Web Coating Blog

AIMCAL Fall Technical Conference October 2008

AIMCAL Fall Technical Conference
October 2008
Edward Cohen
The AIMCAL Fall Technical Meeting was help in October in Myrtle Beach,
NC. It provided a forum for the exchange of Information between
technical personnel in the web coating Industry. Technical papers were
presented in four sessions as follows:
• Environmental Responsiveness
• Web Coating & Laminating
• Vacuum Web Coating
• EmergingT echnologies
• Advances in Web Coating Technology
In addition there were table to exhibits, which also provide an
opportunity for additional technical discussions.

I found all of the presentations were useful and relevant to the technology of importance
to the Converting Industry. While the Coating process is sold, there is
still a a lrge amont of new technology that is being developed.

Wide ranges of topics were discussed, energy concerns, coating methods, slitting,
barrier layers, Coating hardware etc.

The following are the titles and a summary of some of the key
presentation. Details of the papers and contact information can be
found in the Conference Proceedings available from AIMCAL.

A Paradigm Shift In Knife Holder Slitting Technology
David Rumson
Sigmala, USA

Conventional slitting systems, consisting of mechanically
mounted and pneumatically activated knife holders (Mech/Pneu) have been
in existence for approximately 60 years. Although shear knife holder
and positioning systems have advanced during this time, there are some
basic operating requirements that remain limited in efficiency and
usefulness relative to today’s computer controlling capabilities. This
paper will present a basic overview of the physical operating
differences of Mech/Pneu holders and Servo Motor-Computer Controlled
holders (Serv/Com).

Application Of Surface Analysis For Root Cause Failure Analysis
David Cole
Evans Analytical Group

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Time-of-Flight Secondary
Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) are valuable analytical techniques in
determining the rooot cause of failure in multilayer films.

Breaking Thru A Paradigm:New Technology For Coating And Laminating
Mike Budai
TW Dynatec

The purpose of this presentation is to break thru a paradigm in
laminating nonwovens, textiles, and composites. This paper will present is to
introduce the latest technologies in coating and laminating utilizing
hot melt polymers.

Reducing Changeover Time on a Coating Line,
Larry Gogolin
Gogolin & Associates

This paper will cover the steps to consider in establishing a reduction in the changeover time. It will look at planning, data collection, analysis and what to do with this
information.

Optimizing Mix Performance”
Ken McCarthy

This paper presents a discussion of mixing time and its importance to
coating operations.

Stay Ahead of Static Problems in Film Conveyance
Kelly Robinson,
Electrostatic Answers LLC

Demands for static control in film conveyance are increasing because
products are more complex and sensitive to static discharges. Four keys
to staying ahead of static problems in web conveyance are presented T
he implementation of these four recommendations for a typical coating
operation is presented.

Primerless Heat Seal Coatings for Film Substrates
Virginia Cushing &Robin Cooper
Michelman

This paper presents a single pass, aqueous heat seal coating which
exhibits excellent hot tack and a wider operating window as compared to
conventional heat seal coatings and common extruded sealants.

Increasing Energy Efficiency in the Web Coating Process
Edward Cohen, Dan Bemi Megtec

This paper focuses on reducing energy consumption, by modifying the
overall coating process and to utilizie renewable resources in their
production in order to remain competitive in this climate of rising
energy costs.

Intelligent Process Cooling: Saving Money, Protecting the
Environment
& Curing Process Headaches
Steven Petrakis
Frigel

Process cooling with ambient air, closed loop cooling systems can save
up to 25% on energy and water consumption in addition to eliminating chemical
evaporation and the disposal of contaminated waste water.

Nanoparticulate Barrier Films and Gas Permeation Measurement Techniques
for Thin Film Solar and Display Applications
Senthil Ramadas*, Shwe Zin Ma, Mark Auch, Chua Soo Jin
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering.

This paper presents innovative approach to resolving the ‘pore effect’
by literally plugging the defects in the barrier oxide films using
nanoparticles. The nanoparticles used in the barrier stack have a dual
function – not only sealing the defects but also reacts with moisture
and oxygen. The result is an achievement of moisture barrier
performance of better than 10-6g/m2/day that surpasses the ideal
requirements needed for flexible applications,

Comment on Dyne SOlution Sources

                                    

A new comment from “David Tanner” was received on the post “Response to Query” of the weblog “Web Coating Blog”.

                         

Comment:
I would like to add to this post by saying that the Dyne Solutions that referred to are availible from selected companies, in the UK and Europe for instance CDE Products have manufactured Dyne solutions for over 20 years.

            

• Commenter name: David Tanner
• Commenter email: info@cdeproducts.co.uk

Effective Networking, A Path Through The Information Overload

                        Effective Networking, A Path Through The Information Overload
                                            Edward Cohen

Even though we live on large planet, with large physical dimension (a Volume of 1.0832073_1012 km_ and a  Mass of 5.9736_1024 kg); technologies such as the Internet, Information Sciences, World Wide Web, rapid digital communications ,easily accessible databases and search engines have made it a very small world. It now possible to instantly communicate with persons all over the world and to obtain technical information from most countries, businesses and Universities.

The Importance of Coating Process Support Systems

                             The Importance of Coating Process Support Systems
                                            Edward Cohen

Ongoing technical projects are needed to improve the quality, cost & productivity of a coating line in order to remain competitive and rapidly develop new products. There are several important considerations when developing and identifying coater needs and deciding on the most effective programs too work on. These are:

CEMA Coating & Laminating Fundamentals

AIMCAl & CEMA will be sponsoring a Seminar on Coating & Laminating. The schedule is below. For more information and to register go to
        www.AIMCAL.ORG

Continuing Education Courses.

The Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL) is sponsoring several continuing education courses in Converting Process Technology in 2008.

One Thing to Optimize Process

A question that is often asked about the Web Coating Process is “ What are the one or two most critical areas of the process that I should concentrate on to obtain a coated product with high quality and low cost?”. A possible basis for this question can be found in an interchange in the 1991 movie “City Slickers”, between Billy Crystal and Jack Palance

Upcoming Technical Meetings

There are several technical meetings that will occur in the next three months, which will discuss coating process related technology. I believe that there is a benefit to attending these meetings. These meetings provide a forum to where the participants can interact with each other in person. Communications and networking are much better face-to-face and when the topics being discussed can be seen, touched and questions immediately answered.

Observations from Printing & Packaging Expo

The first Converting Printing & Packaging Expo was held in Las Vegas from September 26-28.  The Expo featured exhibits from over 200 converters, package printers, package designers, raw material vendors and hardware manufacturers.  In addition, here were also several educational programs on technologies important to the converting process that ran concurrently with the exhibit.

My goal in this BLOG is to communicate some of the important leanings and observations that I had while viewing the show. I have been attending these trade shows in the converting industry for many years and find them interesting and informative. I always learn something that is new to me and will help me

Defect Characterization Techniques: Microscopy

The ability to characterize a defect and to determine why it is different from the surrounding acceptable material is essential to determining the proper corrective action to eliminate it. There are a wide variety of analytical techniques that are in routine use to characterize defects and to help determine its physical and chemical characteristics. In this article the use of three microscopic techniques to determine these properties will be discussed.

The microscope is an instrument that produces magnified images of small objects that are too small to be seen with the naked eye.  An optical microscope uses visible light and combination of lenses to produce magnified images of small objects. Microscopes can also use other types of radiation infrared, electrons  and X-ray to  produce the magnified images.