Monthly Meeting
Meeting Registration Current Meeting Info Upcoming Events
The NWSCT is planning IN-PERSON meetings for the current
2025-2026 meeting season.
Meetings are typically held the second Tuesday every month through April.
April Meeting
Tuesday, April 7th
This is our Annual Education Symposium and features presentations from students at North Dakota State University's Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials. The meeting will begin with an overview of current NWSCT business, including a vote for nominated executives for the NWSCT for the 2026-2027 season. The meeting is being held on Tuesday, April 7th, 11:30am-1:30pm at Sherwin Williams in Minneapolis, MN (1101 S 3rd St, Minneapolis, MN 55415 MAP) and will include lunch which the cost is $29 for members and $34 for non-members. Registration must be made by/before Thursday, April 2nd.
There will be two (2) presentations titled, "Autoxidation-Epoxy Curing Synergy for High-Performance Bio-Based Thermosets" presented by Mariia Usiichuk and "The Design of Ice-Resistant Coatings" presented by Dean C. Webster and team.
Abstracts:
The growing environmental and health concerns associated with petroleum-derived thermosets, particularly bisphenol A (BPA)-based epoxies, have driven the search for sustainable, high-performance alternatives from renewable resources. In this work, biobased dual-curing thermosets were developed using a soybean oil-based acrylic monomer (SBM), 2-glycidoxy-5-vinylanisole (GVA), and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA). The designed system combines epoxy-amine crosslinking and autoxidative curing, enabling controlled polymer network formation. A biobased curing agent, 5,5′-(1-Methylethylidene)bis[2-furanmethanamine], allows efficient epoxy-amine crosslinking and formation of highly crosslinked networks. The substantial presence of polyunsaturated fatty acid fragments in the SBM structure provides the potential for oxidative crosslinking, complementing the epoxy reaction pathway.
A series of formulations with varying epoxy-to-amine ratios was prepared to determine the optimal balance between the two curing mechanisms. Thermosets produced through the dual-curing route exhibit markedly improved mechanical strength and solvent resistance compared to those obtained via either curing mechanism alone. Optimization of the epoxy-to-amine ratio shows that a 1:0.8 stoichiometry provides the best balance of properties, yielding thermosets with a Young’s modulus of 1240 MPa and a storage modulus in the glassy region of 3030 MPa – values not achieved through a single-curing mechanism.
This study demonstrates that dual-curing strategies and targeted formulation design enable the engineering of high-performance thermoset coatings possessing enhanced mechanical and chemical durability, while preserving the advantages of renewable, bio-based components.
Ice accumulation on infrastructure creates significant operational and safety issues. Ice accumulation adds weight that can bring down trees and power lines. It can upset the balance of ships. And falling ice can create a safety hazard. Removal of ice can itself be hazardous and using deicing fluids can harm the environment. There are many approaches reported to coatings that can reduce the adhesion of ice. One important aspect is that the coating should be able to shed large areas of ice accumulation. To do so the coating needs to demonstrate low interfacial toughness (LIT) between the coating surface and the ice so that when a crack is initiated it can propagate. The coating should also be durable so that it can continue to function after multiple icing and deicing cycles. Our approach has been to start with a tough coating resin system and made modifications to reduce the adhesion of ice and introduce LIT behavior. In one system, we started with an epoxy-siloxane coating system and investigated the effect of adding silicone oils of differing composition on the ice releasing behavior. From the study a formulation was identified that had very low ice adhesion. Other resin systems can be modified in a similar fashion, but the specific oil composition that results in the best properties may be different. Overall, we have identified several different coating systems that have good ice release properties and good durability.
Speaker Biographies:
Mariia Usiichuk earned her Master's degree in Chemical Technology and Engineering from Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine in 2022. Following the USURE 2022 internship program, she applied to the Coatings and Polymeric Materials Department at North Dakota State University. Since Fall 2023, Mariia has been pursuing her Ph.D. in the same department under the guidance of Dr. Andriy Voronov.
Dean Webster is Professor and Chair of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at North Dakota State University. He also directs the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2) a multi-site NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC). He received a BS in Chemistry and a PhD in Materials Engineering Science from Virginia Tech. Following graduate school, he joined the Central Research Laboratories of the Sherwin-Williams Company and then moved to Eastman Chemical Company. He is a fellow of the American Chemical Society and the National Academy of Inventors.
For questions about the event please contact Jeff Hodges at: (
jeffh@boehlechem.com)
or
if you plan to attend the meeting but will not be paying via PayPal so that an accurate head count can be provided to the caterer; or register here.
Register below and Pay Online for March
Scholarship Program
We have launched a Scholarship program that will award individual scholarships to an active member of the NWSCT in good standing OR the son, daughter OR grandchild of an active member of the NWSCT in good standing. Applications are available at monthly meetings and on our website (Scholarship Program page). The deadline to register is May 1st.
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
Tuesday, May 5th-7thth :American Coatings Show (ACS)
Location - Indianapolis, IN
June 2026th :
Golf Outing
Location - TBD
September 2026th :
Golf Outing
Location - TBD
September 15th-17thth :
Coatings Trends and Technologies Summit (CTT)
Location - Chicago, IL
October 2025 Meeting
Graco hosted the NWSCT in October at their Rogers, MN site. This meeting included an outstanding overview of paint spray technology and a tour of their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
March 2025 Meeting
Bonnie Piro of Sudarshan discussed pigments during our March 11 meeting at Sika in Shakopee.
November 2024 Meeting
John Du of Patcham presented to our group on November 19th at Cortec. His presentation focused on specialty additives for coatings.
April 2024 Meeting
Kyle Kingsley, New Education Chairperson, Presents Dean Webster of NDSU with a scholarship check from NWSCT.
Students and Staff from the NDSU Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, who attended the 2024 NWSCT Education Symposium.
December 2023 Meeting
On December 12th 3M hosted our monthly meeting. We were treated to two speakers, Mike Praw from Indorama and Jeralyn Camp from Byk Gardner.
November 2023 Meeting
On Tuesday, November 14th Ceramic Industrial Coatings hosted our monthly meeting in Osseo. We had 30 attendees for this meeting. The technical speaker was Tony Moy of BASF who presented on alternative formulating options to PFAS materials.
March 2023 Meeting
At our March, 2023 meeting Stephanie Yates of Momentive and Francisco Cortes of Evonik presented on emerging Silicone technologies at Master Builders in Shakopee.
February 2023 Meeting
NWSCT enjoyed a sunny day at TopGolf on February 7, 2023. Thanks to all who participated.
December 2022 Meeting
Kevin Rink of 3M and Tony Moy of BASF presented on specialty additives at the December, 2022 NWSCT monthly meeting, hosted by 3M.
November 2022 Meeting
Ms. Amanda Andrews discussed various water-based wax emulsion/dispersion technologies and illustrate how they’re used to meet sustainability initiatives across a variety of these applications.
October 2022 Meeting
Dr. Mervin Wood of BASF presented to NWSCT on UV Stabilizers during our October 11th meeting
April 2022 Meeting
Presentations from the April, 2022 Meeting
March 2022 Meeting
Presentations from the March, 2022 Meeting
October 2021 Meeting
Steve Brunner of WPC presents to our group on Corrosion Resistance during a meeting held at Cortec on October 12, 2021.
March 2020 Meeting
Laura Kovach of Emerald Kalama presents on novel coalescent technology.
February 2020 Meeting
Jon Lawniczak of Eckart presents on dispersion techniques for aluminum flake pigments.
October 2019 Meeting
Allison Abbey from Borchers presents on “Post-Add Solutions to Enhance Color Strength and Acceptance with Additives”
April 2019 Meeting
Dr. Dante Battocchi of North Dakota State University’s Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials presents “Formulation and testing of anticorrosion primers”.
March 2019 Meeting
Dr. Romesh Kumar of Clariant presents “Creating Appearance” to the NWSCT at our March, 2019 meeting at BASF in Shakopee.
February 2019 Meeting
John Kelly of Venator presents to the NWSCT on Ti02 during our February 12th meeting at Sherwin Williams in Minneapolis.
December 2018 Meeting
Stuart Lipskin of BYK USA discussed paint formulating and resolving paint defects at the December 11, 2018 meeting
November 2018 Meeting
Jacob Shevrin of Evonik discusses Silane chemistry during the NWSCT monthly meeting in November at Tennant.
October 2018 Meeting
Dr. Thom Dombrowski of Specialty Minerals presented at our October meeting at Cortec. He discussed the role that mineral fillers play in the formulation of coatings.
APRIL 2017 MEETING
This is was our Annual Education Symposium and featured presentations from students at North Dakota State University's Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials.
Please see the recent newsletter for further information.
April 11, 2017 Meeting
Students from the NDSU Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials presented at our April meeting, hosted by Valspar.
Students from the NDSU Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials presented at our April meeting, hosted by Valspar.
March 14, 2017 Meeting
Scott Brown of Lonza discussed trends and issues related to biocides used to protect paints and coatings at our March meeting at BASF in Shakopee.
Scott Brown of Lonza discussed trends and issues related to biocides used to protect paints and coatings at our March meeting at BASF in Shakopee.
January 2017 Winter Outing
This year the NWSCT broke new ground by hosting an event at Summit Brewing in St. Paul on January 10th. This event included a tour of their facility, dinner and of course beer sampling. It also allowed us to gain insight into a very important batch making process. Based on the turnout and enthusiasm for the event it will probably not be the last time that we host an event like this.
December 2016 Meeting
held at HB Fuller
Dr. Jeff Klang of Sartomer presents to the NWSCT on UV Coating Technology during our December meeting at HB Fuller.
Dr. Jeff Klang of Sartomer presents to the NWSCT on UV Coating Technology during our December meeting at HB Fuller.
November 2016 Meeting
held at Multi-Clean
Ron Romer of Huber Engineered Materials presents to the NWSCT in November on unique mineral products.
Ron Romer of Huber Engineered Materials presents to the NWSCT in November on unique mineral products.
October 2016 Meeting
held at Cortec
Yaw Aidoo of Elementis Specialties discusses novel rheology modifiers for use in waterborne coatings.
Yaw Aidoo of Elementis Specialties discusses novel rheology modifiers for use in waterborne coatings.
January 2016 Meeting
held at Tennant
Tony Hennessy of Elementis explains the importance of selection of rheology agents for solventborne coatings.
Tony Hennessy of Elementis explains the importance of selection of rheology agents for solventborne coatings.
Richard Grenville of Philadelphia Mixing explains the importance of proper mixing in paint batch manufacturing.
Richard Grenville of Philadelphia Mixing explains the importance of proper mixing in paint batch manufacturing.
November 2015 Meeting
held at HB Fuller
Stuart Lipskin of Byk USA presented: “Pursuit for the Perfect Coatings Finish”.
Stuart Lipskin of Byk USA presented: “Pursuit for the Perfect Coatings Finish”.
April 2015 Meeting
Annual Education Symposium
Casey Orgon of NDSU discusses an evaluation done on Polyester based powder topcoats.
Alison Rohly of NDSU discusses Vanillin based crosslinkers for epoxy coatings.
Annual Education Symposium Abstracts
Electrochemical Investigation of Polyester Powder Topcoats and Application to Magnesium-Rich Primers for Corrosion Protection Systems
Casey Orgon
Abstract
Environmental concerns in the coatings industry have led to strict regulation of the use of conventional solvents used in coatings formulations. Powder coating systems avoid this issue by fluidizing finely ground particles in air for efficient transfer to a substrate. Once cured, these coatings can provide high performance protection and have already proven themselves in many extreme environments. In partnership with Valspar and The United States Air Force, NDSU has begun research on powder coatings for corrosion protection. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been used to assess barrier properties of polyester powder topcoats crosslinked by TGIC and Primid chemistries. In addition, the feasibility of applying powder topcoats to Mg-rich primers has been explored with promising results. Combining these coatings can provide a corrosion protection system with high barrier properties of the powder topcoat and cathodic protection by the Mg-rich primer.
Vanillin: A Biobased Crosslinker for Epoxy Thermoset Coatings
Alison Rohly
Abstract
With an increasing need for biobased replacements of petrochemical materials, lignin offers significant potential in strength, durability, cost, and functionality. Lignin can be depolymerized to form small molecular weight compounds, the most abundant being vanillin. Although little research has been done, vanillin offers great potential as a crosslinker in coatings systems due to its unique functionality. The current research is therefore focused at incorporating lignin-derived vanillin into epoxy thermoset systems as a biobased crosslinker.
March 2015 Meeting
AJ Marsica of BASF presents to NWSCT in March on Kaolin Clay technology.
Andy Thorn of Heucotech presents to NWSCT in March on Zinc and Zinc-Free anti-corrosive agents.
February 2015 Meeting
Our monthly meeting in February was a tour of the Andersen Window facility in Bayport, MN. Thanks to everyone at Andersen for opening their doors to us and being such a great host.
January 2015 Meeting
Mark Ryan of Shepherd Color discusses Inorganic Pigments
December 2014 Meeting
Ed Casama of Buhler presents on Grinding and Dispersing during our December meeting.
Amanda Andrews of Wacker presents on the use of silicones in paint during our December meeting.
November 2014 Meeting
Hersjel Wehrens of Elementis presents on Dispersant Technology during our November meeting.
Hersjel Wehrens of Elementis presents on Dispersant Technology during our November meeting.
October 2014 Meeting
Christine Fortener of Arkema presents on Waterborne Alkyd Technology during our October meeting.
March 2014 Meeting Photos
February 2014 Meeting Photos
Audience Members for the NWSCT Monthly Meeting in February, 2014
Dr. Thomas Dombrowski addresses NWSCT on February 11, 2014
Dr. Thomas Dombrowski addresses NWSCT on February 11, 2014