ARC Honors Award Winners at R2R Conference USA
- Published: November 13, 2024
The Association for Roll-to-Roll Converters (ARC) announced the winners of its annual awards program at an Awards Ceremony held during its 2024 R2R USA Conference & Expo.
The Solo-T Tourniquet from entrotech Inc. was recognized as Product of the Year. This life-saving emergency tourniquet consists of a self-adhesive, film-based design that is simple and intuitive to apply. A high-strength backing film provides robust securement and the backside release coating allows for quick and easy adjustment. The lightweight, compact roll configuration allows for convenient storage, cutting to shorter lengths or reuse under certain circumstances. The judges noted the product’s reliance on multiple coatings, its life-saving potential and the use of fewer materials than competing products.
Honorable Mention in the Product of the Year competition went to Poolside by CGT for CGT-Alkor’s Brown Basalt Residential Pool Membrane. The flexible pool membrane combines anti-slip properties with the realistic look and feel of natural brown and grey stone tiles. The judging panel was impressed by the multiple converting processes involved in producing the material and the standout execution.
The Sustainability Award was earned by BOBST for its oneBARRIER FibreCycle material with AluBond metallization. Developed in conjunction with UPM Specialty Papers and Michelman, the high-barrier, recycle-ready, fiber-based structure is designed to replace non-recyclable, multilayer materials based on metallized polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The mono-material, paper-based flexible packaging offers an oxygen transmission rate of < 1 cm³/(m² d) and a water vapor transmission rate of < 1 g/(m²) and is confirmed to be recyclable by PTS, the German research institute of the paper industry, 4evergreen, Aticelca and Western Michigan University. Judges described it as a game-changing, recyclable, renewable alternative to non-recyclable substrates.
Fres-co System USA, Inc. received the Honorable Mention in the Sustainability Award competition for its NEXTPAK™ recycle-ready, high-barrier, all-polyethylene coffee packaging. Said to be the first degassing-valve-equipped, high-barrier coffee package certified by the NexTrex Recycling Program, the flexible packaging material is designed to be recycled in the NexTrex Recycling Program at store drop-off locations throughout the United States. Trex upcycles approximately 450 million pounds of plastic film, bags and wraps annually in the production of its decking material. The judging panel noted that most coffee packaging consists of multiple materials and is not recyclable and was impressed that the NEXTPAK material offers the barrier and venting features required for coffee along with a specific recycling destination.
The Technology of the Year Award was bestowed on Intellivation LLC for its In-Situ Mid IR Reflectance Spectrometry for Roll-to-Roll Sputter Coaters. Coatings and multi-layers in the mid-infrared (IR) spectral range can provide optical functions for products like edge and band pass filters. These optical devices can be tailored to avoid common environmental interference factors, resulting in improved stability and durability. Functional optical coating filters are important components for emerging applications including biomedical sensors, spectrophotometric gas sensors for environmental monitoring and space-based telecommunications. The judges observed in-situ mid-IR reflection monitoring of vacuum roll-to-roll coatings improves the development and production yield of highly complex and multi-functional layer stacks for high-tech applications. They also were impressed by the technology’s potential for yet-to-be-thought-of uses.
The Honorable Mention in the Technology of the Year competition went to Maplesoft for its MapleSim 2024 advanced modeling software that simulates the physical response of web material as it travels through a web line. Two- and three-dimensional visualization tools and analysis apps allow engineers to explore the effects of changing parameters and web line elements to avoid unwanted tension fluctuations and reduce the risk of breakage and product quality issues such as wrinkles, troughs and misalignment. The judges applauded the interoperability of the software with other systems and its potential for widespread usage.
The judging session was moderated by Chris Kerscher, executive director of ARC. Members of the panel included Steve Lange, managing member, ProcessDev, LLC; Ted Lightfoot, principal consultant, Ted Lightfoot LLC; Tony Donato, retired industry expert, GAA; Paul Teachout, technical marketing and content specialist, Harper Corporation; William Pope, professor of Practice, Rochester Institute of Technology; Scott Lambert, retired sustainability leader, Sealed Air Corporation; Jim Garvey, account manager, INX International; and Mark Spaulding, editor emeritus of Converting Quarterly magazine.
Membership information is available at http://www.rolltoroll.org.