Whirlpool Corporation, PPG and IPG Photonics, winners of IRI’s 2026 Innovation Excellence Award for Open Innovation, partnered to develop and validate a laser-based curing platform designed to replace energy-intensive thermal ovens in industrial powder coating operations. By combining IPG’s laser technology, PPG’s coatings know-how and Whirlpool’s manufacturing environment and expertise, the collaboration is advancing a fully electric curing approach with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, shrink production footprints, improve heat control and accelerate throughput at industrial scale. The principals from these three leading technology companies will engage with the IRI in an active discourse covering how these innovations were conceived and put into practice as well as their lessons learned from creating this multifaceted partnership.
Matt Reiter
Chance Willis
Scot Blommel
Toby Strite
