a powder primer surfacer for General Motor's S-10 truck plant being built in Shreveport, La. I worked in Glidden's Research Center, and we were considered a long shot to supply this prestigious account. This was the start of a very interesting experiment in automotive coating technology. Our ingenuity and perseverance prevailed, and we were awarded the supply commitment when the plant was commissioned.
The automotive industry has certainly evolved since those days. The integration of powder coating into the finishing process has grown in fits and starts. It took until the early 1990s for powders to be regularly used in any volume at automotive assembly plants. This month's issue features a number of stories of innovation in the automotive finishing arena. We provide a status report as to where powder fits into the OEM industry and where it is expected to evolve (see pp. 15-18). There are also a couple of pieces detailing recent strides made in UV curing technology for automotive coatings (see pp. 23-26 and 27-34). Our cover story is as much about the human side of developing and commercializing new technology as it is about the material and process innovation - the Helios Coatings team has combined a number of finishing technologies to develop a process to emulate the plating of automotive wheels (see pp. 10-14).
At Industrial Paint & Powder, we're going through some changes of our own. Our staff has been painstakingly working overtime to revamp the magazine. Some folks wondered if IP&P was dead. When I took over, the body was still warm and the pulse barely detectable.
So, yeah, I wanna start something.
I'm spearheading a complete rebirth of IP&P. We're starting with a new name: Finishing Today. The look and feel of the magazine will be more modern and readable. The features will be a little more technical and a little more focused. The content will be a little livelier and the perspective more toward the cutting edge in finishing technology. All of these changes will also be reflected in providing more avenues for you to access the latest in our field. We are revamping our website and soon will be issuing a regular enewsletter.
The new team at Finishing Today looks forward to serving you, the finishing professional. Our new look will debut in our August issue.
Comments and/or questions can be directed to me atkevinbiller@wideopenwest.com.
Peace,
Kevin Biller
Technical Editor
