CCAI Pretreatment Online Course

Course start date: September 14, 2026

Course length: 6 weeks

Course cost: $750 for member; $975 for non-members

CCAI Individual Membership is $125.  If you are interested in becoming a member to take advantage of the member discount for this course and other CCAI events and products, please CLICK HERE for more information and to join online.

GROUP DISCOUNT AVAILABLE - Register 2 or more people from the same company at the same time to receive discounted registration! The first person will receive the regular rate and each additional attendee will receive a $100 discount!

Space is limited

This self-paced course will provide a thorough understanding of the pretreatment process. Weekly quizzes, forum discussions and a final exam will be administered and graded by a CCAI instructor. Course cost includes the accompanying CCAI Pretreament for Industrial Finishing Applications training manual ($69 value), provided prior to the commencement of the course (students must register at least 10 days prior to the start of the course to receive manual in advance).

Students can expect to spend approximately 3-4 hours per week reviewing the course material, reading the chapters, participating in the forum and taking the quiz, depending on the pace of the student. Materials for the upcoming week will be provided in advance and the conclusion of the course quiz must be submitted by the Sunday night following the week.

This course will cover surface cleaning and conversion coating methods used in effective industrial finishing operations. The information included is a summation of known technology and process issues that affect the cleaning and pretreatment process. It will prove useful to the beginner as well as the experienced industrial finisher and can be used for training and reference.

Topics covered:

• Introduction to Paint Pretreatment
• Cleaning
• Phosphating
• Advanced Pretreatments
• Rinsing
• Substrates
• Washer Design
• Maintenance and Control
• Performance
• Waste Treatment
• Troubleshooting

INSTRUCTOR: Rich Saddler
Rich has over 35 years of experience in manufacturing including positions as Finishing Engineer, Manufacturing Engineering Manager, and Operations Manager in small as well as large billion dollar-a-year companies. Academically, he holds an associate’s degree in Finishing Technology, a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology, a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a master’s degree in Manufacturing Management which provide him with a broad educational background that allows him to approach and solve problems with creative solutions.

During his career he has installed multiple new finishing lines for both metal and wood products, worked on existing finishing lines to improve capacity & efficiency and lower costs. Rich has also implemented new technology in other manufacturing processes to solve problems, reduce lead times and improve product flow. He founded Industrial Finishing Solutions LLC in 2009 as an independent finishing consultant to assist companies who are seeking additional resources in their finishing operations. During his 35 years in the industry he has served on local and national boards to help improve the industry. Rich has presented technical papers on finishing technology at local and national conferences. He received Project Management Certification in 2013.

Space is limited 

*Note - You may only take 1 online course at a time.