Press release submitted on behalf of ARC.

The Association for Roll-to-Roll Converters [ARC], Greenville, South Carolina, announces, after much deliberation, the winners of the 2024 Best Paper Awards from this year’s R2R USA Conference, held recently in Charlotte, NC.

With an impressive 105 presentations, the trade group’s technical committees spent some time selecting the Best Paper for each presentation track at the conference. These selections not only highlight the hard work of their authors but also set new standards for excellence in the roll-to-roll, web-processing and printing industry.

Coating & Laminating | BEST PAPER: “Learnings from Process Safety Management” by Dr. Ted Lightfoot, Ted Lightfoot LLC. Honorable Mention: “Electrospray Deposition for Thin Film Composite Membrane Manufacturing” by Jeffrey McCutcheon, University of Connecticut.

Vacuum Web Coating / Battery / Energy | BEST PAPER: “Advancements in Plasma-Deposited Nanocoatings: Applications and Characterization” by Nicolas Vandencasteele, Plasmalex. Honorable Mention: “Metallizing Multiple Materials: The Challenges of Processing Different Substrates in Vacuum” by Robert Malay, VDI.

Web Handling | BEST PAPER: “Closed-form solutions to steady-state temperature distribution in moving webs” by Aditya Yalamamchili, Texas A&M University. Honorable Mention: “The Basics of Traction in Web-Handling Systems” by Steve Lange, ProcessDev LLC.

Printing | BEST PAPER: “Deep dive into gravure and flexo printing processes” by Tony Donato, consultant. Honorable Mention: “Use AI to Give Junior Operators The Performance of Experienced Staff” by Owen Dayoub, Oden Technologies.

Sustainability | BEST PAPER: “BOPEF film: A new sustainable solution for flexible food packaging” by Ana Lyra, Terphane. Honorable Mention: “Use PCR-PET Films – a Sustainable Alternative” by Dilip Dubey, Polyplex USA LLC.

For more information, visit www.rolltoroll.org.