Date
Friday, October 2, 2026
Time
12:00 p.m EST
Location
Virtual Event
Price
Member: Free
Non-Member: Free
FIRST Friday Episode #15: Coatings and Applications
Coatings play an increasingly important role in flexible packaging, influencing everything from appearance and performance to product protection and package functionality. But selecting the right coating is only part of the equation—successful results also depend on understanding the application, converting process and interaction between materials.
In this 30-minute FIRST Friday discussion, FTA staff will be joined by Jay Downey, Product Manager at Sun Chemical and a 37-year veteran of the flexible packaging industry, for a technical conversation about coatings and their applications. The discussion will explore aesthetic and functional coatings, common application considerations, how coatings interact with the converting process, and the variables that can influence performance on press and throughout the finished package.
Drawing on experience from both the converting and supplier sides of the industry, Downey will share practical insight into how printers and converters can better evaluate coating technologies, troubleshoot application challenges and identify opportunities to add performance and value to flexible packaging.
Whether you work directly with coatings or simply want to better understand their role in the packaging workflow, this FIRST Friday will provide a practical introduction to the technology, terminology and application considerations behind today’s coating solutions.
Speakers
Jay Downey
Jay Downey is a Product Manager at Sun Chemical, responsible for laminating adhesives and coatings for the flexible packaging market. With 37 years of experience in the flexible packaging industry, he has served 27 years on the converting side and the last 10 years on the supply side. Over the last 10 years he has spearheaded cumulative growth in lamination adhesives, aesthetic coatings and barrier coatings. Previously he held senior leadership positions where he built high performing technical, operational and customer teams from the ground up. He is recognized as a leader in the flexible packaging industry as an application expert of lamination adhesives and coatings. His passion, knowledge and understanding of the industry, applications, operations, products, processes and techniques is exceptional. He is always one to look outside the box and has an uncanny ability to come up with solutions where others could not. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from UW-Stevens Point and a bachelor’s degree in business management from UW-Superior.
