- 31 August 2007 -
Organic Coatings Expert to Host Four-Day Painting Seminar

Ron Joseph, the organic coatings editor of Metal Finishing magazine and a consultant with Exponent Failure Analysis Associates of Menlo Park, Calif., announces a four-day seminar focused on painting. The program, titled "Practical Methods for Improving Efficiency and Safety of Painting Operations,” takes place from Sept. 24 to 27 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“This is the only class of its kind that provides in-depth technical details on spray booths, spray guns, specific coating processes and a variety of environmental and health issues,” Joseph said. The program is organized as follows:

Spray booth topics: Details regarding the design, specification and operation of dry filter and water wash spray booths; what filters to select and when to change them; typical problems encountered in booths; how to maintain a spray booth; monitoring air velocity and turbulence in a spray booth; and a whole host of other useful topics will be discussed.  

Spray gun topics: Participants will first learn the differences between HVLP, conventional air atomizing, airless and air-assisted airless guns; how they function; which comply with EPA regulations; how to select spray guns for particular applications; how to clean and maintain the spray guns and associated equipment; and how to set up the spray guns to achieve optimum transfer efficiency. In addition, according to Joseph, some topics will be covered that have never been addressed in national coating seminars. These include: the mechanism of paint atomization; how to get sufficient compressed air to a spray gun; selecting the most appropriate regulators and fittings for air hoses; minimizing pressure differentials, etc.

Specific coating processes: Details of both powder and liquid coating systems will be discussed, including the basic chemical and physical properties of the coatings, application procedures as well as proper mixing techniques. Mechanical and chemical preparation of substrate and the associated effect on adhesion and coating properties will be covered. Various quality control measurements and instruments will also be discussed as well as some common paint defects and procedures for touch-up repairs. 

Environmental topics: Throughout the four-day training program, the importance of health and safety will be emphasized along with techniques that can help reduce hazardous waste. In addition, OSHA’s new Chromium VI standard will be discussed, and techniques for minimizing chromate emissions from painting operations will be provided. Participants will be taught how to perform important environmental calculations, such as calculating spray booth emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) to determine if a facility is in incompliance with local or state regulations.

Bonus Topic: Attendees will learn of a new technique, AC Impedance for evaluating the properties of surface preparation treatments and coatings, and how they can use this as a QC tool as well as to evaluate new products.

The cost of the seminar is $950/person (for one to three individuals) or $900/person (for three or more individuals from a company). The full agenda can be found online at www.ronjoseph.com/po.htm. To register for the event, please send an email to Eric Guyer: eguyer@exponent.com or call at (650) 688-7060 with your name, company, address and phone number.