After the long Corona break, the Practical Forum on Industrial Coating on November 17-18, with over 230 participants, showed that despite, or precisely because of, the economic turbulence and dramatic developments on the energy markets, there is a great need to obtain up-to-date information and exchange views on the current challenges. The lecture program proved to be diverse and pleasantly practice-oriented. The topics ranged from very interesting retrospectives - for example on the development of powder coating or chrome-free passivation, to highly topical energy-related issues such as many years of practical experience in process heat generation using wood chips, to strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The possibilities for quality improvements with simultaneous considerable savings in costs and resources through automated dosing solutions were also presented in a practice-oriented manner. In addition to other presentations on the subject of quality testing and assurance as well as on the qualification of coaters, a talk on a special software tool presented a promising perspective for the fast and precise preparation of quotations for contract coating orders.
The promotion of young talent was not neglected either, and on the Thursday before the evening event, the "Everybody Needs Powder" award was presented, which is given to trainees for particularly good performance.
In addition to the well-chosen presentations, the event offered a very open and constructive atmosphere, which was evident both at the evening event and in the very lively discussions during the breaks in the industrial exhibition. You will soon find a more detailed follow-up report on the event on oberfläche.de and in the January/February issue of Surface Technology magazine.