«  Return to Newsletter Archive
Newsletters

February 2012 Newsletter

This year's winter outing took place Tuesday, January 31st; 26 NWSCT members and friends enjoyed  an evening in St Paul including dinner and a Wild hockey game.  Have you reserved your spot at the Poker table yet?  Reminder:  the 5th Annual NWSCT Poker Tournament will be held Friday, February 24th at Sundance Golf and Bowl in Dayton.  Contact Jim Loeffler (jwloeffler@mfcachat.com, 763-425-1513) to reserve a spot.

The next NWSCT meeting will be held at 11:15 on Tuesday, March 13th at 3M Innovation Center, Bldg 278 (2350 Minnehaha Ave. E. St. Paul, MN 55144, Map It).  The cost for the meeting is $15 per person which includes a luncheon buffet, presentation and an optional tour of 3M's Innovation Center.  If you are interested in attending the meeting you must register and pay via PayPal on the NWSCT website (Monthly Meeting Registration) by Friday, March 9th so that we can get an accurate head count and the necessary security badges can be prepared. If you are interested in attending the meeting but will not be paying via PayPal please contact Wally Kesler via email (wkesler@valspar.com) or phone (612-375-7391) by Friday, March 9th.  Upon registration, please also indicate whether you plan to participate in the Tour of the Innovation Center.

 

This month's talk will feature Stephen Amos, Senior Product Development Specialist for 3M's Energy and Advanced Materials Divsion.  Steve will be presenting "3M Glass Bubbles, History, Coatings Applications and Future Potential."  Following the talk, a tour of 3M's Innovation Center will be offered.  This tour is well worth the time as it highlights 3M's innovation and depth of technology. 
  

Mr. Amos graduated with a BS in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He has an MS equivalent in Polymer Science from the International School of Advanced Studies in Polymer Science - Ferrara, Italy.  Steve joined 3M in 1994 as a technical service and product development scientist in the area of fluoropolymers. 3M formed a joint venture between their Specialty Fluoropolymer Department and the Hoechst GmbH's fluoropolymer businesses in 1996, called Dyneon. Mr. Amos worked for Dyneon as a technical service and new product development specialist for the DynamarTM Polymer Processing Additives (PPAs) product line. He was also responsible for new business development for Dyneon in South America. In 2003 he took a 2 year assignment with 3M as a Six Sigma Black Belt. In 2005 he joined 3M's Energy and Advanced Material Division as a Product Development Specialist in their Specialty Additives business. He is currently developing applications for 3M Glass Bubbles and fluorochemicals in plastics.  Steve holds 9 U.S. patents and has authored or co-authored over 30 technical articles and 3 book chapters. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Plastics Engineers Polymer Modifiers and Additives Division. He is an active member of the SPE and PMAD. He is also a member of TAPPI and the ACS.

ABSTRACT 

Hollow glass microspheres were developed and commercialized by 3M as "Glass Bubbles" in the 1960's.  Over time 3M has broadened the product line of these unique, low density fillers/additives to appeal to many markets and applications.  Examples include;
- high strength glass bubbles for thermoplastic materials used in transportation, oil & gas, construction and sports and leisure markets
- low density glass bubbles for thermoset materials used in similar markets as above
- small particle size glass bubbles that can be used in fibers and paints & coatings
This presentation will touch on the history of the glass bubble material development, comparison to other filler materials, unique attributes of the bubbles and, finally, application examples in the above mentioned substrates in different markets. 

Meeting Agenda

Date:   Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Place:  3M Innovation Center
             2350 Minnehaha Ave
             St Paul, MN 55144 

10:15-11:15 am      Executive Committee Meeting
11:15-12:00 am      Buffet Luncheon
12:00-12:45 pm      Talk featuring Steve Amos
  1:00-2:00 pm          Innovation Center Tour (Optional)

2011/2012 Monthly Meeting Schedule
All monthly meetings will be held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, unless otherwise noted.

February 24th- Poker Tournament, Sundance Golf & Bowl, Dayton, MN
March 13th -, Monthly Meeting, 3M, Steve Amos
April 10th - Educational Symposium, Location TBD
May - Spring Golf Outing