Professional Development Credits
You will earn 6.5 professional development hours or 0.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for completion of this course. TAPPI's Professional Development department has been accredited as an Accredited Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Intro and Welcome –
“Glass Mat 201” is the TAPPI, Fiberglass Mat Technical Committee’s annual one day seminar for new and experienced Fiberglass mat technical, supervisory and management on the technical aspects of Fiberglass Mat manufacturing. This year we are returning to the chemical aspects and interactions and how these affect quality, consistency and productivity. Each year we try to bring new speakers with new insights into the glass mat process to help the attendees better understand the underlying chemistries and principles of the white water components, binders and drying and curing inside the glass mat process so that they can make more informed analysis and decisions to improve their glass mat production process and quality.
Pete Wallace
Graduate NY State College of Forestry & Environmental Science, post graduate studies University of Alabama.
Worked in Technical service, resin development, business manager and Business Director at Reichhold Chemicals, Borden Chemical BTL Resins, Hexion and Arclin.
Member of TAPPI and founding member of Fiberglass Mat Technical Committee since 1980.
Currently residing with my wife Molly McKay in a restored 1905 (ongoing) downtown “Brownstone” residence in Morganton, NC. that my daughter and son will have to figure out what to do with some day.
Section 1: Dispersion and Forming
White water is one of the most important processes in glass mat manufacturing. This course will cover the 5 chemical additives used in creating white water – what purpose they serve, how they work, and how to deal with challenges related to their use. We will share knowledge gained through practical experience in managing white water parameters on a glass mat line, as well as technical information about the chemical additives.
Joseph Cole, CertainTeed Saint-Gobain
Joseph Cole is the Production Superintendent at CertainTeed Saint-Gobain in Russellville, AL, where he has worked for 4 years. The first three years at CertainTeed were as Process Engineer, where he managed the White Water Process as well as machine settings ,process management, and process improvement projects.
Prior to working at CertainTeed, Joseph taught high school math and engineering courses. He graduated from the University of North Alabama with a BS in Education in 2014 and a BS in Engineering Technology in 2018.
Joseph has been married to his wife Allison for 11 years. Some of Joseph’s hobbies include Zip Lining, eating, cooking, visiting theme parks, and officiating high school football games.
Paul Norton, Hychem 
General Manager at Hychem, Inc. - Specializing in organic polymers for industrial applications; including viscosity modifiers for fiber mat, flocculants for water and wastewater treatment, and separation aids for industrial processes. Received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University in 1984.
Served as officer on US Navy submarines before starting as field technical support and sales for specialty process chemicals in a wide range of industrial applications.
Over 30 years providing products and expertise in the development, production, and application of high molecular weight organic polymers in paper, fiber mat, mining, environmental, personal care and other manufacturing processes.
Christopher Gunville, Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions
Christopher Gunville is the North American Industrial Process Product Portfolio Product Applications Manager at Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions based in Sudbury, ON, Canada. He has worked in the specialty water and process chemical treatment industry for 11 years in a wide variety of industrial production facilities. Chris holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering Degree from the University of Waterloo.
Andrew Drennan, Enterprise SP
Andrew Drennan is the Technical Services Manager and an R&D Chemist at
Enterprise Specialty Products located in Laurens, South Carolina. Has been with company for almost 10 years and has held positions pertaining to all aspects of formulating, applications testing, and implementation of foam control technology. Andrew looks forward to interfacing and expanding the scope of defoamers for glass mat production. Prior to joining ESP, Andrew received a BS in Chemistry from Wofford College in 2012. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with family, running, woodworking, and cooking
Section 2: Resins, Binders, Mixing and Application
Interested in learning more about the resin chemistry that goes into the nonwovens process? Binders and mat application for Glass mat 201 will cover the basics of amino based resin chemistry and latex chemistry and their interactions in the nonwovens process. This hour and thirty minute course is part of the 201 glass mat series covering forming, application, and drying. Focused on application Robert Miller and John Norton will cover the basics of resin chemistry and the complex interactions that take place in the nonwovens process. Broken into 3 parts this talk will cover the basic chemistry involved in both amino and latex based resins that go into the nonwovens process and the application thereof.
Robert Miller, Bakelite
Robert is a Senior Scientist with Bakelite Synthetics specializing in the development of new resin technologies for the nonwovens industry. Robert has been working in the adhesives industry for over 5 years, starting as a Technical Service Representative in Albany, Oregon and later moving to Atlanta, Georgia as a Senior Scientist. Robert uses his hands on experience with customers, and his research background to bring innovative solutions to market. Robert holds a B.S in Chemistry from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a Ph.D. in Materials Organic Chemistry from the University of Vermont.
John Norton – BASF
John Norton, a Technical Specialist with BASF has a BS Textile Chemistry from North Carolina State University. Coincidentally he is also a glutton for punishment when it comes all things NC State football and basketball.
John has over 30 years of experience in the fibers, nonwovens, and the chemical industry. He is currently the Chairman of this TAPPI Fiberglass Mat Technology Committee and has been since 2020
John has worked for BASF for over fifteen (15) years in the Dispersions and Resins division as a Technical Specialist supporting latex binder development for the nonwovens market. He has presented “Glass Mat Coatings” at this conference in 2009 and has presented several times in this Short Course.
In his spare time, John likes to smoke meat (pork butt, brisket, ribs, etc.) and occasionally make cheese. He also enjoys day hiking and going to Dave Matthews and Avett Brothers concerts
Section 3: Drying & Curing - Andrew Marson, Spooner Industries Limited
This portion of the Short Course will focus on Drying and Curing. Andrew will review the Requirements for each of the steps within the Process. Digging a little deeper, Andrew will then cover the Principles of Drying, and the foundation and effects of Curing. Andrew will then discuss an overview of Mat Line Ovens and examine the features, challenges and opportunities for the industry.
Andrew Marson
Andrew Marson joined Spooner Industries in 1994 after graduating from the University of Manchester (UMIST) with a BEng in Chemical Engineering. Initially he worked on a research collaboration between Spooner and UMIST completing his Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in “Air Flotation Drying of Paper Pulp” in 1999.
Andrew held several technical and managerial positions in the company prior to being appointed as Technical Director in July 2014. He has worked with manufacturers around the world to provide equipment for drying, cooling, baking and pollution abatement of a diverse range of materials.
Andrew works in Ilkley in the North of England. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, wandering around museums and hiking around the Yorkshire Dales.