Equipment touches nearly every stage of the paint and coatings industry, from raw material handling and production to testing, packaging, surface preparation and application. Over the past year, PCI readers engaged with a wide range of equipment-related articles and podcast conversations covering both established production needs and emerging coating technologies.

This month’s Focus on Equipment revisits some of the equipment topics that drew reader attention across PCI’s editorial coverage.

Paint Manufacturing and Process Control

Several recent PCI podcast conversations focused on the equipment and process decisions involved in paint and coatings production. One discussion looked at dispersion technology, including powder dispersion and jet stream mixing approaches used to support process efficiency, energy use and formulation consistency.

Another conversation focused on process control in paint manufacturing, including how smart factory concepts are changing the way manufacturers monitor variation across production. The discussion addressed the role of process visibility, data and controlled production conditions in reducing defects and improving consistency.

Automation and equipment adaptation, a relevant topic for most equipment companies right now, was the topic of another podcast episode, which looked at how equipment suppliers are responding to changing industry needs, including automation, service and broader shifts in the paint and coatings manufacturing environment.

Battery Electrode Coating and Scale-Up

PCI readers also engaged with equipment-focused coverage tied to lithium-ion battery electrode manufacturing. One podcast discussion examined dry electrode coating, including its potential cost and footprint advantages as well as the scale-up challenges that continue to shape adoption.

A related episode focused on why wet coating remains the process of record for lithium-ion battery electrode manufacturing. The discussion covered process scale, cost, sustainability and where innovation continues within existing manufacturing approaches.

Together, these episodes gave readers a look at how coating equipment and process decisions factor into one of the fastest-moving adjacent technology areas.

Surface Preparation and Finishing Efficiency

Finishing and surface preparation, although further downstream than some of our other equipment coverage, also appeared among PCI’s most-engaged-with equipment-related coverage. One podcast conversation focused on abrasive blasting operations and the ways inefficient blasting can affect production time, operating cost and downstream coating performance. Because blasting comes before coating application, small inefficiencies can affect everything that follows.

The episode addressed where blasting operations can lose efficiency and how facilities can regain better control over the process. For coatings professionals, the topic connects surface preparation equipment directly to coating quality and long-term performance.

Testing and Measurement

Testing equipment remained another area of reader interest. PCI articles covered thin-film analysis using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, comparative testing methods for electric and manual pencil hardness testers and crater formation in cathodic electrodeposition coatings.

The pencil hardness article examined how testing method and equipment selection can influence results. The thin-film analysis article focused on the use of spectrophotometry in evaluating coating films. Other technical coverage looked at craters in cathodic electrodeposition coatings, including possible causes and approaches to understanding the defect.

Together, these articles cover the laboratory and quality-control tools coatings professionals use to evaluate performance, investigate failures and support formulation work. Several were published years ago but continue to attract readers, showing the staying power of practical technical content.

Safety, Packaging and Handling

PCI’s equipment coverage also extended into workplace safety and packaging. One article examined safety hazards in paint manufacturing, including risks tied to chemicals, dust, confined spaces, equipment use and facility operations.

Another article focused on UN-rated steel pails for the coatings industry. The piece addressed packaging used for coatings materials, including performance, transportation and compliance considerations. Both topics are practical parts of the equipment conversation.

Emerging Coating Applications

PCI readers also engaged with coverage of specialty coating technologies, including optical coatings for smart eyewear and AR devices and infrared-reflective coatings tied to facial recognition tracking. While these articles sit outside traditional production equipment coverage, they reflect how coating performance increasingly depends on precise application, testing and end-use requirements.

A Broad Look at Equipment Coverage

The most-engaged equipment story in PCI’s coverage from the past year focused on AI in coatings, including formulation workflows, testing, scale-up decisions, data quality and the digital systems supporting more connected lab and production environments. While AI was only one part of the broader equipment conversation, the article drew strong interest around a practical question: how coatings companies can better connect equipment, process data and technical decision-making.

Readers are also looking beyond individual machines or testing tools to the data, decisions and workflows around them. PCI’s AI coverage showed how structured records for materials, experiments and results can support faster work in formulation, tinting, sourcing, regulatory review and scale-up.