By Rebecca A. Bickham, Editor-in-Chief of Materials Performance (MP) magazine

On Tuesday, March 17, the “Thermal and Cold Spray Processes and Applications in Corrosion Mitigation” forum takes place from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. local time in Room 372 BC.

Held inside Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, host site for the 2026 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo, the forum offers a combination of technology updates and innovation. In doing so, its goal is to provide attendees with a clear roadmap for protecting high-value assets in an increasingly volatile industrial landscape.

By bridging the gap between 20 years of proven corrosion under insulation (CUI) mitigation strategies and the economic breakthrough of laser-assisted cold spray, the session will equip professionals with the technical evidence needed to reduce operational downtime and slash costs.

Furthermore, as the industry moves toward energy transition, this forum will serve as a critical briefing on how surface engineering must adapt to ensure that today’s infrastructure remains resilient against tomorrow's sustainability requirements.

Presentation topics of discussion include:

• “A High Point in CUI Innovation: 20 Years of Field Lessons and Aluminum Pigment Insights” by Toby Stein, Michael O'Donoghue, Doug Beaumont, and Ajith Varghese;

• “How lining choice can optimize installation and in-service performance for biodiesel feedstocks” by Neil Phillips and Adam Cochrane;

• “Field Applied Thermal Spray Solutions for Corrosion Challenges in Process Vessels, Towers and Columns” by Iain Hall;

• “Thermal Spray Processes for Corrosion and Wear Resistant Coatings” by Sanket Patil;

• “Thermal and Cold Spray Coatings in Energy Transition” by Shiladitya Paul; and

• “Utilizing Laser Technology to Improve Cost to Performance Ratio of Cold Spray” by Ryan Bradshaw.

Ultimately, attendees are expected to gain a high-level technical toolkit that balances field-proven corrosion strategies with the latest advancements in spray deposition. This will enable them to make data-driven decisions on protecting critical infrastructure like process vessels, towers, and more.

From there, the forum will also give them the opportunity to discuss their problems and issues with Industry experts.

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