Next month, Paint & Coatings Industry magazine and the Powder Coating Research (PCR) Group will host the Powder Coating Summit in Columbus, Ohio. This unique, annual event combines a live laboratory tour and demonstration, a technical conference, and tabletop exhibits to deliver the latest technologies available to powder coatings professionals.

For the first time we are offering the Powder Coating (PC) Kitchen Short Course prior to the Summit, on Oct. 1-2. This 1 ¹/₂-day, hands-on course will introduce formulators, chemists and scientists to the fundamentals of creating a powder coating from the ground up. It will be held at the PCR Group’s powder coating laboratory, and includes practical sample making and coating evaluation. The PC Kitchen Short Course is eligible for CEU (continuing education) credits and will be accredited by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training IACET. The course is nearly sold out for this year, but keep your eyes open for more PC Kitchen Short Courses that will be offered in the future.

The Powder Coating Summit kicks off on the afternoon of Oct. 2 with a bus ride to the PCR Group for a lab tour and demonstration. This is always an event highlight for many attendees. The conference portion and exhibit hall open on the morning of Oct. 3. We are looking forward to our keynote address, “Color: Is the Powder Coating Industry Riding or Orbiting the Trends?” which will be delivered by Montaha Hidefi, CMG, Color Landing Studio. She will address the drivers impacting and inspiring color trends so that we can better appreciate them. Not surprisingly, societal changes, technological developments, political actions and economic measures are influencing and determining trends and color forecasting.

Some of our conference sessions include “Dispersion, Weathering and Performance of Inorganic Color Pigments,” by Mark Ryan, Marketing Manager, Shepherd Color Co.; “Expanding the Performance Profile of Super-Durable Resins,” by Michael Iwaniw, Business Manager, Industrial Coatings, Arkema Coatings Resins; “Correlating Real-Time vs. Accelerated Weathering Data,” by David Cocuzzi, Technical Director, National Coil Coating Association; “Sustainability and Circularity in the Powder Coatings World,” by Robert Cregg, North American Business Director, DSM Powder Can & Coil Resins; “Exciting New Developments in Powder Coating Extrusion Technology,” by Barry Dean, Sales Manager, Baker Perkins; and “Plasma Treating Heat-Sensitive Substrates Before Application of UV-Cured Powder Coatings,” by Michael Knoblauch, President, Keyland Polymer Materials Sciences.

Our agenda also includes a panel discussion on powder coating technology and market trends, and over six hours of dedicated networking time in our exhibit hall. Here you can learn about the latest powder coating technologies from raw material suppliers, coatings producers, application equipment manufacturers, curing process engineering, and lab quality and testing instrument suppliers.

There are just a few short weeks left before the PC Summit is here. You can learn more about this event and register to attend at www.pcimag.com/powder-coating-summit. I hope to see you there!