The Electrocoat Association continues its Finisher’s Guide to Electrocoat webinar series with “Advanced Pretreatment”. On November 15, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. (EST), David George, Henkel, & Kirk Beaster, BASF/Chemetall, will build on the information covered in the “Basic Pretreatment” webinar and delve deeper into the function of the individual pretreatment stages to offer a deeper understanding of the stages/chemistry. Additionally, they will look at the interaction and control required for each pretreatment stage to ensure a fluent, robust process when coating multiple substrates alongside troubleshooting/countermeasures for common issues encountered. Current and future pretreatment trends and end-customer expectations (quality, sustainability, cost savings, etc.) will be discussed, along with technologies available to meet these expectations. Finally, they will discuss pretreatment equipment, design considerations, and bath control to ensure efficient operation.
Kirk Beaster is currently an Applications Specialist, Technical Field Support at BASF/Chemetall. Kirk has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. He has 19+ years’ experience in surface treatment technical support, previously holding the positions of Engineering Specialist, Engineering Manager, Laboratory Manager, Market Manager – Surface Treatment and Industry Manager – Surface Treatment.