Application of green technology to radiation curing will be on show at RadTech Europe 2011.

Suppliers, manufacturers and users of radiation curing technology will convene in Basel, Switzerland, from 18-20 October for the RadTech Europe Conference & Exhibition, which will be held under the motto “UV/EB ? Green Technology for Innovation”. During this three-day event, and the concurrent exhibition, they will listen to eminent experts from around the world present a total of 70 papers in 14 sessions. Up to 45 international exhibitors have signed up for the exhibition. When experts from throughout the radiation curing sector, such as raw materials and coatings manufacturers, instrument and machine makers, and users of this technology, organise a get-together, knowledge sharing is very much to the fore. This three-day event will enable attendees to catch up on the latest developments, both during the conference and at the exhibition. In 2009, the difficult financial crisis curtailed the programme to two days. This year’s programme extends over three to accommodate the large number of submissions in Innovations, notes RadTech president David Helsby. "One trend that has substantially grown of late is that of sustainability or green technology and this is reflected in our theme for this years conference. We have had to extend the Innovations session to allow for the large number of papers submitted.”

 More exhibitors, more floor space

As of 23.08.2011, a total of 39 exhibitors had signed up for 600 m2 floor space, up from 32 two years ago INSERT INTO [lzx].[dbo].[tb_new]([id],[type],[title],[source],[personal],[image],[contents],[time],[number]) VALUES (2009: barely 500 m2). And more are expected. The exhibition is the European event for major users of radiation curing materials and equipment, including electron accelerators, UV equipment and lasers in the graphics, wood, electronic and optical industries, and the plastics, converting and  packaging industries. And the trend is growing, not simply because of increasing pressure to dispense with organic solvents and to improve product performance. International exhibitors will be demonstrating various fields of application for UV/EB curing technology on the show floor.

Range of products on display:

• Raw materials for radiation curing coatings
• Radiation curing coatings
• Radiation curing equipment
• Testing equipment
• Services
• Coating, laminating and printing equipment

Eco-friendly innovations

Some 14 sessions have been set aside for international experts to explain the latest innovations in process technology and chemistry. But there will also be an emphasis on safety and developments in different substrates.These fall under the motto “UV/EB ? Green Technology for Innovation”. The RadTech Europe Conference & Exhibition 2011 therefore makes an ideal forum for all parties interested in the technology of radiation curing to meet and engage in direct dialogue, exchange views, listen to new ideas, learn more about legislation, discover innovations and find solutions.

3D curing with only one UV lamp

In the first session, entitled “Innovations”, Dr.Marc Amkreutz from the Fraunhofer IFAM, Germany, will present a new approach for simulating the crosslinking reaction of UV-cured coatings and generating realistic model structures as a function of the formulation and  ambient conditions. Such models can be used to relate the mechanical properties of UV-cured coatings to the molecular network. The presentation by Oliver Starzmann, IST Metz GmbH, will surely be extremely interesting, too. In Session 8, he will talk on the subject of “Increasing process efficiency ? Curing of three-dimensional subjects with only one UV lamp” in which he will describe a new unit concept for 3D UV curing, discuss the technical arrangements and demonstrate how the light efficiency reaching the substrate can be increased and at the same time homogenised.

New addition: New Product Introductions

The RadTech Europe Conference & Exhibition 2011 will include an additional commercial session for the first time, called New Product Introductions, in which RadTech members will have the opportunity to give a short presentation to promote their latest developments in UV/EB products and equipment. These commercial presentations will take place in the exhibition area and admission is free for exhibitors, visitors and conference attendees. A full poster session will be held after the oral presentations of the first conference day, starting at 17.00 h on Tuesday, 18 October 2011. Posters will be displayed in the Exhibition hall and poster contributors will be on hand to explain their results to interested delegates during this session.

Networking is important ? even during the excursion

Special emphasis is placed on networking, and numerous opportunities are provided for this throughout the programme. To get everyone involved, all conference coffee and lunch breaks take place within the exhibition. This will give all conference attendees the opportunity to extend or strengthen their professional network. In addition, there will be after-work events so that you can meet clients and prospective customers in a perfect setting. This year, for the first time, there will be an excursion to a live demonstration of UV inertisation and electron-beam curing. The Müller Martini Democenter in Maulburg will demonstrate the newly launched Variable Sleeve Offset Printing (VSOP) machine technology which focuses on UV inertisation and electron-beam curing. This evening event will be free of charge for all conference attendees and will be rounded off by some light refreshments, and again offers an opportunity for colleagues and experts to mix. Registration for this excursion is done concurrently with conference registration.

The following leading companies and institutions are presenting their research results and current developments at the RadTech Europe 2011:

BASF SE - Bayer MaterialScience - Byk Chemie GmbH - Comet AG - Cytec Surface Specialties - Eit Instrumental Markets - Electron Crosslinking - AB Energy Sciences Inc. - Evonik Industries AG - Flash Physics - Fusion UV Systems Gm