AIMCAL 50th Anniversary Program

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// Letter from the AIMCAL Past President

AIMCAL turns 50 Dear AIMCAL Members,

// CONTENTS

W

elcome to a very Special Edition publication commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators. Fifty years…

Wow!

A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD Shepherding decades of growth................................... 4 1998-2019: AIMCAL gains members, financial stability and international scope while delivering ever-increasing value to its members and the industry overall.

AIMCAL: 50 years of milestones................................... 4

In this year – 2020 – AIMCAL celebrates this great achievement throughout the year at multiple events, but we wanted to capture it also in this exclusive magazine. Inside, you will read about the history and growth of AIMCAL under the leadership of Past Executive Director Craig Sheppard and the pathway that is set for our new Executive Director, Chris Kerscher, to blaze. Along with reading about the 50 years of AIMCAL milestones, you can also read about the soon-to-be 10-year anniversary of our official technical journal, Converting Quarterly.

Honored among the past Presidents, Board of Directors, Committee Chairs and Members is a new group – the 2020 AIMCAL Hall of Honor, which was started for this 50-year celebration and features the biographies and comments of five outstanding, inaugural inductees.

And, this edition would not be a true AIMCAL publication without a handful of articles dedicated to the state-of-the-art technology in our coating, laminating and metallizing industry from some of our favorite AIMCAL technical contributors.

Enjoy this special publication issue and share it with your colleagues as a true celebration story.

With Best Regards, Milan Moscaritolo AIMCAL Past President

A new era begins........................................................... 8 2020: Kerscher prepares to lead AIMCAL forward to grow member value, membership count and international recognition as a vital technical resource.

Converting Quarterly.................................................. 13 AIMCAL’s technical journal prepares to celebrate 10 years.

AIMCAL Board of Directors & Committee Chairs....... 14 AIMCAL Company Membership List........................... 16 AIMCAL Past Presidents............................................. 22

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AIMCAL establishes new Hall of Honor...................... 24 Inaugural Class of 2020 honors five special individuals who have devoted much of their careers to making AIMCAL the best it can be.

TECHNOLOGY FORECASTS Tomorrow’s tech upgrades will keep expanding a converter’s abilities to create new products............ 28

By Dr. Edward D. Cohen Breathrough opportunities await in new barrier materials, ALD processing and batteries..................... 31

By Dr. Charles A. Bishop Converters must make best use of data overdose, automation in tomorrow’s higher-tech world.............. 35

By Dr. David R. Roisum Slitting advances from scissors to Wi-Fi-enabled knifeholders..................................... 37

By Dave Rumson

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// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

Congratulations to AIMCAL on its 50th anniversary!

// A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD

AIMCAL: A 50-Year Timeline 1970s

Vacuum Metallizers Association broadens scope, adopts the name Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL) and launches with 30 members.

A committee structure fosters the work of the group.

1980s

Records transition from handwritten ledgers to computer under the direction of Executive Director Bob Marsh.

1995

Colleen Liederbach becomes Executive Director. AIMCAL office moves to Cleveland, OH.

1998

www.AIMCAL.org goes live.

Package of the Year Award is renamed in honor of Peter Rigney, a long-time champion of AIMCAL’s Metallized or Vacuum-Coated Package & Label Competition. He passed away on Feb. 1, 1997, and spent 25 years at Paper, Film & Foil Converter magazine, first as editor and later as publisher.

Shepherding decades of growth 1998-2019: AIMCAL gains members, financial stability and international scope while delivering ever-increasing value to its members.

By Converting Quarterly Contributing Editor Hallie Forcinio

I

n 1998, the AIMCAL Board of Directors undertook the search for a new executive director and invited Craig Sheppard to apply. Sheppard, who worked for member company Rexam, had attended several Management Meetings and served on the Membership Committee, where he stressed the need for providing more value to members. He was hired in June 1998.

Why did you decide to apply for the position?

Sheppard: Two past presidents told me taking the position was Craig Sheppard a bad idea because “the organization is dying.” AIMCAL was losing money and members. Programming consisted of the Management Meeting and a fledgling technical conference but not much else. However, it was clear there was a small group of loyal and devoted members dedicated to the group.

I was ready for a change and a challenge. I figured that even if AIMCAL didn’t work out for me, the position was a great opportunity to network within the industry for a new job. Mostly though, I believed AIMCAL represented a great, untapped opportunity.

What were the three biggest challenges as you took the reins?

Sheppard: The group was in financial disarray, overspending what it was bringing in.

Craig Sheppard becomes Executive Director. AIMCAL office moves to Fort Mill, SC. First AIMCAL SourceBook is published and debuts at Labelexpo Americas.

Updated Website adds “Ask AIMCAL,” job opportunities section and SourceBook information.

AIMCAL Awards 2001

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// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD \\ So, the first challenge was to get to a good place fiscally by growing the membership, controlling costs and finding opportunities to grow the base.

From my time on the AIMCAL Membership Committee, I knew that increased value in membership and our events was needed to create the engagement that’s critical for the association to grow. I needed to figure out what our members were looking for and how I could create that.

The greatest challenge was to become and stay relevant in our industry. Too many people in the converting industry had no idea what AIMCAL was or why their company should be a member. Relevancy in your industry is the ultimate challenge for an association. If your offerings aren’t relevant to a member’s needs, then you will lose that member. You have to understand and deliver what’s important to your membership.

What did you do first?

Sheppard: One of the first things I did was encourage members that weren’t current with their dues to pay up. That got us from 93 paid members to about 106 before the end of the year. It also gave AIMCAL a much-needed infusion of funds.

The Board approved money to publish the AIMCAL SourceBook. The first edition was distributed at Labelexpo Americas in September 1998. I had member plaques made for exhibitors at that show to raise awareness of the group. The plaques cost about $1 each, but finances were so tight, I ran around at the end of the show to collect the plaques for reuse at CMM International, where I repeated the process of handing out SourceBooks and member plaques.

Seeing the AIMCAL name everywhere helped generate interest among prospective members, and membership jumped by about one-third during the first few years after this.

“Relevancy in your industry is the ultimate challenge for an association. You have to understand and deliver what’s important to your membership.”

continued on page 6

Dr. Edward D. Cohen becomes AIMCAL’s first technical consultant.

Membership rises 18% since June 1.

1999

AIMCAL hires Norma Bryant as its first office manager.

First AIMCAL Summer School holds three days of courses.

“Ask AIMCAL” column becomes a regular feature in CONVERTING Magazine.

Paper, Film & Foil Converter publishes a special supplement in honor of AIMCAL’s 30th anniversary. Membership stands at 145.

Website refresh goes live.

2000

AIMCAL News expands, adds pages plus four-color cover.

Dr. Eldridge M. Mount begins serving as technical consultant for metallizing.

Board establishes Technical Advisory Panel. Led by Technical Consultants Ed Cohen and Eldridge Mount, inaugural members include James Wheeler, David Roisum, E. Lawrence (Larry) Gogolin, Neil Steinberg and Edgar Gutoff.

2001

Summer School draws international students.

AIMCAL explores ways to work with the Polymers, Laminations, Adhesives, Coatings & Extrusions Div. (PLACE) of TAPPI.

AIMCAL Awards 2002

AIMCAL Awards 2002

u www.aimcal.org \\

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// A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD continued from page 5

Fall Technical Conference merges with the International Web Vacuum Conference led by Dr. Robert Bakish.

AIMCAL sponsors Release Papers and Films Europe Conference in Amsterdam, organized by AWA Alexander Watson Associates.

A refreshed Website debuts, includes new job-posting service.

Board formulates strategic plan for 2001-2004.

2002

AIMCAL sponsors publication of Metallized Papers & Films World Sourcebook 2002: Markets, Materials and Technologies by AWA Alexander Watson Associates.

To help develop technical content, I recruited Dr. Edward Cohen, who had recently retired from DuPont, to serve as a technical consultant. I owe much of our early technical success to Ed. We continued to push adding value and recruited a second technical consultant, Dr. Eldridge Mount, a metallizing expert who had recently retired from Exxon/Mobil Films.

About mid-way through 1999, finances were stable enough that I could afford to hire the first part-time employee, and Norma Bryant (an IT veteran from Philip Morris and Eastern Airlines) came on board. She took initiative and was just what AIMCAL needed. In no time, I was able to hire her full-time.

From this point forward, it was no longer I – it was we.

Meanwhile, the Internet was becoming more important. So, we established a Website, www.aimcal.org. In fact, we were committed to the Web long before most other associations. We also had a great relationship with the press and kept in close touch with the editors I had worked with during my days at Rexam. Yolanda Simonsis of PFFC and Mark Spaulding, when he was editor of CONVERTING Magazine, were huge supporters of AIMCAL in those early years.

2003

As time passed, we recruited more consultants and formed the Technical Advisory Panel. Through these efforts, we developed a reputation for meetings that not only offered meaty content but were fun, too. We wanted attendees to have a great experience and come back. I think we’ve been successful with that.

AIMCAL hosts Pavilion at ICE 2003 in Munich, Germany.

Another way to create awareness of the organization and add value to members was to find new ways to partner with other associations and groups. We never took the attitude that groups like SVC and TAPPI were competitors. Partnering opened the doors for both groups to gain access to new information, new markets and new suppliers and play to each other’s strengths in program planning and meeting logistics.

Converting Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) merges with AIMCAL.

2004

AIMCAL hosts first Safety Summit.

AIMCAL Summer School adds European edition.

John Fenn Jr. begins serving as Technical Consultant in specialty roll coating.

How international was the group when you became executive director?

Sheppard: There were a handful of international members, primarily sales and marketing offices seeking access to the US market. The homeland headquarters really weren’t involved. That began to change about 10 years ago when we started doing events in Europe.

AIMCAL office moves to larger headquarters at 201 Springs St. (Ft. Mill, SC) and expands full-time staff from two to four.

2005

AIMCAL collaborates with the Flexible Packaging Association to organize the 2005 Safety Conference and Environmental Summit.

AIMCAL Awards 2010

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// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

AIMCAL Awards 2010

A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD \\

“As the international scope widened, I proposed the Board change the ‘I’ in AIMCAL from Industrial to International. This was a big step but conveys who we are today.”

We’ve made a concerted effort to find and develop partners in Europe, like Fraunhofer (Germany), AIMPLAS (Spain) and, more recently, in Asia with KRICT (Korea). Having feet on the ground is a huge advantage when establishing a reputation and organizing events overseas.

Partnerships often start with an introduction by a committee member, consultant or conference attendee and take some time to develop. For example, the conversation with KRICT began four or five years ago at a Technical Conference when John Fenn invited the organization to present a couple papers. The next year, a larger group from KRICT attended the conference, and we set up a private lunch.

It went incredibly well, and they told us they would love to present a similar conference in Korea. The relationship with AIMPLAS, the host of this year’s R2R Conference Europe, evolved similarly.

As the international scope widened, I proposed the Board change the “I” in AIMCAL from Industrial to International. This was a big step but conveys who we are today.

Why have collaborations with groups like Fraunhofer and KRICT been successful?

Sheppard: We describe ourselves as horizontal. We represent technology that’s applied in different markets. Most of our partners represent vertical markets. We bring the base technology that they can build on for their vertical platforms.

What has it been like to grow from a one-person office to the current staff?

Sheppard: In the early years, I did pretty much everything – one day meeting with CEOs, the next day cleaning the office or sitting around a table with my parents, who would help collate mailings. As we added staff, complexity and structure, my role became more administrative. The challenge was to maintain an entrepreneurial, aggressive mindset and to be ready to take the next step to deliver new benefits to members.

AIMCAL launches four blogs: Web Coating and Laminating; Vacuum Web Coating; Web Handling and Converting; and Specialty Web Coating.

Membership reaches 235.

Tracey Ingram (now Messina) joins staff as Administration Manager.

2006

AIMCAL holds first Applied Web Handling Conference (AWEB).

Technical Advisory Panel adds Dr. Jerry Brown, Dr. Dilwyn Jones and Dick Swisher.

Extrusion Coating Blog debuts.

Shuzo Fuchigami joins the Technical Advisory Panel.

2007

With the unexpected death of Dr. Bernard Henry, a barrier technology expert and avid runner, AIMCAL works with Society of Vacuum Coaters to set up a memorial scholarship fund.

CEMA co-locates Coating & Laminating and Slitting & Rewinding seminars at CMM International 2007.

AIMCAL Theatre at CMM International 2007 features peerreviewed presentations about new technology.

Summer School is presented in India and the United States.

What memorable moments come to mind when you think about your time at AIMCAL?

Sheppard: Getting to know members, “owners” if you will, always was the highlight of the job. When I think back over the years, the best memories are related to all the incredible people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet. So many became good friends. I will miss not being able to see the people I’ve enjoyed working with over the years.

What do you see as the major accomplishments of your tenure with the association?

Sheppard: Accomplishments go back to relevancy. AIMCAL is relevant in the roll-tocontinued on page 8

AIMCALJobs.com debuts, replacing the Jobs Forum section on the AIMCAL Website.

u www.aimcal.org \\

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// A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD continued from page 7

2008

Summer School evolves into Converting School and first two courses are given in Jacksonville, FL, with additional courses scheduled in the United States, Europe and India.

Norma Bryant retires.

AIMCAL hosts Pavilion at Converting Show India and presents a two-day Converting School course on Web Handling and Converting.

Fall Technical Conference organizes first Bernard Henry Fun Run to benefit the Bernard Henry Memorial Scholarship Fund.

CEMA presents its Slitting & Rewinding course in conjunction with PACK EXPO Las Vegas / CPP Expo.

2009

Sixteen-page brochure, “Do Tight Travel Budgets Have You Spending More Time in the Office? AIMCAL Technical Resources Come to You,” outlines member benefits.

Web Handling Blog celebrates its 100,000th hit.

Annual awards program presents first Sustainability Awards.

First Webinars draw crowds.

AIMCAL sponsors Barrier Web Materials Conference held by AWA Alexander Watson Associates in Amsterdam.

AIMCAL establishes group on LinkedIn.

2010

Members vote to change the “I” in AIMCAL from Industrial to International, effective Jan. 1, 2011.

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// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

roll industry today. Relevancy is achieved when an association delivers the value sought by its members and the industry. We’ve never been afraid to lead. Over the years, we have tried different things and took risks when it made sense. Outcomes weren’t always successful. But, we have created value to the point that today we are relevant worldwide, not just in the US.

What words of advice do you have for the new director and staff going forward?

Sheppard: Focus on the needs of the people who make up the industry. Shortly after I started as executive director, I attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Association Executives to learn about managing an association. I was leaning against a wall at a reception and met the executive director of the Black Powder Rifle Association. When he learned I was a new executive director, he offered three pieces of advice. “First, when things are going really good, give full credit to your board of directors.” Second, he said, “When things are going really bad, give full credit to your board of directors.” Lastly, he said, “You’re not the target when you’re in the back of the room.” I took that advice to heart and always made sure the Board, the volunteers and the members were the focus. Participation by board members and other volunteers is key to the success of AIMCAL. I always understood it’s not about me.

A new era begins 2020: Kerscher prepares to lead AIMCAL forward to grow member value, membership count and international scope.

By Converting Quarterly Contributing Editor Hallie Forcinio

W

hen Past Executive Director Craig Sheppard announced plans to retire at the end of 2019, the AIMCAL Board of Directors began a search process that would ensure an orderly transition. After reviewing qualifications and interviewing candidates, the Board chose Chris Kerscher, who was able to work closely with Sheppard and the AIMCAL staff for the last five months of 2019 before officially assuming the Executive Director title on Jan. 1, 2020.

Kerscher brings to AIMCAL a strong background in technology, marketing, sales, association management and strategy, as well as experience with international teams and all stages of the plastics and specialty-material value chain.

Chris Kerscher

His background includes many years of association board experience, primarily with the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Flexible Packaging Div., where he served as marketing chair (2007-2009), technical program chair (2013-2015) and board chairman (2016-2018). As the technical program chair, he was instrumental in coordinating efforts for the first joint AIMCAL/SPE conference (now the R2R Conference USA/ FlexPackCon). As board chair, he led the volunteer board and motivated committee chairs. He also oversaw the annual budgeting process, including operations, fundraising, investments and scholarships.

A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD \\ Kerscher comes to AIMCAL from A. Schulman (Akron, OH), now LyondellBasell, where he most recently served as market development manager for the additive masterbatch business unit. In that role, he worked across the value chain, supporting resin companies, film extruders, converters and large global brands.

Supplement in Paper, Film & Foil Converter helps celebrate 40th anniversary.

Membership stands at 218.

Why did you decide to apply for the position of Executive Director?

Kerscher: The opportunity to join AIMCAL is a unique one, and I’m grateful to the Board and Craig for letting me interview for the position. It’s an opportunity to give back and serve the industry I’ve been a part of for years. In addition, AIMCAL is a respected industry association with a strong core group of leaders, volunteers and member companies.

I felt there was a good fit between my background in research & development and strategic marketing. I’ve always enjoyed figuring out how things work and making new connections. My passion for developing products and people fits well with the Board’s goals for growth.

What experience do you bring to the job?

Kerscher: My formal background is in Chemical Engineering (Bachelor of Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA) and Business (Master of Business Administration from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta, GA).

I’ve worked in the specialty-chemical and flexible-packaging areas for the past 18 years.

This experience is a good complement to AIMCAL’s technical focus and goals to grow.

I’m looking forward to working with our converter and supplier members to learn more about roll-to-roll processes and how our association can bring even more value to the industry.

What do you see as AIMCAL’s three biggest strengths?

Kerscher: AIMCAL’s three biggest strengths are its reputation, engaged membership and technical expertise. First and foremost, AIMCAL is recognized as a leading organization with a strong foundation for continued success. Its respected reputation across the industry is a testament to the hard work of the board, the staff and our members.

continued on page 10

Converting Quarterly E-News, publication Website and socialmedia channels premiere. CQE reaches initial audience of 6,000+.

Website undergoes another redesign, now includes a link to Converting Quarterly magazine (AIMCAL’s official technical journal) and a new classified ad section.

2011

Under the leadership of Mark Spaulding, associate publisher and editor-in-chief, Converting Quarterly launches with 86 pages plus two inserts about ICE USA, and a circulation of 16,000.

AIMCAL sponsors a Pavilion at the first ICE USA (formerly CMM International) and helps organize the technical program; CEMA presents its Slitting & Rewinding and Coating & Laminating seminars in conjunction with the show.

AIMCAL hosts Pavilion at ICE Europe.

2012

European Metallizers Association (EMA) merges with AIMCAL, a relationship that began in the mid1990s with Chuck Larsen, president 1995-96, accepting an invitation to attend an EMA General Meeting in Florence, Italy.

Office in Amsterdam provides point of contact in Europe.

During strategic planning session for 2012-2015, board adopts the slogan: AIMCAL – the World’s Web Process Community – Join.

Participate. Succeed.

AIMCAL Awards 2013

u www.aimcal.org \\

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// A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD continued from page 9

First European Web Coating and Web Handling (now R2R) Conference takes place in Prague, Czech Republic.

Fifth edition of the AIMCAL Metallizing Technical Reference debuts.

First US Web Coating and Web Handling Conference (now R2R Conference) merges previous Fall Technical Conference and AWEB Applied Web Handling Conference.

Converting Quarterly publishes its first Buyers Guide in the fourthquarter edition. Issue reaches 120 pages.

2013

AIMCAL LinkedIn group (now open to anyone in the converting industry) reaches 500 members, includes current industry and member news, active discussion and jobs sections.

AIMCAL hosts Pavilion and organizes technical conference for ICE Europe.

Redesigned Website expands Members area with sections for Community & News, Technical Resources and Association Info.

2014

First Converting School courses become available online.

AIMCAL presents second Web Coating & Handling Conference Europe, this time in Cascais, Portugal.

What makes AIMCAL so vibrant are the people. Engaged volunteers from a core group of committed member companies lead and serve on committees and help recruit speakers and present papers at our trio of R2R Conferences and other industry events.

Our association would not be what it is today without our volunteers. We appreciate all they do.

Technical expertise is provided by AIMCAL’s Technical Advisory Committee and shared with the industry via a dynamic network that includes international R2R (roll-toroll) Conferences, AIMCAL TV Webinars, Converting School courses and publications like the Metallizing Technical Reference and Converting Quarterly magazine.

What do you see as AIMCAL’s biggest challenges?

Kerscher: AIMCAL is a vigorous and healthy organization. Our present and future success revolves around our membership and our ability to serve and connect the industry. AIMCAL has a strong, committed group of members, but we are experiencing an accelerating knowledge drain as industry leaders retire and depart. As we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary, we need to identify and engage the next generation of leaders to continue building on our strong foundation.

“Our association would not be what it is today without our volunteers. We appreciate all they do.”

The role of the industrial association is changing. As we look to grow our membership, AIMCAL must evolve so we continue providing valuable content and networking opportunities for member companies. There are many choices for events and information sharing. To maintain our leadership, AIMCAL will need to continue adding and upgrading capabilities as the world becomes more digital. We also are challenged to understand industry trends and provide tools to help members address rising concerns. One example is sustainability and compliance with related regulations.

As changes occur in how business is done, AIMCAL must be ready with tools and information to support our members.

Lastly, I’d say that AIMCAL’s membership represents many points across the supply chain and participates in a broad variety of markets. As we look to evolve and expand our benefits, we must find ways to provide content that meets the needs of this diverse group. With so many needs across the industry, and so many services that member

Forging closer ties with International Society for Coating Science & Technology (ISCST), AIMCAL assumes event management duties for its biennial symposium.

AIMCAL Awards 2019

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// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD \\ companies might want, the challenge will be prioritizing deliverables in a way that’s most effective to our membership.

What are your goals for your first year at the helm?

Kerscher: The mission and vision of AIMCAL are to educate, connect and grow the industry. So, we will continue to work in those areas.

I spent the last five months of 2019 scrambling to learn as much as possible from Craig and the AIMCAL team – everyone has been welcoming and extremely helpful. Goal No. 1 for me is listening to members and continuing to learn about the association. As I research the industry, it is important for me to connect with members and hear their needs and ideas.

Overall, AIMCAL is in a good spot, and we are excited to celebrate 50 years of serving our industry. This year, we are going to maintain focus on core events, engaging our current members and growing our list of member companies. Tim Janes recently joined our team as Member Outreach Director. He is collaborating with Kevin Lifsey and Tracey Messina on updates to improve the member experience. He’s also taking steps to increase our member outreach and committee activities.

Over the course of the year, we will be working to better understand industry trends and where we can make investments for the future. We will look for opportunities to expand knowledge and reach across market verticals. What I mean by that is AIMCAL has a horizontal focus across R2R-manufacturing processes. We will explore opportunities to partner and participate in core vertical markets – like flexible packaging, and release liners and labeling – as well as fast-growing areas, such as batteries and printed/flexible electronics. Members will enjoy our Special Market Reports in Converting Quarterly and our expanded relationships with market-focused association partners. These actions will help us identify industry needs, expand knowledge and provide members with new educational and networking opportunities – all part of our mission to educate, connect and grow.

Where do you see AIMCAL in five years? 10 years?

Kerscher: Our team is inheriting a dedicated group of members and a strong foundation to grow. Five, 10 and 50 more years from now, AIMCAL will remain the leading association for R2R processing. We will continue our core focus on educating, connecting and growing the converting industry.

continued on page 12

AIMCAL and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) join forces to present the latter’s FlexPackCon as the fourth track at the Web Coating & Handling Conference USA; event attendance sets a new record.

2015

Partnership with SPE continues for presentation of Web Coating & Handling Conference USA/ FlexPackCon.

2016

Web-based technologies on updated Website provide new resources in Members area.

AIMCAL collaborates with Fraunhofer to present the third Web Coating and Handling Conference Europe in Dresden, Germany.

Kevin Lifsey joins AIMCAL staff as Senior Web Developer.

AIMCAL TV launches, presents original programming.

AIMCAL continues providing event management duties for ISCST’s International Coating Science and Technology Symposium.

2017

AIMCAL hosts Pavilion, sponsors keynote, organizes multi-track technical conference at ICE USA, held in Orlando, FL, and holds condensed Management Meeting in conjunction with the show.

Web Coating and Handling Conference USA becomes AIMCAL R2R (roll-to-roll) Conference USA, continues being held with SPE’s FlexPackCon. Conference-based app lets attendees access program info including messaging, bulletins and proceedings.

AIMCAL Awards 2018

AIMCAL Awards 2019

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// A LOOK BACK / A LOOK AHEAD continued from page 11

2018

AIMCAL hosts Pavilion at the first ICE South East Asia.

AIMCAL continues to manage the ISCST’s International Coating Science and Technology Symposium.

Flexible Packaging Association participates in R2R Conference USA/FlexPackCon.

Over the next five years, we will execute a plan to more than double our company membership to 600 organizations and expand our global presence. This is an aggressive target, but one that’s attainable with the right benefits offering.

We will build on the success of the first R2R Conference Asia in 2019, and partner with KRICT for a second edition in 2021.

“When sustainability is considered, regulations are going to force changes and provide both challenges and opportunities in the packaging space.”

AIMCAL hosts Pavilion and organizes technical conference for ICE USA in Louisville, KY.

We are mulling a lot of ideas right now about what members need. Early conversations indicate the desire for member surveys, expanded educational programs and certifications, as well as new contentdelivery mechanisms. These are areas we’ll be exploring with the hope of launching new programs.

First AIMCAL R2R Conference Asia, in Daejon, South Korea, occurs in conjunction with KRICT (Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology).

Last, but not least, AIMCAL is nothing without people. Its role is to serve the people and create opportunities for the industry and our volunteers, too. The vision for AIMCAL will continue to emphasize growing leaders and creating opportunities for future generations.

Tim Janes joins staff as Membership Outreach Director.

How will R2R technology change in the coming decade?

2019

2020

Chris Kerscher succeeds Craig Sheppard as Executive Director.

Membership stands at 253.

Kerscher: R2R technology plays an important role in the production of many consumer and industrial goods. Consumer trends always are changing, and we’ll likely see the introduction of highly technical products. The underlying need for quality, continuous production will remain a constant for our industry.

Some of the trends we are observing include Industry 4.0 and a more data-oriented, on-demand society. We also see rising demand for sustainable products and a desire for more efficient and “green” technology.

When sustainability is considered, regulations are going to force changes and provide both challenges and opportunities in the packaging space. On the positive side, R2R technology is extremely efficient and well-positioned across many growing markets.

Advances in materials, machinery, sensors and automation will continue to improve quality and performance, creating new opportunities.

What’s been your most memorable moment so far?

Kerscher: Since I began shadowing Craig, the most enjoyable aspect of my days has been getting acquainted with the people of AIMCAL. Everyone has been extremely accommodating and supportive.

But, my favorite moments occurred at the R2R Conference USA where I helped work behind the scenes to organize the events honoring Craig for nearly 22 years of service.

Working with his wife, Kay, the AIMCAL staff and a few dedicated co-conspirators, we were able to surprise Craig not once, but twice. At the opening of the conference, during the presentation of the Honored Service Award, Craig’s daughter made an unexpected appearance. The second surprise came as the conference concluded with a roast organized by Steve Sedlak, including a Who’s Who from Craig’s past. The audience was totally engaged. Seeing all the smiles was my best AIMCAL moment so far. n 12

// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

AIMCAL’s technical journal prepares to celebrate 10 years.

W

ith the departure of Reed Business Information-US from publishing and the subsequent demise of CONVERTING Magazine in April 2010, a major hole was left in the landscape of convertingindustry technical information. But, not for long…five months later, AIMCAL launched Converting Quarterly, its official technical journal.

Craig Sheppard (now past executive director) always had known that a good three-legged formula for association marketing included conferences, tradeshows and publications. Having long presented technical programs and working closely with related tradeshows as a pavilion sponsor, AIMCAL just needed its own magazine. But, what kind?

“It took only two weeks for Craig to bring me down to the AIMCAL office, where we spent a few intensive days figuring out what kind of magazine we could create for the association,” says Mark Spaulding, associate publisher and editor-in-chief. “We agreed on what didn’t work anymore when it came to business-to-business editorial, so then CQ would offer what was clearly lacking in the field – a regular resource of strong technical information and research data to serve the global web-processing industry.”

Another vital aspect was finding a publisher to assist with advertising sales and graphic design. “I’d like to say it was a stroke of genius that we found Peterson Publications (Topeka, KS),” Spaulding admits, “but Jeff Peterson was already looking into the viability of a replacement for CONVERTING. A deal was struck, and the rest is history.”

As CQ prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2021, it’s expanding its technical coverage with Special Reports this year focused on the end-use markets of Flexible Packaging, Batteries, Release Liners & Labeling, and Printed/Flexible Electronics. Important work lies just ahead. n

Converting Quarterly Timeline 2010

Converting Quarterly E-News, publication Website and social-media channels premiere.

CQE reaches initial audience of 6,000+.

2011

Converting Quarterly launches with 86 pages plus two inserts about ICE USA, and a print circulation of 16,000+. Digital editions and mobile apps follow soon afterward.

2012

Converting Quarterly publishes its first Buyers Guide in the fourth-quarter edition. Issue reaches 120 pages.

2016

CQ compiles first Editorial Index in print, listing more than 300 technical papers and Q&A technical columns from the magazine’s first five years. Content becomes a searchable database on the newly redesigned Website.

2018

CQ online Blogs transform into new Technical Topics channels moderated by established AIMCAL consultants.

2019

New Website section begins offering technical papers translated into German, expanding CQ’s reach internationally. www.aimcal.org \\

13

// AIMCAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOLUNTEERS FROM MEMBER COMPANIES

President Dante Ferrari, Celplast Metallized Products

Vice President Andrew Jack, Emerson & Renwick

Treasurer Bob Pasquale, New Era Converting Machinery

Past President Milan Moscaritolo, Rol-Vac, LP

Joseph Perdue, Eckart America

Kevin Sopczak, ShapedWire/ Solon Specialty Wire

Michael Sullivan, MTi & Polyexe Corporation

// DIRECTORS AT LARGE

Ginger Cushing, Nordmeccanica

Joe Heinemann, Rayven Inc.

Greg Williams, Transcontinental Advanced Coatings

// AIMCAL COMMITTEE CHAIRS VOLUNTEERS FROM MEMBER COMPANIES

Web Coating Committee Gregory Williams, Transcontinental Advanced Coatings Ken McCarthy, Clean Room Coating Solutions Klaus Knoller, Fraunhofer IVV Extrusion Coating Committee Tom Bezigian, PLC Technologies

Membership Committee Joe Gotshall, Nordmeccanica Dave Murt, Bottcher America Vacuum Web Coating Committee Mike Simmons, Intellivation LLC Robert Malay, VDI James Shipman, Camvac Limited

Web Handling Committee Joe Connelly, Parkinson Technologies Inc. Neal Michal, Converting Expert, LLC

// AIMCAL STAFF Executive Director Chris Kerscher

Member Outreach Director Tim Janes

Operations Manager Tracey Messina

Editor-in-Chief, Converting Quarterly Mark Spaulding

Senior Web Developer Kevin Lifsey

// AIMCAL OFFICES USA Office 150 Executive Center Drive, Ste. 201 Greenville, SC 29615 Phone: (803) 948-9470 • Fax: (803) 948-9471 Email: aimcal@aimcal.org

14

// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

Europe Office PO Box 69533 1060 CA Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: 0031 (0)20 8208635 • Fax: (803) 948-9471 Email: aimcal@aimcal.org

MODEL 900-M THE STANDARD IN SLITTING & REWINDING The 900-M offers flexibility, value and exceptional performance. This duplex center winder can handle all of your primary films, flexible packaging and papers.

www.catbridge.com | sales@catbridge.com

AIMCAL, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY!

// FULL MEMBERSHIP 3 Sigma LLC

www.3sigma.cc/

3M Ceradyne, Inc.

Associated Machine - REM Slitters Rewinders www.associatedmachine.com

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/ en_US/Energy-Advanced/Materials/ Product/~?N=5002440+8720819&rt=r3

ATI-North America

A & B Films Pte Ltd

www.atlasconverting.com

www.abfilm.com/

ABBA Roller, LLC www.abbaroller.com

Abo Akademi University www.abo.fi/lpcc

Accraply, LLC

www.accraply.com/

Acucote Inc.

www.acucote.com

Adhesive Applications www.adhesiveapps.com/

Adhesives Research, Inc. www.adhesivesresearch.com/

Advanced Energy

www.advanced-energy.com

AGC Plasma Technology Solutions www.agc-plasma.com

AIMPLAS

www.aimplas.es

Alpha Engineered Composites, LLC www.alphainc.com

American Roller

www.americanroller.com/

Amity University Haryana Ampacet Corp.

www.ampacet.com

Applied Materials WEB Coating GmbH www.appliedmaterials.com/

Aquaporin A/S

www.aquaporin.dk

AR Metallizing Ltd.

www.armetallizing.com

ARMOR

www.armor-group.com/en

Ashland

www.wxati.com

www.chiripalpolyfilms.in

Avery Dennison Hanita

Coating and Converting Technologies

AzCoat, Inc.

Coating Plasma Innovation

Bixby International

Coating Tech Slot Dies

Black Bros. Co.

Converting Quarterly

Bobst Manchester Limited

Cork Industries, Inc.

Bottcher America Corporation

Custom Laminating Corporation

Brady Worldwide, Coated Products

D&K Group

hanita.averydennison.com/ www.azcoat.com www.bixbyintl.com

www.blackbros.com www.bobst.com

www.bottcher.com

www.bradyid.com/en-us/services/coatedmaterials-manufacturing

Brueckner Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG www.brueckner.com

Bryce Corporation www.brycecorp.com/

BST North America Inc. www.bstna.com

Buhler Inc.

www.buhlergroup.com/

Buschman

www.buschman.com

C2 Coating & Converting www.c2-europe.eu/

Cadence Inc.

http://www2.cadenceinc.com/AIMCAL_ blades

Camvac Limited Carestream Contract Manufacturing www.tollcoating.com/

Catbridge Machinery www.catbridge.com/

ASI, Division of Thermal Technologies

Celplast Metallized Products

// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

CHIRIPAL POLY FILMS LTD. Clemson University Dept. of Packaging Science

CBC COATING, INC.

16

www.cheminstruments.com

Atlas Converting Equipment Ltd.

www.ashland.com

www.asitti.com

ChemInstruments

www.cbccoating.com/ www.celplast.com/

www.ccttapes.com

www.cpi-plasma.com www.slotdies.com

www.convertingquarterly.com www.corkindustries.com www.customl.com

www.dkgroup.com

DAK Americas LLC

www.dakamericas.com

Davis-Standard, LLC

www.davis-standard.com

DCS USA Corporation

www.converting-systems.com

Delta ModTech

www.deltamodtech.com

Denka Corporation

https://www.denka.co.jp/eng/

Dienes Corporation www.dienesusa.com/

Double E

www.ee-co.com

Dow Chemical Company www.dow.com/

Dublin City University

https://www.dcu.ie/physics/plasmaresearch-laboratory.shtml

DUNMORE

www.dunmore.com/

DuPont Teijin Films

usa.dupontteijinfilms.com

Dürr Systems, Inc.

www.durr-megtec.com

FULL MEMBERSHIP \\ DusenberyÂŽ Converting Systems

Goldenrod Corporation

Jessup Manufacturing Company

Dyna-Tech Adhesives, Inc.

Graphic Packaging International, Inc.

Johnson Laminating & Coating, Inc.

www.parkinsontechnologies.com/ www.dyna-techadhesives.com

Eastman Chemical Company www.eastman.com

Eckart America www.eckart.net

Emerson and Renwick Ltd www.eandr.com

Enercon Industries

www.enerconind.com/web-treating

entrotech, inc

www.entrotech.com

Erhardt + Leimer Inc.

www.erhardt-leimer-us.com

Faustel

www.faustel.com

FHR Anlagenbau GmbH www.fhr.biz

Filmquest Group Inc. www.petfilm.com/

FILMtech, Inc.

www.filmtechinc.com/

Finzer Roller

www.finzerroller.com

Flex Films (USA) Inc. www.flexfilm.com/

FLEXcon Company, Inc. www.FLEXcon.com

Fox River Associates

www.foxriverassociates.com

Fox Valley Technical College www.fvtc.edu/print

Franklin Adhesives and Polymers

www.franklinadhesivesandpolymers.com/

Fraunhofer IVV

www.ivv.fraunhofer.de

Frontier LLC, a Delta ModTech Company www.frontiercoating.com

Fujifilm Manufacturing Europe B.V. https/www//fujifilm.eu

Garware Polyester Ltd. www.garwarepoly.com/

GOEBEL IMS

www.GOEBEL-IMS.com

www.goldenrodcorp.com

www.jessupmfg.com/

www.johnsonlaminating.com/

www.graphicpkg.com/

Journal of Plastic Film & Sheeting

Green Bay Packaging Inc. Coated Products Operations

www.sagepub.com/journals/Journal201584

JX Nippon ANCI, Inc.

www.gbp.com

www.claf.com

Greif

Kazan National Research Technological University

www.caraustar.com

Griff Paper and Film

www.knrtu.ru

www.thegriffnetwork.com

H.B. Fuller

Kennametal Incorporated

https://www.hbfuller.com/en/north-america/ products-and-technologies/markets-andapplications/packaging/flexible-packaging

Harper Corporation of America www.harperimage.com/

Hazen Paper Co. www.hazen.com

Henkel Corporation

www.henkel-NorthAmerica.com

Honeywell FM&T HUECK FOLIEN GmbH www.hueck-folien.com/

www.kennametal.com/

Kent Adhesive Products Company dba Kapco www.kapcocustom.com

Keplinger Research Group, University of Colorado Boulder

http://www.keplingerresearchgroup.com/

Kodak Alaris, Inc. (Kodak Alaris Colorado) www.kodakalaris.com

Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials - Dept. Printed Electronics www.kimm.re.kr

Hutchison Miller Sales Company www.hutchisonmiller.com/

ICE USA

www.ice-x-usa.com

IIMAK

www.iimak.com

Imperial Rubber Products Inc. www.imperialrubber.com/

Innovative Machine Corporation www.innovativemach.com

INTEGRITY Roller Services www.integrityrollerservices.com

INTELLIVATION LLC

https://www.intellivation.com/ www.inteplast.com/

High-tech Slitter Rewinders for the Converting Industry

IntrAL inc.

We congratulate AIMCAL to

Inteplast BOPP Films

www.intralqc.com/

ISRA VISION

50 great years!

www.isravision.com

IST America

www.ist-uv.com

www.goebel-ims.com

www.aimcal.org \\

17

200220_RZ_Advertisement_AIMCAL_50th_Anniversary_UK_2,45"x4,5".indd 20.02.20 10:22 1

// FULL MEMBERSHIP Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology - Chemical Materials Solutions Center

Materion

KristaFilms

Maxcess International Corporation

Northeastern University

KROENERT GmbH & Co KG

Maxpro Manufacturing, LLC

NovaCentrix

Lamart Corp.

Meech International

Novacote-A Division of Coim

Lebbing Engineering & Consulting GmbH

Membranes International Inc.

NSC USA Inc.

Met-Lux

OASIS Alignment Services, LLC

Mica Corporation

Oklahoma State University - Web Handling Research Center

www.KristaFilms.com

https://materion.com/businesses/precisionoptics www.maxcessintl.com/

www.kroenert.com

www.lamartcorp.com

www.maxprofilms.com www.meech.com

www.lebbing.com

LLFlex

www.ionexchangemembranes.com www.metlux.lu

www.llflex.com

LTS Lohmann Therapy Systems Corp. www.ltslohmann.de/en

www.mica-corp.com/

Michelman

www.michelman.com/

Madico, Inc.

Microseal Industries

www.madico.com/

www.microseal.com

Mahlo America, Inc.

Midwest Engineered Systems Inc.

www.mahloamerica.com

MANFISA (Manufacturas Irular, S.A.) www.manfisa.com/

http://mwes.com/web-handling/

Mississippi Polymers, Inc. www.mississippipolymers.com/

Mitsubishi Polyester Film, Inc. www.m-petfilm.com/

Congratulations on your 50th Anniversary

MoistTech Corp.

www.MoistTech.com

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. www.mpm.com

Mondi

www.mondigroup.com

MTi & Polyexe Corporation / An Inteplast Group Company www.mtipolyexe.com/

MTorres Diseños Industriales www.mtorres.com

National Taiwan University www.ntu.edu.tw

NDC Technologies www.ndc.com

PRECISION TOLERANCE NARROW WIDTH CUSTOM SLITTING

New College Institute

www.newcollegeinstitute.org

New Era Converting Machinery, Inc. www.neweraconverting.com/

Nordmeccanica NA Ltd www.nordmeccanica.com/ 137 Frances Ave. Cranston, RI 02910

T:401-467-3435

converting@metlon.com • metlon.com F:401-467-8720

18

// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

Nordson Extrusion Dies Industries Premier Coating Division www.nordsonfluidcoating.com www.nanomanufacturing.us www.novacentrix.com/ www.coimgroup.com www.nscusa.com www.oasisalignment.com/

webhandling.okstate.edu

OLBRICH GmbH www.olbrich.com/

Packages Limited

www.packages.com.pk

Parker Hannifin - Electromechanical and Drives Division http://solutions.parker.com/LP=7711

PFFC - Paper, Film & Foil Converter www.pffc-online.com/

Phifer Incorporated

https://www.phifer.com/drawnwire/ overview/applications/

Pillar Technologies, an ITW Company www.pillartech.com

Pinnacle Converting Equipment and Services, LLC www.pinnacleconverting.com

Plastic Suppliers, Inc. www.plasticsuppliers.com

Polinas

www.polinas.com

Polykote Corp.

www.polykotecorp.com

Polymag Tek

www.polymagtek.com

Polymer Science, Inc.

www.polymerscience.com/

PolymerFilms, a division of Polymershapes www.polymerfilms.com

FULL MEMBERSHIP \\ Polymeric Converting, LLC www.polyconverting.com

Polyonics, Inc.

San Jose State University Sappi North America

Sonoco Products Company www.sonoco.com/

www.polyonics.com

https://www.sappi.com/contractmanufacturing-toll-coating

Speedmet Aluminum San. Tic. Ltd.

Polyplex USA LLC

Schenk Vision

www.sputteringcomponents.com

Polytype Converting GmbH

Sensory Analytics - SpecMetrix Systems

www.polyplex.com

www.polytype-converting.com

PPG Industries / Teslin Substrate www.teslin.com

Precision Coatings Inc. www.pcicoatings.com/

Precision Die Systems Corporation www.precisiondiesystems.com

Printpack

www.printpack.com

ProAmpac

www.proampac.com

Process Sensors Corporation www.processsensors.com

Protect-all, Inc.

www.protect-all.com

PRUFTECHNIK Inc.

www.pruftechnik.com/us.html

PT. Indopoly Swakarsa Industry Tbk www.ilenefilms.com

PUC-Rio

www.puc-rio.br

Pyradia Inc.

www.pyradia.com

Quad Plus

www.quadplus.com

Quickdraft

www.quickdraft.com

R.D. Specialties, Inc. www.rdspecialties.com/

Rayven Inc.

www.rayven.com/

www.drschenk.com

www.specmetrix.com

ShapedWire / Solon Specialty Wire www.leggettwiregroup.com

Sheldahl Flexible Technologies www.sheldahl.com/

Sputtering Components Inc. State University of New York at Binghamton www.ieec.binghamton.edu/ieec/

State University of New York, College of Environmental Science & Forestry (SUNY-ESF) www.radcuring.com

Sun Chemical Corporation www.sunchemical.com

Sicad S.p.A

Supervac Industries LLP

www.eurocel.it

Sierra Coating Technologies LLC www.Sierracoating.com

SKC Hi-Tech&Marketing http://www.skchtm.com/

www.supervacoils.com

Tacmina USA Corporation www.tacmina.com

Taghleef Industries Inc. www.ti-films.com/

SKC Inc.

Technical Coating Int’l, Inc.

www.skcfilms.com/

Sojitz Plastics America Inc www.sojitz-plastics.com/sojitz/

www.tciinc.com/

Teel Plastics, Inc. www.teel.com

Precision Toll Coating and Contract Manufacturing ▶ Coating and Formulating Experts ▶ Silicone and Slot Die Specialists ▶ Film, Foil, Fabric and Paper Substrates ▶ Custom Solutions or Your Exact Specifications ▶ R&D Lab to Trial Runs to Full Scale Production ▶ Slitting, Sheeting and Spooling

Celebrating 50 Years of AIMCAL!

Rochester Institute of Technology Roethel GmbH & Co KG www.roethel.com/

Roll Technology Corp. www.rolltech.com/

Rol-Vac, LP

www.rolvac.com/

SAM North America, LLC

230 Shaker Road, Enfield, CT 06082 vericotechnology.com mlyons@vericotechnology.com (860) 936-4133

www.sam-na.com

www.aimcal.org \\

19

// FULL MEMBERSHIP Tekra, A Division of EIS, Inc.

University of Maine

Western Michigan University

Terphane Inc.

University of Massachusetts Amherst

WestRock

www.tekra.com/

www.terphane.com/

Texas State University The Procter & Gamble Company http://www.pg.com

thelamco, inc.

www.thelamco.com/

Tokuden, Inc.

tokuden.com/english

Toppan USA, Inc.

www.toppan-usa.com

Toray Plastics (America), Inc. www.toraytpa.com

Transcontinental Advanced Coatings

http://www.tc.tc/advancedcoatings

ULVAC, Inc.

https://www.ulvac.co.jp/en/

Unifoil Corp.

www.unifoil.com/

University Gent University of Akron www.uakron.edu

University of Leeds

www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/mech/

www.maine.edu

chm.pse.umass.edu/

University of Massachusetts Lowell www.uml.edu

University of Oxford, Department of Materials www.materials.ox.ac.uk/

University of the West of Scotland www.thinfilmcentre.co.uk/

Vacuum Technology & Coating www.vtcmag.com/

Valmet

www.valmet.com

www.wmich.edu/pilotplants www.westrock.com

Winona Building Products, LLC winonabp.com

Wintriss Engineering Corporation www.weco.com/

Worthen Industries www.worthenind.com/

Wuxi Teckwah Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd www.wuxiteckwah.com

Yasui Seiki-MIRWEC Coating https://www.yasuiseiki.com/

Vast Films, Ltd.

www.vastfilm.com/

Verico Technology, LLC www.vericotechnology.com

Vetaphone North America www.vetaphone.com

Viavi Solutions

www.viavisolutions.com

VON ARDENNE GmbH www.vonardenne.biz/

W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc. www.gore.com

207 Tracy Rd. • Dayville, CT 06241 • 860-928-9929 • www.rolvac.com

Congratulations AIMCAL! 20

// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

TO THE ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL METALIZERS, COATERS AND LAMINATORS (AIMCAL) ON 50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE SERVING AND STRENGTHENING THE INDUSTRY.

SAVE THE DATE AS WE CELEBRATE 10 YEARS!

OCTOBER 19-21, 2021 Orange County Convention Center | Orlando, FL

WHAT’S NEW AT ICEC Returning to Orlando ICEC USA—now organized by Reed Exhibitions—will return to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida in 2021.

New Fall dates create greater separation from Spring’s ICE Europe event New Targeted attendee & Matchmaking programs Facilitating connections that matter most to your business

SIGN UP TO ATTEND OR LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR COMPETITIVE EXHIBITING PACKAGES AT:

CONVERTINGSHOW.COM.

// PAST PRESIDENTS 1961-62 Phil Rosenblatt 1962-63 Mike Mainthow 1963-64 Joseph Pressler 1964-65 Richard Silverman 1965-66 Jack Abrams 1966-67 George Christensen

1967-68 Philip Clough 1968-69 John Hastings 1969-70 Mike Mainthow 1970-71 John Pireca 1971-72 G. J. (Jerry) Monaghan 1972-73 Joseph Wadlinger 1973-74 Mark Ungerer 1974-75 Lockhart Hicks 1975-76 Walter Krauss 1976-77 Colm O’Shea 1977-78 Michael Sullivan 1978-79 James W. Powers 1979-80 Richard D. Vieth 1980-81 Ronald F. Caterino 1981-82 John S. Reed 1982-83 Robert C. Jackson 1983-84 Edward T. Monigan 1984-85 Frank Ianotte 1985-86 Sherman Rounsville 1986-87 Norman Forand 1987-88 Lee Nield

Dorrie Process Co. Coating Products Inc. Metallized Products Co. Hy-Sil Co. Coating Products Inc. Standard Packaging Corp.

Norton Company Hastings & Co. Coating Products Inc. Dorrie Process Co. Celanese Plastics Hy-Sil Mfg. Co. FLEXcon Co. Du Pont Co. ICI Americas Inc. John Dusenberry Co. Dunmore Corporation Lamotite Inc. Morton Chemical King-Seely Thermos Co. ICI Americas Inc. Lamotite Dunmore Corporation Camvac Hoechst Celanese Madico Du Pont Co.

1988-89 Howard Chaphe 1989-90 Terry Carroll 1990-91 John Marcantonio 1991-92 Robert Korowicki 1992-93 Harry Tenney 1993 John Robinson 1993-94 David Smith 1994-95 Sven Sandblom 1995-96 Chuck Larsen

1996-98 William Long 1998-2000 Bob Burgess 2000-2002 David Fletcher

2002-2004 Frank Sereno 2004-2006 Paolo Raugei

2006 -2008 Bill Yoder 2008-2010 Mike Engel 2010-2012 Liz Josepson 2012-2014 Bob Connelly 2014-2016 Dan Bemi 2016-2018 Dan Roy 2018-2020 Milan Moscaritolo

FLEXcon Co. Dunmore Corporation Leybold Technologies Vacumet AlliedSignal Deposition Technologies Rexham Custom Faustel Inc. Celplast Metallized Products ESK DuPont Teijin Films Bekaert Specialty Films, LLC PROMA Technologies Galileo Vacuum Systems, Inc. Lamart Corporation FLEXcon Applied Materials Madico B&W MEGTEC Davis-Standard Rol-Vac

VETAPHONE CONGRATULATES AIMCAL ON THEIR

50THANNIVERSARY As the inventor and global pioneers of corona surface treatment technology, Vetaphone is delighted to have a close working relationship with AIMCAL and appreciate the opportunity they offer to exchange our technical knowhow and expertise with the flexible converting industry.

We ensure the perfect surface adhesion – so you can deliver the perfect end result.

vetaphone.com | sales@vetaphone.com

// Vetaphone AIMCAL 50th Anniversary 2227325 AIMCAL 50th Edition Advert_v2.indd

1

19/02/2020 12:03

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50

ers Anniv

// TECHNOLOGY FORECAST WEB COATING

Tomorrow’s tech upgrades will keep expanding a converter’s ability to create new products

By Edward D. Cohen, Ph.D., president, Edward D. Cohen Consulting

T

he function of the converting industry’s processes is to develop new products by applying a variety of coating solutions to the surface of a substrate to give a structure with new, unique properties. It has evolved from the first printing press created by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439, which applied ink to a sheet of paper to create words. The current process produces a wide variety of products in a continuous web (R2R) process (see Table 1). A wide range of products exists because technology implemented in the overall process has given it the ability to coat a wide range of thicknesses with good quality and economics.

The incorporation of several upgraded technologies was incremental over time and led to overall process improvement.

The initial converting process technology was the development of coating machines that could continuously apply a range of coating-solution thicknesses and dry the coating without creating defects. The key technologies were as follows: • Mixing and dispersion technology for complex formulations • Optimizing the substrate for use in this process • Uniformly transporting the web through the machine • Reproducibly and uniformly applying solution to substrates • High-rate drying systems that did not affect coating quality • Storing coated rolls without introducing defects • Converting finished toll materials into useable sizes The effect of technology upgrades on a continuous coater can be seen by comparing Figure 1, which shows a coater used ~1890, with Figure 2, a current-technology-upgraded coater.

Overall technology development The original process initially was used for high-volume products, such as coated paper, which have production campaigns that run for days. Technology developments increased process efficiency in coating quality and the range of coating thicknesses that can be done. Increased drying technology and increased solvent removal led to higher coating speeds and the ability to apply thin coatings. Because of many technology upgrades to all modules, it now was possible to consider new low-volume product concepts.

This advancement resulted in the many products in Table 1. A broad area of future product growth will be in these high-value, low-volume products. Technology upgrades to all modules will mean improved process capability not only for new products, but current products as well.

28

// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

FIGURE 1. Antique coater Converting process description Often, the coating and drying process is believed to be only the coating line and finishing area where size reduction through slitting/rewinding or sheeting occurs. However, the overall converting process has many more modules, all of which are important because deficiencies in them can adversely affect a product’s final quality and cost parameters. As such, future technology upgrades will focus more on these modules.

Modules The function of these modules and their technology upgrades are described in the following sections. Figure 3 shows a flowchart of converting modules and the process sequence. The module functions and potential future upgrades are as follows: Product Development: The function of this module is to develop new products to help expand the business. It is basically the Research & Development process to develop new and novel products. A chemist formulates a new coating solution and then coats it in a laboratory process. These coatings then are evaluated for key properties. The goal is to make these coatings with commercial quality so they can realistically be evaluated. This is challenging in a laboratory environment. Technology upgrades will improve the coating process to give excellent quality and to develop more detailed formulation rheology and drying characteristics. To achieve this, converters will use laboratorybased sheet and continuous roll coaters with excellent quality and

TECHNOLOGY FORECAST \\ WEB COATING

FIGURE 2. Current-technology upgraded coater

√√PRODUCT R DEVELOPMENT

PRODUCT TESTING

SUBSTRATE DEVELOPMENT

COATIN FINISHING G LINE

SOLUTION PREPARATION

SOLS

QUALITY QQQ CONTROL

FIGURE 3. Converting process flowchart will learn to reduce the waste from old methods. Such systems also can give formulation drying data. Other technology upgrades will be in laboratory instruments to evaluate rheology so that it can be optimized for the manufacturing coating line. Databases will be created to help formulators develop new products and thus reduce some of the initial test coatings, thereby reducing product development times.

Product Testing: This module measures appropriate coatedproduct properties. Improved quality of coatings will improve the efficiency of this process. Potential upgrades are the availability of new testing instruments and improved computer data-analysis programs to speed test results to formulators. In addition, more of the initial test coatings will be taken to converters for them to evaluate.

Substrate Development: This module develops the substrate on which coatings are applied to create the final product. A significant function of this module is to ensure a substrate can be coated without introducing defects. The appropriate substrate properties will ensure product quality performance and that manufacturing cost objectives are achieved. Over the years, substrates have been improved by ongoing process-technology improvements by the substrate manufacturers. Converting upgrades will include improved measurement technology to characterize a substrate and correlate its properties with coater performance, etc.

SCALE-UP SCALE-UP

COO

COATING LINE

Coating Solutions Preparation: This module mixes the coating ingredients to give a uniform, stable coating solution or dispersion. It is a batch process that also is widely used in a variety of commercial products. As a result, there are many manufacturers that improve the quality and performance of the required kettles, mixers, pumps, etc. Competition has resulted in improved hardware technology and lower costs. A potential future change in this process is to eliminate batch preparation and convert to continuous, in-line mixing.

The potential components to achieve this – in-line mixers, metering pumps, flow meters, temperature control – are all available now. Advantages of continuous mixing are that converters can rapidly changeover products (particularly low-volume products); formulations can be adjusted by modifying composition; less solvent evaporation would occur in the open kettle; and it can simplify experiments.

Product Scale-up: Product scale-up develops the process conditions to scale the product from the volumes used in laboratory processes up to the volumes needed in a commercial coating line. While this can be done by experiments on the commercial coating line, it often is difficult due to limited experimental times and the inability to obtain needed process conditions. Sometimes, old manufacturing coaters are used as pilot coaters. Upgrades to this process have been the development of modular pilot-coating lines that simulate the full-scale commercial process. Use of modular pilot coaters will expand because they cut scale-up time, reduce costs, capture process data and often provide product for end-user customer evaluation.

Coating Line: Web-coating manufacturing lines have had technology upgrades in drying, web transport, coating-weight uniformity and range, and roll quality. With so many new products, no single coating method can coat the range of new materials, so cartridge-coating stations were developed to rapidly introduce different coating methods. New technology for web transport now improves process-speed uniformity, which in turn affects coating weight and uniformity. Today’s current coating lines will be adapted to manufacture several smaller coating campaigns. This will require rapid coating-station cleanup, restart at coating, possibly changing coating methods, rapid coating start-up time, and a reduction in the time needed to achieve steady-state conditions in the dryer. The business continued on page 30 www.aimcal.org \\

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// TECHNOLOGY FORECAST WEB COATING

continued from page 29

concept of a small number of high-volume coaters will change to one of several lowvolume coaters that will be similar to the pilot coaters described in previous section. The same scale-up coater can and will be used for manufacturing.

Quality Control: A major advance in quality control has been the addition of on-line measurement technology to the coating lines. This is replacing the old process of sampling the end of a roll and then testing it in the QC laboratory. Coating quality also initially was evaluated as the roll was coated and when sampling the finished rolls. New technology now offers continuous, online surface inspection and coating-weight measurement. Because these techniques are very effective – and as instrument capability and costs improve – they will become standard instruments on all production and pilot coaters. Coating-weight measurements, in particular, will start to be incorporated into a control loop to more effectively manage the result.

TABLE 1. Converting-process products Food packaging & food service

Flexible packaging Interleaving sheets for separation Heat-seal film (for pouch packaging) Food service labels Wax paper Barrier against flavor scalping Barrier-layer film to prevent moisture, aroma and oxygen transmission

Batteries

Lithium-ion & lithium-polymer Catalyst layers for fuel-cell membranes Battery-separator membrane films Rechargeable battery foils

Alternative energy

Catalyst layers for fuel-cell membranes Photovoltaic cells Energy storage

Medical

Dermal patches, tapes, bandages Electrodes for skin contact

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// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

Membrane manufacturing Solar-cell films Daylighting films to redirect light

Diagnostic test strips for analysis Sublingual drug-delivery systems

Information storage

Photographic films for medical, industrial, graphic-arts, consumer use Optical and magnetic media for audio and visual use data storage Printing plates: analog, digital, screen, flexo, gravure, offset

Printed electronics

Multilayer ceramic capacitors OLED lighting Logic circuits Antennae, circuits, memory, transistors

Finishing: This module converts the long, wide, coated parent roll into the sizes used by the customer through slitting/rewinding or sheeting methods.

There have been upgrades to these machines for more efficient processing, eliminating defects and reducing costs. The defect map created by the aforementioned continuous on-line surface inspection on the coating line will be used by finishing-system computers to optimize the final product yield. n

s to ion its t a l atu on ry! ngr CAL versa o C IM ni A h An t 50

Foil-adhesion coat for electrodes Release film for lamination transfer electrodes Paper battery separators Battery separators

Liquid crystal displays Smart labels RFID devices Organic photovoltaics

Literature Citations 1. Cohen, E.D., “Web-Coating Process Attributes Lead to Novel Products,” Converting Quarterly, 2013 Quarter 4, page 61.

2. Cohen, E.D. and Lightfoot, E.J., Coating & Solidification, in J. Greener, G. Pearson M. Cakmak, Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing: Process Elements and Recent Advances, John Wiley & Sons, 2018.

Your Quality Provider of Siliconized Film and Paper Release Liners to Pressure-Sensitive Coaters and Converters Serving the Medical Market.

TECHNOLOGY FORECAST \\ VACUUM WEB COATING

Breakthrough opportunities await in new barrier materials, ALD processing, batteries

By Dr. Charles A. Bishop, C.Eng., C.A.Bishop Consulting, Ltd.

W

hen I first started working with roll-to-roll (R2R) vacuum coating more than 40 years ago, aluminum metallizing was the dominant technology, with a whole day dedicated to aluminum metallizing at conferences. Since then, the number of papers on metallizing has declined steadily, and now it can be difficult to obtain enough papers to make up a single session.

are many more papers about R2R sputtering, plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic-layer deposition (ALD) and those relating to other sources. This, too, is changing, and a transition is currently happening as products are no longer being produced by only one technology but instead use multiple technologies in combination.

Part of this decline in papers is due to a trend that sees fewer companies wanting to talk about their process, developments or ideas for what they perceive as commercial reasons. The other reason for the decline is that there have been relatively few developments in the technology. This does not mean that the metallizing business is in decline; on the contrary, business has continued to grow. Although metallizing has kept expanding throughout, there has been, of late, a greater rate of growth for the transparent barrier coatings made using the aluminum metallizer with oxygen added to convert the aluminum to transparent aluminum oxide.

Probably the most well-known demonstration of this is organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). This product can include precoating the substrate using an atmospheric process, vacuumcoating multiple layers, patterning, additional atmospheric coatings and then lamination. A different number and combination of coatings is required in the R2R production of photovoltaics or for displays or electrochromic windows or in batteries.

More barrier properties, but less packaging overall Packaging continues to occupy many of the world’s metallizers.

The concern over the amount of wasted food across the globe has encouraged an increase in packaging and, in particular, barrier packaging that can reduce spoilage. Balanced against this is a pressing need to reduce the quantity of packaging to further reduce the carbon footprint. Over the next 10 years, I fully expect this trend will accelerate, and there will be more packaging incorporating recycled polymers as well as an increased use of biopolymers to make materials greener while still optimizing food use and minimizing waste.

Even with aluminum metallizing, it has been recognized that there are advantages to adding a protective polymer coating to the metal layer. This has been done for decades but, as barrier packaging has become more demanding, system continued on page 32

Currently, too many packaging products exist that cannot be recycled due to use of mixed materials that cannot be separated.

It is expected that many of these multilayer structures will be replaced by alternative, compatible multilayers that either can be separated or are layers of the same material produced with different functionalities to mimic the mixed material structures they are replacing.

A mature market with new opportunities?

Although the market has matured, vacuum coating continues to flourish, and new opportunities keep appearing. The conferences still get filled with papers, but the balance has changed: There www.aimcal.org \\

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// TECHNOLOGY FORECAST VACUUM WEB COATING

continued from page 31

suppliers have made a point of supplying both the metallizer and the atmospheric wet-coating system – all to better achieve a particular barrier performance. By doing both coatings, it reduces the time the metallized film is stored or is in transit to the customer. This helps minimize metallized-coating degradation through contamination via various conditions.

No real “hockey stick” growth curves In my review for AIMCAL 10 years ago, there were expectations of large growth in transparent conducting and transparent barrier coatings. Market predictions presented the ubiquitous “hockey stick” growth curve. If compared to what has actually happened, it could be said that neither one has lived up expectations.

The transparent conducting coating of choice for the last 30 years has been indium tin oxide (ITO). It has survived for so long because it has the best compromise combination of properties. ITO is a ceramic, and so is prone to cracking if bent too much or from edges where it has been cut to size. Other ceramic oxides can have better conductivity, but they are not as easily etched. Over the last 10 years, a number of different competing technologies have looked attractive as alternatives to ITO transparent conducting coatings. These include regular and random metal meshes, as well as nanowires – all with or without conducting polymers. There also is the expectation that graphene will eventually supersede all of these, but the reality is that this still is some years away from being commercially viable.

Examples have been produced that show the benefits, but we still are waiting for bulk production of graphene at a cost that would drive the change from existing products.

Ever since ITO was used in R2R manufacturing, the cost of the coating has been an issue. Reducing the cost of transparentconducting layers still is a big driving force for developing alternatives. In displays, any change in materials has to be enough of a benefit to justify the capital cost of change as well as the loss of production yield as the new material is optimized.

Thus far, although some materials can show a benefit, it has not been sufficiently large enough to create confidence to scale-up and optimize the process. So, in most applications, ITO remains the transparent-conducting coating of choice.

“There will be more packaging incorporating recycled polymers as well as increased use of biopolymers to make materials greener while still optimizing food use and minimizing waste.”

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Holy Grail of better barriers Transparent barrier coatings are well established, but there still is a desire for them to have still better barrier performance. It has long been known that the quality of the substrate is reflected in the quality of the coating produced. It is challenging to achieve the barrier required for electronics applications, which may need to be five or six orders of magnitude better than for food packaging. Pinholes are a critical factor that limits barrier performance as it takes only a single pinhole to be catastrophic for the product. Particulate contamination of the flexible substrate is a significant source of pinholes where contamination can be present from the point of substrate manufacture. Additional particles can be added through subsequent processing, such as slitting and winding, prior to becoming the input roll for the vacuum coater.

The substrate surface can be cleaned prior to vacuum coating using tacky-roll technology, and then the surface can be polymercoated to cover any smaller particles or surface defects. This does add to substrate cost, and so this tends not to be done for the lower added-value food packaging but can be justified, at present, for the higher added-value electronic applications. One film supplier even specifically designed a substrate to meet this need for a super clean, smooth, flat and defect-free surface. This film is coextruded with two films that have a very limited adhesion between them so that, inside the vacuum system, one layer can be peeled off leaving no residue and having no time for surface particulates to land on the substrate; this is called clean-ondemand (CoD) film.

Another source of pinholes is spitting from the wire-fed, resistance-heated evaporation sources. Work done a couple of decades ago identified the spitting as being particularly bad whenever the molten pool in the evaporation boat changes size.

It was found that if the wire feed and power applied to the boats were kept constant, the production of spits was minimized. More recently, system suppliers have resurrected using inductionheated sources for evaporating aluminum. In this case, there is no wire feed. The whole aluminum inventory is contained from the start in a ceramic crucible so that the molten pool fills the crucible diameter, and there is no changing pool shape, and thus spitting is minimized. Historically, there was a concern that, if the web broke or for any other reason and the process had to be stopped part way through the roll, the differential cooling of the ceramic and aluminum metal could lead to cracking of the crucible, which would add to process cost. The other concern about using induction-heated sources was relating to the process turnaround. Cooling down the heated sources takes time, and this then changes how the crucibles are managed when the system is brought back to atmospheric pressure to be replenished.

One atom at a time Over the last decade, R2R ALD has advanced to where R&D systems have been scaled-up to pilot production-sized systems.

The ALD process differs from PVD sources such as evaporation

TECHNOLOGY FORECAST \\ VACUUM WEB COATING

“Market predictions presented the ubiquitous ‘hockey stick’ growth curve which, if compared to what has actually happened, could be said that neither one has lived up expectations.” or sputtering. In ALD, the coating is formed by the sequential introduction of a gas that condenses as a monolayer on all surfaces, which then is pumped out. The system is flushed and a second gas is introduced, which condenses as a monolayer and reacts with the first monolayer, forming the coating.

The deposition from the gas phase means that the atoms approach the surface from all angles, and so there is less shadowing than from PVD sources. This means that for the same level of particulate contamination of a polymer surface there will be a

similar number of pinholes. However, if the particulate is moved, the area of uncoated film is smaller than it would be from either PVD source – and thus, barrier performance is better from ALD for the same thickness of coating.

The age of ultra The ultra-barrier coated polymer film is difficult to produce consistently and with high yield and even more difficult to produce at a competitive cost. Several companies have made ultra-barrier material that has met specifications for the flexibleelectronics industry; however, it has been a difficult market.

Some companies have had problems producing enough material or remaining profitable and thus ceased trading. This bottleneck does mean there still is opportunity for a supplier of a large volume of ultra-barrier film at a competitive cost.

The cost is not just the cost today but also includes the expectation that costs will fall over time. There is the incentive that if costs can be reduced, then the market will expand such as using OLEDs – not only for displays but also for lighting.

This challenge has not been made any easier by the competition from thin, flexible glass as an alternative substrate. Flexible glass has progressed over the last decade with thicknesses available steadily thinning with time. Flexible glass has the advantage continued on page 34

Congratulations AIMCAL! Roll-to-Roll Coa)ng Specialists

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www.mirwec-coa:ng.com www.aimcal.org \\

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continued from page 33

of a clean, hard and flat surface, as well as already possessing the necessary barrier performance to meet electronics products’ requirements. Of course, flexible glass has its problems when cutting the glass to the final shape with loss of yield due to cracking and breaking.

Smaller, lighter, stronger batteries Another big change in the world over the last decade has been in electric cars. Publicity has been huge, and almost every carmaker has promised they will produce electric cars. All this means that the battery industry is looking forward to exceptional growth over the next decade or so. Many of these announcements have been very ambitious, and I doubt that most can be achieved in the time-scale. For example, the mining of some of the elements required is a bottleneck at present, and it takes years to locate new sources to mine and then set up the mines, processing and purification plants. This does give time for scientists to work on the best materials to use for the batteries and the manufacturing process.

R2R processing is part of manufacturing for most battery designs and, included in this, some require vacuum-deposited layers. As in a new and rapidly expanding market, it is not yet clear what the best design and manufacturing process is going to be. So as with photovoltaics before, there will be many startup companies

“We are still waiting for bulk production of graphene at a cost that would drive the change from existing products.” with their unique process of which some will succeed whereas many more will fall by the wayside. The good thing is that currently there is plenty of R&D leading to new ideas that will filter through to the rest of the vacuum-coating world, creating stimulus for new systems, methods or products for the future.

It has been an interesting past decade, and it looks as if it will be an equally interesting decade to come. So, roll on (or should that be roll-to-roll on) the 2020s, and I look forward to the next decade of AIMCAL R2R technical conferences. n

50 years supporting the industry Congratulations, AIMCAL, on your anniversary. In 50 years you have fostered an environment of cooperation between member companies worldwide.

We are honored to support you in facilitating the spread of industry knowledge.

Best wishes for the next 50 years.

Your friends AWA Alexander Watson Associates

AWA Trusted Market Intelligence since 1971 Integrity • Excellence Collaboration

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TECHNOLOGY FORECAST \\ WEB HANDLING

Converters must make best use of data overdose, automation in tomorrow’s higher-tech world

By David R. Roisum, Ph.D., principal, Finishing Technologies, Inc.

S

o much has changed in the last 50 years in web-handling that we could write a book – in fact, many books – about it.

Documentation is one of the most important of the many developments in our area. All 20 books, 40 Ph.D. theses and most of the 4,000 articles on web-handling-related topics have all been written in our lifetime. We also have some 400 YouTube clips. Trade organizations, such as AIMCAL and TAPPI and the OSU Web Handling Research Center, all took on web-handling during our lifetime as one of their core subjects. Finally, we have web-handling and winding short courses that have been taken by some 10,000 people. Indeed, our challenge in web-handling now is not the lack of information; rather, it is that there is so much information that one almost needs to go to school first to give it context.

Along similar lines of information, we have the rise of dedicated controllers, computers, PLCs and drives, most of which can gather and store data. None of that existed 50 years ago.

However, here again, the bonanza is not entirely a blessing. There are some paper mills that gather and record 10,000 sensors on intervals ranging from milliseconds to minutes. Where do you even begin?

Worshipping the statistically insignificant?

Despite this digital bounty, we have no widely used baggy meters or wrinkle detectors – two of our biggest sources of waste, delay and customer complaints. Similarly, we have no wound-roll meters that can detect corrugations, rough roll edges, telescoping, tin-canning or a hundred other troubles. Worse yet, we rely heavily on the often statistically insignificant (even though politically devastating) occasional customer complaint. That sporadic complaint occurred on a machine of unknown qualities, was poorly documented and subject to human whims of what was too much. In short, we may be blessed if not inundated with data, but it is seldom of the right kind. Again, going to school can help make shorter work of troubleshooting by using first principles rather than fishing for data that we happen to already have.

Still, we do have an array of sensors that simply did not exist 50 years ago that can sometimes be useful for troubleshooting certain problems. We have load cells for measuring web tension

and occasionally even load cells to measure nip-loading. We have motors that can measure their own torque. We have edge sensors for measuring web position and web width. We even can measure the positions of internal features, such as the edges of printing or the position of a cutout. We have scanners that can measure web thickness, weight, moisture, temperature and much more. We have defect detectors that are so good that they can determine the sex of a mosquito on a web 400 in. (10 meters) wide traveling at highway speeds and electronically mark it for the next process.

The suppliers joke that next year’s model might even be able to discriminate between species of mosquito. The next step – a rewinder – then can automatically stop within a couple of feet of the digitally tagged defect so that the operator can accept, patch or reject as appropriate.

Costs at high speed mean seconds matter During the last 50 years, the speeds of almost everything has doubled, if not quadrupled. We now print at 3,000 fpm, coat and make paper at 5,000 fpm, and wind at speeds exceeding 10,000 fpm. This puts huge economic strains on reliability. When processes cost from $2,000 to $20,000 per hour, minutes and even seconds matter. That demand for reliability in turn drove familiar programs, such as Six Sigma and Lean, which borrowed heavily from earlier work in reliability from the automotive and aircraft industries.

continued on page 36

“We have…dedicated controllers, computers, PLCs and drives, most of which can gather and store data. None of that existed 50 years ago.

Here again, the bonanza is not entirely a blessing.” www.aimcal.org \\

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continued from page 35

At high speeds, we must have automated handling: Complete hands-off handling of the master roll from an empty spool back to the maker. Complete hands-off handling of the finished roll into a wrapper and then ferried by a robot to an automated warehouse where humans seldom even walk. We even have truly “onebutton” winders where the operators hit the green button at the start of their shift and everything – including all roll-handling, splices and threading – is done automatically.

At first, this increased automation posed a risk to operators because of the sudden and sometimes unannounced moves of equipment. (“Robots have a nasty backhand” is one saying in this regard). Yet, what we have found is that accidents have actually decreased in the years soon after the introduction of automation.

That is, in part, because these newer machines are fenced and walled off from humans during operation, and LOTO (Lock-OutTag-Out) training and procedures make service during downtimes even safer than they used to be.

Where do we go from here?

So, there we have it. Somewhat better, somewhat faster and… well, not so cheap. But, that is where equipment has taken us in the last 50 years. So, where is it going in the next 50 years? Hard to say, but a continuation of the past trends seems plausible. In other words, more sensors, more data and more productivity

“Even a ‘simple’ coater/ laminator of the year 2020 has more buttons and dials than a small commercial jet aircraft.” through automation and speed. These, in turn, will put even more pressure to reduce waste and delay and customer complaints.

All of these trends will in turn require us to train our workforce in ways we never had to before. Even a “simple” coater/laminator of the year 2020 has more buttons and dials than a small commercial jet aircraft. Think what next year’s model will look like! Joe the operator, who grew up on a farm with good machine literacy, will be replaced by Jane, the tech school grad in automation. The old school hierarchy of management, then engineers, followed by hourly operators will become rarer. Instead, operators and supertechs will be our equals and partners in all matters related to web products and processes, if they have not done so already. n

Here’s to fifty years of a great association.

Award-winning holographic lab Specialty film, foil, and paper laminations Eco-friendly Envirofoil® Large-format capabilities Rotary embossing Custom color matching Sustainable, vertically integrated manufacturing FSC, SFI, PEFC certified papers and paperboards

Winner of IHMA and AIMCAL awards for excellence. hazen.com

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// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

TECHNOLOGY FORECAST \\ SLITTING & REWINDING

Slitting advances from scissors to Wi-Fi-enabled knifeholders

By Dave Rumson, slitting educator and consultant

H

aving been asked to write an article on the last 50 years of technical advancements made to the flexible-web slitting process, for AIMCAL’s 50th anniversary, I thought a quick look at earlier slitting-process advancements might put into perspective how far we have come.

Papermaking Circa 200 BC China/Egypt

Difficult hand process Mulberry, papyrus and hemp were pounded into a slurry, hand pressed and laid out to dry

Flexible web papermaking has been traced back to China, circa 200 BC. Even then, a variety of materials were used – including mulberry, papyrus, hemp and more – to create useable paper sheets for documentation purposes (see Figure 1).

Like today, methinks we can assume that this manufacturing process evolved in ways to improve efficiencies and product quality. Paper production sheets were sized to accommodate the manufacturing process and not the end-use products. Large sheet sizes needed to be reduced to a useable product size.

Papermaking gave us something to slit. Can you say “scissors?”

Some ancient, simply designed, handheld scissors date back to the Second Century. These were probably the first shear-slitting devices incorporated into the flexible-web finishing process.

A timeline of slitting advancements Other web-production advancements along the way to AIMCAL’s beginning and moving forward to today include, but are not limited to, the following: • In 1806, the Fourdrinier Paper Making Machine could discharge very wide paper rolls (see Figure 2).

• In 1865, the roll-fed printing press was developed, creating high demand for less slitting dust.

• In 1915, TAPPI (Technical Assn. of Paper and Pulp Industries) was formed by 30 companies to set industry

Circa 400 – 700 AD

Wooden block printing

Circa 900 – 1000 AD

Paper sheet exports to Europe start

Circa 1000 AD – Alphabetic Writing Developed Circa 1300 AD – Papermaking Comes to Europe

Manufacturing techniques developed - process improvements made University of Georgia Tech

Image 1

FIGURE 1. A very concise history of papermaking

• •

• •

“Today, AIMCAL lists 70 member companies that provide slitter/rewinders, auxiliary systems or slitting services to a worldwide group of end-use product suppliers.”

Computer smiths – Chinese Invention

•

•

standards and best practices and to provide papermakingprocess educational programs.

The first thermoplastic extrusion was accomplished in 1935

by Paul Troester and his wife, Ashley Gershoff, in Hamburg, Germany.

Circa the 1940s, if not sooner, to the 1960s, a variety of pneumatic-powered knifeholder designs began to replace mechanical holders. Innovation led to replacing dovetail bars with linear bearings for smooth holder-location movement on precision-ground rails (see Figure 3).

In 1965, the first US patent for an Automatic SlitterPositioning System was granted to H.R. Patterson of Beloit Eastern Corp.

Then, in 1970, along came AIMCAL to support the processes of vacuum metallizing, solution web coating and laminating within both the paper and converting industries.

In 1984, CEMA (Converting Equipment Manufacturers Assn.) was started. CEMA began offering non-commercial technical presentations on web-handling relating specifically to roll-making. Some subjects included web tension control, web alignment, web spreading, motors/drives, safety procedures, roll loading and unloading, static electricity and…wait for it…slitting.

In 2003, CEMA merged into AIMCAL, adding many more converting-equipment manufacturing companies and independent consultants to the fold. AIMCAL thus continued on page 38 www.aimcal.org \\

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continued from page 37 1798

Sheet Paper to Roll Goods

Continuous Paper Making Concept - Nicolas-Louis Robert to John Gamble who Funded Henry & Sealy Fourdrinier - Circa 1804 England

•

Henry Fourdrinier Granted Patent in 1806 - Winding a Paper Reel

Bryan Donkin “Ingenious Mechanic” Credited for In-Process Improvements

Winding Reel

Early 1800’s Fourdrinier Paper Machine Paper & Paper Making/Ancient and Modern – Richard Herring - 1855

Image 2

FIGURE 2. Paper by the sheet to the first R2R papermaking HOLDER MOUNTING

Round Bar Mount Courtesy of Unknown

Early Double Rack Shear Mount Courtesy of Dienes Werke

Rack and Pinion Shear Mount Courtesy of Maxcess/Tidland

Dove Tail Bar Courtesy of Dienes Corp.

Linear Rail w/Preloaded Bearings Courtesy of Dienes Corp.

Image 3

FIGURE 3. Knifeholder mounting methods ELECTRONIC KNIFE HOLDERS On-board Microprocessors

- Manual or Automatic Set-Up Overlap - Side Load Force Dienes E Slit

Efficient & Accurate - Real Time Monitoring Closed Loop Change Potential - Performance Data Sharing - Wireless Operation Potential - Off-Line Monitoring Capability

Maxcess/Tidland Control Series Courtesy of Maxcess/Tidland & Dienes USA

Image 4

FIGURE 4. Electronic knifeholders and their capabilities 38

// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

expanded its technical programs and conferences to include a wide range of web and machine-control details aimed at improving finished-roll quality.

Today, AIMCAL lists 70 member companies that provide slitter/rewinders, auxiliary systems or slitting services to a worldwide group of end-use product suppliers. Three other member companies – Cadence, Dienes and Maxcess/Tidland – have concentrated on developing and offering further slitting-process improvement equipment.

• Cadence products include longer operational-life razor blades: Boron-Coated Tungsten Carbide and solid Ziconia Ceramic are two examples. In the past few years, as one client presented to me, a Diamond-Coated Tungsten Carbide blade had exponentially extended slitting-blade life from one day to six months.

• Dienes Werke developed a 10,000-fpm (3,048-mpm) knifeholder with a 7-in. (180-mm) diameter knife that uses machined slots to absorb any motor-driven, bottomknife, high-frequency run-out effects.

• The late 1990s and into the 2000s saw Maxcess/Tidland and Dienes expand the use of electronics to improve the slitting process.

• Circa 1992, Dienes introduced a pneumatic shear knifeholder with a dual-pressure manifold (high pressure for Overlap setting and low pressure for knife contact Side Load Force) that could be controlled by an I/P Converter.

• Maxcess International/Tidland in 2009 introduced the first microprocessor-controlled, servomotor-driven shear knifeholder.

• Today, both Dienes and Maxcess/Tidland offer knifeholders with on-board, microprocessor-controlled manual or automatic setup, real-time performance monitoring, data sharing and wireless operation capability (see Figure 4).

A plethora of knife-positioning developments Computer-controlled stepper- or servomotor-activated knifepositioning systems have helped slitting departments see significant setup-time savings from laborious and less accurate manual holder-positioning methods. The two more common positioning methods are Pick & Place (one-at-a-time) and Simultaneous (all together) (see Figure 5).

Today’s Pick & Place positioning systems are computercontrolled with manually entered or menu-driven slit widths. Two separate servo- or stepper-motor-powered traversing devices first scan and record each top and bottom knife location. Then, they travel to the first knife set, release the braking mechanisms and relocate top and bottom knives per menu…one set at a time.

Simultaneous knife-positioning system top-and-bottom knives have their own stepper or servomotors for both moving and locking the knives; cross-machine location always is monitored.

TECHNOLOGY FORECAST \\ SLITTING & REWINDING ELECTRONIC KNIFE HOLDERS

Pick & Place Shear Knife Positioning Systems

On-board Microprocessors

Motor Driven

Dienes E Slit Courtesy of Dienes USA

Courtesy of Maxcess/Tidland

Simultaneous Shear Knife Positioning Systems

Scissors - 2nd Century Asia Minor

“We’ve Come A Long Way Baby”

Maxcess/Tidland Control Series Courtesy of Dienes USA

Image 5

Courtesy of Maxcess/Tidland & Dienes USA

FIGURE 5. Pick & Place and Simultaneous knifeholderpositioning systems

FIGURE 6. On-board microprocessors allow knifeholders to communicate via Wi-Fi.

Once a full cross-machine slit-width pattern is programmed and activated, all the knives move together to their new locations…at the same time. Slit-width change times can take only three to 15 seconds, depending on the width of the web.

in a subsequent operation, the knife sets involved would be moved to correct the slit location relative to the camera signal without machine shutdown.

Simultaneous positioning systems can operate as true “servomechanisms.” This means knife sets can receive signals from other devices – such as winder drives, unwind brakes, pull rolls, spreader rolls or edge-guiding equipment – and react to them as needed, including quick knife disengagement from E-Stop situations. They also can make corrections to web shifts, as with a camera watching a print or packaging crease line. If the line shifted for some reason to negatively affect the finished product

Today, Maxcess/Tidland and Dienes use HMI (Human Machine Interface) computers to control stepper- and servomotor-operated slitting equipment, knifeholders and holder-positioning machines.

These powerful systems can alert all pertinent personnel of any performance issues. Think about it: Before cellphones, you would have been having a family picnic by the river with no way to know there was a problem back at work. Today, with the wonder of sensors, Wi-Fi and cell phones, your knifeholder can call you to say, “Hey, I’ve had a serious web break. The unwind told me continued on page 40

Congratulations AIMCAL We salute you on your 50th anniversary!

Thank you for being such a reliable industry leader and here’s to many more years of our continued partnership!

www.petfilm.com www.aimcal.org \\

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// TECHNOLOGY FORECAST SLITTING & REWINDING

continued from page 39

the roll had really bad adhesive-blocking issues. You’d better get in here ASAP.” How good it that? (see Figure 6).

Where do we go from here?

I’m sure web-handling electronic improvements will continue.

I envision use of machine web-tension and speed sensors; knifeholder load cells; accelerometers; and force-responsive, shear-angle adjustments to better slitter/rewinder performance.

Then all this performance data working through SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) software for rollquality analysis, defect traceability, FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) reports and historical quality-control data will give us…Roll Slitting Profiles (see Figure 7).

Stay tuned. n

More Potential SCADA

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

Computer Management with Intelligent Software Collect Holder Encoder & Knife Contact Force Data

(20 ms response time)

Collect Web Tension, Web Speed and Top & Bottom Knife Speeds Serious Event Capture and Warning; E-Stop Potential

Roll Quality Analysis, Defect Traceability and Reporting Master Rolls and Finished Rolls Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Support (FMEA) Historical Quality Control Data Today Available External Monitoring Capability

ROLL SLITTING PROFILE Image 7

FIGURE 7. Future potential in intelligent slitting/rewinding

Technology Center

Center for the Finishing Technologies of the Future

KROENERT The Coating Machinery Experts

Lacquering

OLEDs

Happy 50th Anniversary to AIMCAL

KROENERT is proud to be a member of the great network. We wish AIMCAL all the best and success for the future.

The Technology Center is a very unusual and unique service. At the center our multifunctional, world-leading technical pilot plant, benchmarked to production standards, is available to our customers. With more than 60 different application systems, web widths of up to 1300 mm and production speed range from 0.5 to 1610 m/min, every coating can be tested here. The ability of the selected machine to meet requirements under production conditions can quickly be assessed.

Contact us now! www.kroenert.de

UV Protective Films

www.kroenert.de 40

// AIMCAL 50th Anniversary

Printed Circuits