AAC Awards of Excellence Winners

The 2016 Awards of Excellence were announced during the 26th Annual Anodizing Conference in Westminster (Denver), Colorado.  The Awards of Excellence acknowledge exemplary contributions by authors and presenters from the previous year's Anodizing Conference. The Council recognized three authors for their outstanding contributions at the 2016 Anodizing Conference in Montreal, Canada. 

Donald I. Johnson Award for Best Presentation

The best presentation award is named for Donald I. Johnson, retired from AaCron, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was one of the founding fathers of the Council. He served as AAC Chairman from 1987 to 1994.

Acid Etch - Potential Environmental Issues from Ammonia

The Donald I. Johnson Award of Excellence for best presentation at the 2016 Anodizing Conference was awarded to Janette Courtney of Bonnell Aluminum for her presentation Acid Etch - Potential Environmental Issues from Ammonia.  Courtney's presentation discussed current US EPA regulations (Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act) and limits on the emissions of ammonia, either in waster water, sludge, or air.  

Robert L. Kersman Award of Excellence for Best Paper

A New Approach for the Determination of Chemistry and Optical Properties of AAO Layers Electrocolored in Tin and Copper Based Solutions

The Council presented the Robert L. Kersman Award of Excellence for best paper presented at the 2016 Anodizing Conference held in Montreal, Canada.  The recipients of the award were Pinar Afsin and Can Akyil of Conventya,  Istanbul, Turkey for their presentation A New Approach for the Determination of Chemistry and Optical Properties of AAO Layers Electrocolored in Tin and Copper Based Solutions.  This paper addressed the optimum range for the dissolved aluminum in low caustic concentration baths as post treatment after acid etch process to achieve the desired surface effect with minimum deviations from the set values such as surface gloss and the color shade.