Meetings are typically held the second Tuesday, October-April.

February Meeting

The meeting on Tuesday, February 18th (11:30am-1:30pm) will be hosted by 3M.  The meeting will consist of a presentation from Jon Lawniczak of Eckart, lunch and a tour of 3M Innovation Center, Maplewood, MN  MAP.  Lunch will be provided at a cost of $18 for NWSCT members and $20 for non-members if registration is made by/before Friday, February 14th ($20/$25 if registering later).

Agenda

10:30 am:  Board Meeting

11:30 am - 12:00 Noon:  Lunch
12:00 Noon - 12:10 pm:  Business Meeting
12:10 pm - 12:55 pm:  Presentation by Jon Lawniczak (biography below) of Eckart of Impact of Dispersant Technology on Dispersion Ease and Performance of Aluminum Pigments (abstract below)
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Tour of 3M Innovation Center

Registration for the meeting is through the NWSCT website:

Click Here to Register and Pay Online.
OR contact Jeff Hodges (jeffh@boehlechem.com) 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.  We look forward to seeing you.

Abstract:
Due to the lamellar nature and the aspect ratio of metal effect pigments, it is very important that the dispersion of metal effect pigments be optimized in a coating formulation to insure a smooth, bright appearance free of defects.  Typically, metal pigments are pre-dispersed prior to addition to the coating by mixing the pigment with carrier (solvent or water, depending on if the coating is solventborne or waterborne) and optionally a dispersing aid.  This study investigates the effect of dispersant technology on the dispersion performance of an aluminum pigment in three resin systems: acrylic urethane, epoxy, and polyester melamine.  Dispersant performance will be reported as response to measurement of application properties, brightness, film smoothness , and dispersion viscosity.  Recommendations for best practices of formulating and dispersing will also be made to optimize dispersion of metal flake pigments.

Biography:
Jon Lawniczak is Marketing / Technical Service Manager for Industrial and Automotive Coatings at Eckart America Corporation, part of the Altana Group.  Jon began his career in Coatings as a paint formulator for Automotive OEM paints in Detroit.  He continued his work in formulation and product development in the Technical Service labs and R&D labs of Eastman Chemical Company where he expanded his applications knowledge to Industrial Coatings.  Jon has held roles in Market Development and Business Development.  He earned his BS/Chemistry and MS/Physical Chemistry degrees at Michigan State University.

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.