1067979 University of Kentucky; Kozo Saito 1067995 Clemson University; Mohammed Omar
The Center for Painting/Coating Applications and Surface Inspection Systems will focus on painting/coating materials, formulations, finishes and interfacial behavior, paint and coating applications, curing and inspections systems for the automotive sector as well as others. The University of Kentucky (UKY) and Clemson University (CU) are collaborating to establish the proposed center, with UKY as the lead institution.
The proposed work plans to overcome the technology transfer challenges in coatings and paint segments of the automotive industry. This goal will be achieved by (i) involving industry in precompetitive research, and (ii) conducting focused research in areas such as paint application, monitoring of surface finish, and quality control. A number of fundamental projects are proposed including pollution control by capturing and recycling paint sludge, corrosion protection, paint defect inspection tools, "green" methods of curing paint, reduction in energy during painting process, and developing new equipment to minimize/eliminate paint overspray. PIs are highly qualified and have a proven track record of conducting industry focused research, and successfully transferring research innovations to industry.
The proposal includes a discussion of the typical technology transfer of research results to industry via reports to the IAB members, and the use of graduate students in the research effort. Beyond the targeted automotive industry, the potential impact of the center's technology affects almost every major US capital good industry. The PI has a directed plan and positive track record for inclusion of under-represented ethnic groups. Proposed research activities will involve researchers from different academic disciplines at the two campuses. Student researchers will be encouraged to participate in the planning and implementation phases of various research projects.
This project explored the possibilities of establishing a research center for automotive painting technology to be supported primarily by membership dues from industry and partly by start-up funds from National Science Foundation. The two university partners, University of Kentucky and Clemson, used the modest planning funds to work out a strategy for such a center, one that would pursue the kinds of research called "pre-competitive," meaning that it involves the risk of failure but, if successful, would be of benefit to a whole industry, not just one company. This kind of research is an area where companies see advantages to partnering with other companies, even competitors, to lower the risk by sharing the cost of these explorations. For example, the technology for spraying paint onto cars could be improved to reduce the amount of paint that doesn't reach the cars, so-called "overspray." Other areas of improvement include reducing the energy used for spraying paint and improving the ability to detect flaws in applied paint in a way that doesn't damage the finish, so-called "non-destructive testing." UK and Clemson are both leaders in these areas and have many contacts among auto companies so the time seemed right to try for a center. This Industry-University Cooperative Research Center concept allows industry to help set the research agenda and to work with promising graduate students during the actual research projects, students who may be valuable employees for the company once they obtain their degrees. Meanwhile, universities benefit from steady research support and closer working relationships with companies, meaning they get much better information about what the cutting edge is for manufacturing and where the problems lie. A meeting with interested companies in October 2011 encouraged the university partners to go forward but unfortunately the poor economic climate in 2011-2012 made industry wary of any investment in new research so the center was unable to gather sufficient membership to launch. However, the planning process was not without benefits. It gave current graduate students a valuable experience in the art of working with industry. It also brought new industry contacts to both universities and those contacts have resulted in continuing discussions about new research projects as soon as the economic climate improves.
