11th QIB Industrial Coating Practice Forum 2023 successfully held

This year's QIB Industrial Coating Practice Forum 2023 kicked off with a welcome address from the Mayor of Wetzlar, Manfred Wagner. Dipl.-Ing. Markus Kopp, Chairman of the QIB Board, reviewed the past year and reported on the highlights of the association's work. For example, 10 new members were welcomed this year and the QIB's social media channel on LinkedIn now has over 800 followers. One focus was the digitalization of the association, with a new audit app being developed over a three-year period to replace the previous paper process. Various digital information sheets were also created and are available on the QIB website. The QIB Technical Commission also revised the quality regulations. The QIB is also proud of the "Next Generation QIB" project, which was presented by Matthias Bader, Chairman of the Technical Commission, and is aimed at promoting young talent. Among other things, the committee has produced a new and very professionally produced video series on various powder coating topics such as the cross-cut test, which was very well received by the participants at the practical forum.

The two-day lecture program of the Industrial Coating Practice Forum was also eagerly awaited. There were 15 presentations from all areas of painting and powder coating to choose from, ranging from pre-treatment methods to energy efficiency of coating processes, coating thickness measurement and effective corrosion protection on sharp edges. Digital solutions were repeatedly on the agenda, for example in the presentation by Rainer Gruber from Surface Solutions on modern technologies and software solutions for contract coaters or on the topic of non-contact coating thickness measurement, including in the edge area, using an imaging process by Prof. Dr. Nils Reinke from Coatmaster. The AI-based Close-Loop-Control (CLC) solution from MS Oberflächentechnik presented by Manuel Kluckner, a tool that fully automatically controls the powder output based on the real-time measurement results with the Coatmaster Flex coating thickness measurement system, was a must. Furthermore, the topics of sustainability and efficiency - as in the entire surface technology sector - played a prominent role. They were reflected in several presentations such as sustainable preparation chemistry, virtually wastewater-free pre-treatment, material savings when using painting hooks or efficient process heat and power supply. In order to identify possible savings potential, external consulting can also be useful. In his presentation, Markus Vüllers showed how paint stores can obtain funding for consulting services. Ernst-Hermann Timmermann from the DFO reported on what an expert witness can experience in his work and talked about the practice in German courts. And on the subject of new skilled workers, Markus Single presented a trainee teaching project at the Gottlieb Daimler School 1. The evening awards ceremony for the QIB Apprentice Award, the "Everyone Needs Powder Award", which honored the best graduates of the process mechanic for coating technology apprenticeship, was also about training and young talent. The coaters' meeting in the evening and the accompanying industry exhibition provided good opportunities for networking. The next 12th Industrial Coating Practice Forum will take place from November 14 - 15, 2024.