Conferences

Citation

(2012), "Conferences", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 41 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2012.12941baa.020

Conferences

Article Type: Conferences, training and publications From: Pigment & Resin Technology, Volume 41, Issue 2

uv.eb East 2011 Technology Conference Attendance up 30 percent

Manufacturers seeking to increase their competitiveness and develop new products and processes boosted attendance by more than 30 percent at the biennial uv.eb EAST ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) conference and exhibition October 4-5 in Syracuse, New York. About 260 people attended, a 30 percent increase from the previous event held in 2009, with 40 percent of attendees potential end-users of the technology. With a large turnout from New York, the event also drew attendees from 29 states and five countries, offering a trade expo and special conference focus for printing and packaging, industrial applications, electronics and medical devices.

The event also spotlighted the start-up of a new NYSERDA funded UV/EB Tech Center in Syracuse. The center, built to accelerate commercialization of the technology, is located at State University of New York-College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF).

“Our turnout reflects the fact that US manufacturers understand they can no longer wait for the economy to improve or regulations to change – survival means utilizing state-of-the-art technologies, materials and processes such as those offered by UV and EB,” said Howard Ragin of DSM, President of RadTech, the non-profit sponsor of the event. The event was sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). NYSERDA has also offered significant funding to the UV/EB Tech Center.

UV and EB are super fast methods for curing materials such as coatings, inks, adhesives and composites used in a wide range of manufacturing applications; the technology is also used in rapid prototyping and desktop manufacturing. NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA professionals work to protect our environment and create clean-energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York since 1975.

EFI Highlights Full Portfolio of Inkjet Products at SGIA

EFI began showcasing one of the industry’s largest and most robust sign and display graphics printing portfolios at the SGIA EXPO, running through October 21, 2011 in New Orleans. Located in booth 701, EFI is featuring its VUTEk, Rastek and Jetrion lines of inkjet presses, together with the high-performance EFI Fiery XF proServer. The company is also showing their industry-leading inkjet workflow bundles that fully integrate Web-to-Print and business automation software with Fiery XF RIPs and qualifying VUTEk GS Series inkjet printers.

“We’re excited to be back at SGIA, one of the leading show venues in North America for the sign and display graphics market,” said Scott Schinlever, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Inkjet Solutions at EFI. “Visitors to our booth will find many new innovations since last year, including the breakthrough VUTEk GS3250lx with innovative LED ink curing, the first in its class. In addition, we have placed special focus on our workflow products, helping our customers eliminate bottlenecks and improve productivity and throughput to bring increased profitability to sign and display graphics businesses large and small”.

The latest generation of VUTEk GS Series printers on display at SGIA are designed to expand the range of applications that can be created, increase throughput, boost profit potential and integrate seamlessly via JDF with EFI Web-to-Print and MIS solutions for a streamlined, end-to-end production workflow. The EFI VUTEk GS3250lx, a new addition to the GS family, is a breakthrough superwide format hybrid UV printer that features first-in-class innovative LED curing technology combined with proven UV ink technology. LED UV-curing extends the range of supported substrates and reduces production time and costs, significantly reducing total cost of ownership. Its ability to print on new types of thinner substrates enables new revenue streams, while enabling cost savings by printing on thinner, lower-cost versions of standard substrates. The VUTEk GS3250lx, which prints directly to rigid or flexible roll-to-roll substrates, satisfies customer demands for a greener printing solution with less waste, fewer consumables and decreased power consumption. It also increases productivity with its continuous board print mode.

Nick Olson, owner of PVS, which recently installed a VUTEk GS3250lx, has leveraged its capabilities to reduce costs and grow his business. He says, “The GS3250lx has enabled us to print on thinner substrates. This saves on both cost of materials and shipping. Now we can roll up output for shipping instead of using flat boxes, saving the customer about 30 percent on the job due to a lower cost of materials, as well as a 30 percent reduction in the cost of shipping. In addition, we are very excited about the new applications this printer has enabled, including the ability to print on aluminum (0.020) and steel (22 gauge), wood, artist cotton canvas, 0.015 or thinner rigid materials, and thermoform PETG (0.015-0.020). It will certainly be a growth engine for our business”.

The 3.2-m EFI VUTEk GS3250r is designed to increase profitability by quickly and efficiently producing high-margin, closely viewed indoor applications with its six-color, 1,000 dpi image quality and UV roll-to-roll productivity. Its stunning print quality at high-speed ensures that customers will profit from increased production speeds and lower costs on a wider range of substrates and applications, and capture higher volume, premium-margin jobs with high quality point-of-purchase (P-O-P) output at up to 1,200 ft m²/h (111 m²/h). The VUTEk GS3250r includes multi-queue functionality and double-sided printing for added efficiency and capability. It comes standard with flexible co-branded EFI and 3M Premium UV Ink that increases application range and enables printing on a wider range of substrates, and output printed on 3M flexible media may qualify for 3M MCS Warranty. The highly versatile EFI VUTEk GS5000r five-meter, roll-to-roll UV printer enables print shops to quickly and efficiently produce premium-margin jobs, like exhibition graphics, retail signage and digital textiles, as well as commercial graphics and long-term outdoor signage, including building wraps and fleet graphics, with one printer. For P-O-P image quality demands, it offers high-definition, eight-color plus optional white capability to produce life-like skin tones, smooth gradients and crisp four-point text. Users gain market-penetrating versatility with multi-roll printing on up to three 60-in. rolls simultaneously along with optional automated double-sided printing. It also comes standard with flexible co-branded EFI and 3M Premium UV Ink and qualifies for the 3M MCS Warranty when printing on 3M flexible media.

The EFI VUTEk TX3250r3.2m dye-sublimation textile printer, which will be featured in Hilord’s booth 401, combines industrial productivity, high-quality output and application versatility to meet the growing demand and requirements of the soft signage and digital textile market. Its sublimation dyes offer rich, durable colors for polyester-based materials. With the ability to print direct to textile and transfer paper, the VUTEk TX3250r is an ideal solution for shops looking to grow their soft signage and textile business with the speeds of a production-level printer. It also enables users to diversify their offering by converting traditional vinyl signage to a product with lower shipping costs, a greener footprint, easier installation and higher margins. For smaller businesses, those just getting started in the sign and display graphics business, or those wanting to augment their printing capabilities, EFI Rastek printers are an ideal solution and can meet ROI requirements with as little as 2 h per day of operation.

The EFI Rastek H652 UV hybrid printer produces stunning image quality on rigid and flexible media with variable drop grayscale print heads. With standard white ink printing capability and mid-level production speeds, it is an ideal solution for growing print shops taking their first step into true production printing. It also offers larger print shops additional capacity relief, production redundancy and specialty capabilities. EFI’s Rastek T1000 flatbed has a three-zone, 52×98 in. vacuum table with the versatility to quickly and easily handle materials up 2 in. thick, including difficult-to-handle substrates that require superior hold-down. With speeds up to 460 ft² per hour and grayscale print quality with resolution up to 1,200 dpi, the T1000 is ideal for creating head-turning posters and point-of-purchase displays, along with specialty industrial applications such as membrane switches and packaging applications. The T1000 offers white ink capabilities with the ability to print in white at close to the same speed as CMYK, making it many times faster than others in its class. It is ideal for shops that want to enter traditional signage and specialty applications.

“In today’s highly competitive market,” added Marc Olin, GM of EFI’s Software Applications (“APPS”) business unit, “putting a new press on the production floor is not sufficient to guarantee business success. As run lengths decline overall, and as the cross-over point between analog and digital continues to climb, the secret to success is a fully integrated production and business environment that eliminates as many manual touches as possible. That is why EFI has put tremendous effort into providing business and production solutions for the sign and display graphics market that ensure as much efficiency and automation as possible”.

International Industry Conference on the Market Potential for the Production of Conventional Polymers from Sustainable Sources

20-22 March 2012, Maritim Hotel, Cologne, Germany.

Organised by Applied Market Information Ltd.

AMI’s 1st International Conference on Green Chemistry in the Polymer Industry will take place from 20-22 March 2012 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany. Green Polymer Chemistry 2012 provides a forum for environment and sustainability managers, business development professionals, chemical engineers, plastics manufacturers, researchers and suppliers to the industry to debate the latest developments in producing conventional polymers from sustainable sources such as plants, waste and CO₂. There is a welcome reception on the first evening followed by a two-day programme of presentations. Conventional plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PET and nylon, have a well-established performance record in protecting and preserving food and water supplies worldwide, from high pressure pipes to thin film packaging. The global population is expanding rapidly and fossil fuel supplies are dwindling, so the polymer supply chain needs to find alternative feedstocks to be sustainable.

As well as using bio-sources as feedstock, there is a trend to use production methods from nature, particularly enzymes. “There is nothing new under the sun” and this has been used for thousands of years, with yeast generating gas in bread and alcohol in beer. This opens up a lot of potential chemical pathways in combination with established thermocatalytic chemistry. The programme this year includes sustainability papers from Unilever and the Ford Motor Company alongside expert presentations from majors in the chemical industry including BASF, Süd-Chemie, Braskem, Chemtex Italia, DSM and Merquinsa, alongside research institutes such as the Wageningen University, which specialises in agriculture. There will be market papers on potential sources of monomers and polymers including an economic review of the availability and competition for bio-products. Green Polymer Chemistry 2012 offers an excellent networking opportunity to debate sustainable solutions to the polymer industry supply challenges.

Attending, exhibiting and sponsoring

There are early bird registration rates available now. If you would like to attend, exhibit or sponsor please contact Clara Fontana for your personal copy of the programme, Tel.: +44 117 924 9442, e-mail: cf@amiplastics.com