Registration is currently open for the Electroless Nickel Conference 2022, presented by Products Finishing and Gardner Business Media. Taking place October 11-13 at the Omni Severin in Indianapolis, Ind., ENC22 will feature electroless nickel education and networking opportunities — all centered around improving quality, maximizing production and making valuable industry connections. The conference is the first educational event focused on this unique finishing process since 2010.
“We are thrilled to bring back the Electroless Nickel Conference to an audience who has been demanding a focus on this process for quite some time,” says Todd Luciano, VP of Finishing and Valve Media. “This is a unique, specialized craft, and the community who specializes in this process needs an event that allows this era of platers to stay up to date on the evolving technology, to stay connected to each other, and to cultivate the next generation of platers.”
ENC22 is a two-day conference filled with sessions led by experts in the field of electroless nickel finishing as well as unique networking opportunities for the EN community. The event is designed to help platers stay up to date on the evolving technology, stay connected to each other, and cultivate the next generation of platers.
Industry veteran Brad Durkin is serving as the Technical Director for the event. With more than 35 years of industry experience, including his role as Technical Director for the EN 2007 Conference, Durkin provides a wealth of knowledge and an unrivaled vision for the ENC22 technical program.
The conference also offers ENC University, an additional pre-conference educational program designed by industry experts for those newer to the electroless nickel process, as well as those looking to refresh their existing plating knowledge. All ENCU Attendees will be awarded a certificate of completion.
ENC22 Schedule at a Glance
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Session 1: ENC University
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Registration & Breakfast
8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Opening Statements & Housekeeping
Todd Luciano, VP Finishing & Valve Media | Gardner Business Media
8:15 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Historical Retrospective: 13 EN Conferences & Counting — A Review of Past EN Conferences & Evolution of EN Applications
Brad Durkin, ENC Technical Director
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
EN Properties: Overview of Electroless Properties — Help me Choose the Best EN Deposit for the Application
Matt Sisti, Technical Advisor | MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
EN Equi p.m. ent: The Right Equi p.m. ent = Success — What I Wish I Had Known About Coating Performance
Charles Johnson, President and Co-Owner | Palm Technology, Inc.
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Pretreatment: Strategies for Activation and Application
Brad Durkin, ENC Technical Director
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch With the Experts
*There is no additional fee to attend. All registered ENCU attendees are welcome.
1:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Chemistry & Bath Control: EN Chemistry Care, Practical Feeding and Optimizing Solution Control
Boules Morcos, Plating Engineer | Continental Diamond Tool Corporation
3:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m
Deposit Defects: Why Do I Have Deposit Corrosion Failures? Myths & Facts
Brad Durkin, ENC Technical Director
5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Questions & Cocktails
*All ENCU Attendees will receive their Certificate of Completion at this event
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Session 2: Business & Quality Perspectives | Moderator: Bill Fields, NickelMan
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Brad Durkin, ENC Technical Director
8:15 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.
Recent Global Impacts and Their Effects on Pricing & Availability of Raw Materials
Marc Aleksinas, Metal Chem
8:40 a.m. – 9:05 a.m.
Nickel Supply Chain Today
Kathryn Wells, NickelMan
9:05 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
The Anatomy of a Nadcap Audit
Mike Burnson, CEF/Nadcap Auditor
9:30 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.
Accreditations, Specifications and Certifications
Dan Englebert, Imagineering Finishing Technologies
9:55 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Session 2: Panel Q&A (featuring all Session 2 speakers)
Session 3: Improving my EN Quality Output | Moderator: Charles Johnson, Palm Technologies
10:30 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.
Comparison of Electroless Nickel over Electrolytic Nickel from a Job Shop Perspective
Matt Lindstedt, Advanced Plating Technologies
10:55 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Factors That Influence The Neutral Salt Spray Performance of HPEN Over Steel Substrates
Jordan Beavers, Metal Chem
11:20 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
What Type of “Strike” Do I Really Need?
Brad Durkin, ENC Technical Director
11:45 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Strategies for Large Parts: Racking, Fixturing and Processing
Phillip Brockman, Techmetals
12:10 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Session 3 Panel Q&A (featuring all Session 3 speakers)
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Networking Lunch: Questions and Answers
Ask the Expert Roundtable Lunch
Session 4: Upgrading my EN Performance | Moderator: Scott Francis, Products Finishing
1:30 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.
Sustainability in the Plating Shop
Skip Griffin, Metal Finishing Technologies
1:55 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
EN Plate-out Prevention
Travis Johnson, Avtec Finishing Systems
2:20 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Case Study: Plating Shop Conversion to Single Component EN System
Michael Feldstein, Surface Technology Inc.
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Session 4 Panel Q&A (featuring all Session 4 speakers)
Session 5: Understanding How Best To Manage Waste From EN Processing | Moderator: Mike Aleksinas, Metal Chem
3:15 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.
Waste Management of EN 2022
Mike Aleksinas, Metal Chem
3:40 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.
Low Metal Operation of Electroless Nickel Systems
Ambrose Schaffer, MEIS
4:05 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
EN Bath Life Extension via Electrodialysis Technology
Brad Staples, ATOTECH
4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Session 5 Panel Q&A (featuring all Session 5 speakers)
4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
End of Day Remarks
5:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Networking Reception
On-Site Reception: Questions & Cocktails
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Session 6: EN Technology & Applications I | Moderator: Ambrose Schaffer, Macdermid Enthone Industrial Solutions
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks & Recap
Brad Durkin, ENC Technical Director
8:15 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.
Session TBD
8:40 a.m. – 9:05 a.m.
Solutions For Removing Difficult Adhesives – Evaluation Of Permanent Adhesive Release Coatings
Scott Schewe, Pioneer Metal
9:05 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Understanding Antimicrobial Electroless Nickel Treated Articles for Diversification of Business
Paul Feagins, LEKEM
9:30 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.
PFAS in EN/PTFE, What Does It All Mean?
Helmut Horsthemke, MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions
9:55 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Session 6 Panel Q&A (featuring all Session 6 speakers)
Session 7: EN Technology & Applications II | Moderator: Kurt Weamer, Wolkerstorfer Company, Inc
10:30 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.
Composite Electroless Coatings Update 2022
Michael Feldstein, Surface Technology Inc.
10:55 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Rise of the EV, Implications and Applications for Electroless Nickel
Douglas Hughes, MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions
11:20 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
A New Level of Corrosion Resistant High P Electroless Nickel
Collin Peters, ATOTECH
11:45 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.
Session 7 Panel Q&A (featuring all Session 7 speakers)
12:05 p.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Conference Concludes: Final Remarks
