By Contributing Editor Hallie Forcinio
Annual competition recognizes Product of the Year, Technology of the Year and Sustainabilty innovations in the R2R web-processing industry. Also honored at the Charlotte, NC R2R USA event were Hall of Honor inductees, President’s Award winners and Gravure Society Golden Pin recipients.
The Association for Roll-to-Roll Converters (ARC) announced the winners of its annual awards program at ceremony held during its 2024 R2R USA Conference & Expo (Sept. 22-26, 2024, Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, NC).
Product of the Year
The Solo-T Tourniquet from entrotech Inc. was recognized as the 2024 Product of the Year. This life-saving emergency tourniquet consists of a self-adhesive, film-based design that is simple and intuitive to apply. A high-strength backing film provides robust securement and the backside release coating allows for quick and easy adjustment. The lightweight, compact roll configuration allows for convenient storage, cutting to shorter lengths or reuse under certain circumstances. The judges noted the product’s reliance on multiple coatings, its life-saving potential and the use of fewer materials than competing products.
Honorable Mention in the Product of the Year competition went to Poolside by CGT for CGT-Alkor’s Brown Basalt Residential Pool Membrane. The flexible pool membrane combines anti-slip properties with the realistic look and feel of natural brown and grey stone tiles. The judging panel was impressed by the multiple converting processes involved in producing the material and the standout execution.
Sustainability Award
The Sustainability Award was earned by BOBST for its oneBARRIER FibreCycle material with AluBond metallization, developed in conjunction with UPM Specialty Papers and Michelman. The high-barrier, recycle-ready, fiber-based structure is designed to replace non-recyclable, multilayer materials based on metallized polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The mono-material, paper-based flexible packaging offers an oxygen transmission rate of < 1 cm³/(m² d) and a water vapor transmission rate of < 1 g/(m²) and is confirmed to be recyclable by PTS, the German research institute of the paper industry, 4evergreen, Aticelca and Western Michigan University. Judges described it as a game-changing, recyclable, renewable alternative to non-recyclable substrates.
Fres-co System USA, Inc. received the Honorable Mention in the Sustainability Award competition for its NEXTPAK™ recycle-ready, high-barrier, all-polyethylene coffee packaging. Said to be the first degassing-valve-equipped, high-barrier coffee package certified by the NexTrex Recycling Program, the flexible packaging material is designed to be recycled in the NexTrex Recycling Program at store drop-off locations throughout the United States. Trex upcycles approximately 450 million pounds of plastic film, bags and wraps annually in the production of its decking material. The judging panel noted that most coffee packaging consists of multiple materials and is not recyclable and was impressed that the NEXTPAK material offers the barrier and venting features required for coffee along with a specific recycling destination.
Technology of the Year
The Technology of the Year Award was bestowed on Intellivation LLC for its In-Situ Mid IR Reflectance Spectrometry for Roll-to-Roll Sputter Coaters. Coatings and multi-layers in the mid-infrared (IR) spectral range can provide optical functions for products like edge and band pass filters. These optical devices can be tailored to avoid common environmental interference factors, resulting in improved stability and durability. Functional optical coating filters are important components for emerging applications including biomedical sensors, spectrophotometric gas sensors for environmental monitoring and space-based telecommunications. The judges observed in-situ mid-IR reflection monitoring of vacuum roll-to-roll coatings improves the development and production yield of highly complex and multi-functional layer stacks for high-tech applications. They also were impressed by the technology’s potential for yet-to-be-thought-of uses.
The Honorable Mention in the Technology of the Year competition went to Maplesoft for its MapleSim 2024 advanced modeling software that simulates the physical response of web material as it travels through a web line. Two- and three-dimensional visualization tools and analysis apps allow engineers to explore the effects of changing parameters and web line elements to avoid unwanted tension fluctuations and reduce the risk of breakage and product quality issues such as wrinkles, troughs and misalignment. The judges applauded the interoperability of the software with other systems and its potential for widespread usage.
The judging session was moderated by Chris Kerscher, executive director of ARC. Members of the panel included Steve Lange, managing member, ProcessDev, LLC; Ted Lightfoot, principal consultant, Ted Lightfoot LLC; Tony Donato, retired industry expert, GAA; Paul Teachout, technical marketing and content specialist, Harper Corporation; William Pope, professor of Practice, Rochester Institute of Technology; Scott Lambert, retired sustainability leader, Sealed Air Corporation; Jim Garvey, account manager, INX International; and Mark Spaulding, editor emeritus of Converting Quarterly magazine.
Hall of Honor
Also announced during the ceremony were newly inducted members into the Association’s Hall of Honor. Members of the Hall of Honor have served both the industry and ARC by demonstrating strong leadership and commitment to the converting industry. Each inductee also has been a long-time, dedicated supporter of ARC and its predecessor organization AIMCAL.
The latest inductees in the Hall of Honor include two past presidents of AIMCAL, Bob Burgess of DuPont Teijin and Bob Korowicki of Vacumet, plus John C. Fenn Jr., a vacuum coating expert and long-time technical consultant for the association, and the late John Pasquale of New Era Converting Machinery, Inc.
Burgess actively participated in the association for several decades, serving in a variety of roles including board member and president. During his time as a director and officer, the organization established a website, published its first SourceBook, named its first two technical consultants and held its first Summer School, achievements that helped accelerate the growth of AIMCAL.
Another past president and board member, Korowicki, was active in AIMCAL for the 36 years he was associated with Vacumet, a leader in paper and film metallizing. He authored numerous articles, chaired the Packaging Committee for several years, encouraged the development of Packaging Awards and was a major face in the industry in the 80s and 90s.
Fenn has been instrumental in growing the vacuum roll-to-roll industry as an active member of ARC, its predecessor AIMCAL, and the Society of Vacuum Coaters. A prolific author, he has served as an educator and mentor and organized technical conferences. He also was instrumental in cementing the relationship between KRICT (Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology) and AIMCAL.
Pasquale’s relationship with ARC also goes back decades to AIMCAL and the Converting Equipment Manufacturers Association, long before the latter became part of AIMCAL in 2003. He served on committees and helped select papers for AIMCAL’s technical conference. He also presented papers, authored chapters on embossing and laminating for technical reference books and pioneered innovations related to embossing, multicolor valley printing and the use of powdered hot-melt adhesives for laminating.
President’s Award
The Awards Ceremony also honored three President’s Award winners: Tony Donato, a consultant and current chair of the Southern Piedmont Chapter 182 of SME, for his dedication to the print industry and support for the integration of GAA with ARC; Clarence Klassen, P.E., for his work as an ARC technical consultant and expertise related to web-handling drives, and Mark Spaulding, editor emeritus of Converting Quarterly, for his dedication to the converting industry and his efforts as founding editor-in-chief and associate publisher of the magazine.
Gravure Cylinder Society
Members of the Gravure Cylinder Society have made major personal and professional contributions to the gravure industry. This year’s honorees received their Golden Pin from Hubert Metzger, president of Chema Technology. Recipients included Alison Crawford, CEO of Midwest Print Solutions LLC; John Edwards, sales professional at Sun Chemical Corporation; Alexandra Pekarovicova, Ph.D., professor and co-director of the Center of Coating and Printing Research at Western Michigan University; Timothy Rivers, graphics and engraving manager at American Packaging Corporation; and Isaac Zickert, director of Estimating, Planning & Material Control at Inland.
More info: www.rolltoroll.org