Application Specialist – Wood Coatings | $45K–$65K | BlueWorx
Location: El Reno, OK
Employment Type: Full-Time
Pay: $45,000–$65,000/year (DOE)
Shift: 1st Shift / Day Shift
Travel: Minimal to none
BlueWorx is seeking an experienced Application Specialist – Wood Coatings for a specialized technical position in El Reno, OK. This role is ideal for someone with extensive hands-on experience applying industrial wood coatings and operating professional spray and finishing equipment.
The Application Specialist will work closely with laboratory, product development, technical service, and sales teams to test coatings, troubleshoot application issues, evaluate product performance, and help translate new coating formulations into successful real-world applications.
Position Overview
This is a hands-on technical role focused on industrial wood finishing and spray application. The Application Specialist will conduct spray testing, evaluate coating performance, maintain finishing equipment, troubleshoot application problems, and support new product development and launches.
The ideal candidate understands not only how to spray coatings, but also how coating chemistry, equipment settings, application techniques, and production conditions affect the finished product.
Key Responsibilities
- Conduct spray application testing for new and existing wood coating products
- Evaluate stains, lacquers, conversion varnishes, waterborne coatings, and two-component finishes
- Test and document dry-to-handle, dry-to-sand, and dry-to-stack times
- Evaluate atomization, transfer efficiency, film build, flow, leveling, sanding quality, appearance, feel, and slip
- Test stain applications for color development, wipe characteristics, spray/no-wipe performance, and drying
- Identify coating and application defects and recommend adjustments
- Perform competitive product testing and benchmarking
- Establish recommended spray parameters and equipment settings
- Document testing results and communicate findings to technical and commercial teams
- Support coating validation for new product launches
- Assist with troubleshooting during product trials and evaluations
Spray Equipment & Finishing Systems
Candidates should have hands-on experience setting up and operating industrial finishing equipment, including:
- Airless spray systems
- Air-Assisted Airless systems
- HVLP spray guns
- Conventional spray equipment
- Pumps and pressure pots
- Fluid delivery and circulation systems
- Spray booths and filtration systems
The Application Specialist will also maintain, calibrate, clean, and troubleshoot spray equipment and ensure finishing areas operate safely and efficiently.
Wood Coatings Experience
Strong hands-on knowledge of industrial wood finishing products is important for this position, including:
- Stains
- Lacquers
- Pre-catalyzed lacquers
- Conversion varnishes
- Waterborne coatings
- Two-component finishes
Candidates should understand how these coatings behave in a production spray environment and be capable of diagnosing issues such as orange peel, dry spray, poor atomization, inconsistent film build, and other finish defects.
Qualifications
- 5+ years of industrial wood finishing or coatings application experience preferred
- Strong hands-on spray application experience
- Experience working with industrial finishing and fluid-delivery equipment
- Knowledge of wood coating application techniques and production finishing processes
- Strong mechanical aptitude for maintaining and troubleshooting spray equipment
- Ability to evaluate coating performance and accurately document results
- Strong attention to detail and observational skills
- Ability to communicate technical findings clearly
- Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities
- Ability to work effectively with laboratory, product development, technical service, sales, and manufacturing teams
- High school diploma or equivalent required
Experience with OEM wood manufacturers, cabinet manufacturing, furniture finishing, millwork, or other production wood-finishing operations is highly preferred.
Physical & Work Requirements
- Ability to work in laboratory, manufacturing, spray booth, and office environments
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods as needed
- Ability to safely operate spray and finishing equipment
- Ability to lift and move materials weighing up to 50 lbs
- Strong visual ability for evaluating color, finish quality, defects, and coating appearance
- Ability to safely handle tools, equipment, coatings, and finishing materials
- Follow all environmental, health, and safety procedures
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