CCS Tech Talk – April 16, 2026

Thank You To Our Platinum Sponsor

Thank You To Our Silver Sponsor

Tickets $60/person

Food Included & Drinks Separate

Platinum sponsorship $400

Gold Sponsorship $250

Silver Sponsorship $150

Location: Houlihan’s Westlake, OH – 25651 Detroit Rd, Westlake, OH 44145

Agenda:

4:30-5:30 PM Social Hour

5:30-6:00 PM Order Dinner

6:00-6:45 PM Technical Talk

6:45-7:30 PM Commercial Talk

Technical Talk
Maximizing Pigment and Overall Paint Performance with Multifunctional Additives

Dick Henderson is a Senior Technical Applications Specialist with Advancion in Buffalo Grove, IL with 43 years of experience in the paint and coatings industry. He began his career in New England at Polyvinyl Chemicals (Covestro) as a technical service chemist in the 1980’s. Dick has worked in a diverse array of additive, resin and coatings companies including Elementis Specialties, Ashland, Reichhold, Cabot Stains and AKZO Nobel in various technical and managerial positions. He is an experienced formulator for waterborne and solvent borne applications in the architectural, wood finishes, automotive and industrial markets. Dick graduated from Merrimack College with a BS degree in Biochemistry.

Developing high-performance formulations with minimal VOC emissions remains a challenge for formulators across a variety of paints and coatings applications. Alkanolamines, which are well-known for their exceptional ability to wet, grind, and stabilize a wide range of pigments, can help formulators achieve an optimal blend of other wetting and dispersing agents, while reducing the overall VOC profile of a formulation. With their innate affinity for pigment surfaces and the ability to substitute conventional counter ions of surfactants and dispersing agents, alkanolamine additives play an essential role in influencing, and improving various critical aspects of paint and dry-film performance, such as initial particle size distribution, storage stability, hiding power, corrosion protection, and color strength. The measurement of the natural chemisorption of several alkanolamines at the surface of various pigments enable better selection of the optimal structure versus pigment nature. Moreover, particle size distribution of waterborne pigment slurries supports the optimization of dispersing agent selection for higher dry film properties. This comprehensive investigation uncovers new ways to leverage the true potential of the unique characteristics of alkanolamines when interacting with TiO2, organic pigments, and anti-corrosion pigments, making them an indispensable formulating tool for developing and manufacturing the next generation of high-performance paints and coatings.
Key-Words: Alkanolamine, Organic Pigment, Inorganic Pigment, Anti-corrosion, Dispersion, Grinding

Wine, Whisky and Coffee and their Role in Additive Selection for Coatings

Jim Reader – Senior Technical Manager, Industrial and Transportation Coatings

Jim Reader graduated from the University of Warwick (UK) in 1988 with a Ph.D. in Chemistry. He joined Air Products and Chemicals in 1988 in Manchester (UK) as a Research Chemist and later an Application Development Chemist for the Epoxy Additives business. He then became Technical Manager for the Air Products Specialty Additives business in 1996 based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and has worked in Europe and Asia before becoming a Lead Chemist in Allentown, PA in 2008. Dr. Jim Reader joined Evonik Corporation as a Senior Technical Manager in January 2017. He has extensive experience in the both the development and application of surfactants and defoamers in many different applications including paints, coatings, graphic arts, adhesives, concrete admixtures, and the production of latex gloves. He is the inventor of one patent and has written over 30 technical papers.

The benefits to the formulator of wine, whisky and coffee are well known – coffee to help waken the formulator at the start of the day and wine or whisky to celebrate or commiserate over the day’s results. However, the tears of wine and the coffee stain effect are also well known examples of the Marangoni effect, an important physical phenomenon also seen in paints and coatings that are related to similar phenomena, often with undesirable consequences. Both are examples of liquid flow induced by surface tension forces. Surface tension driven flow is a real force, created by localized differences in liquid and substrate surface tensions, that create surface defects and a hangover for the paint and coating formulator. However, by understanding how other formulation properties affect this flow, formulators can identify potential problems and find additive solutions faster.