Energy curing technologies (UV, UV LED and EB) continue to expand in the paint and coatings, graphic arts and industrial segments, and into new applications including 3D printing. There are numerous environmental and performance benefits to energy curing technology, which is important when it comes to sustainability.

RadTech International North America, The Association for Ultraviolet and Electron Beam Technologies will be hosting its biennial show, RadTech UV+EB 2020 this year at Disney Coronado Springs in Orlando, Florida.

RadTech 2020 will feature five short courses, 33 Technical Conference tracks, 14 Exhibit Theater segments, RadLaunch and more than 85 exhibitors. RadTech’s Mickey Fortune said that RadTech 2020 is enjoying growth in the number of exhibitors as well as attendees this year.

“Our exhibits are sold out this year and we even added several new exhibitors,” Fortune noted. “We are expecting more attendees than we had in 2018 and 2016, due to a deep desire in multiple markets to learn more about UV+EB materials and chemistry. We are already seeing a lot of exciting potential and current users registering, which is helping to drive our numbers. As a reminder, advanced registration is open until Feb. 21.”

Fortune said that the move to Orlando was driven by the need to minimize scheduling conflicts with industries whose shows overlap with RadTech.

“The past several RadTech shows have been held in May in Rosemont and our members and attendees have been very pleased with the attendance and overall vibe,” he said. “Over the past few years, though, a lot more shows have moved to May, which has presented us with scheduling limitations. RadTech attracts end-users and suppliers from over 30 different industries and with all of those industries brings overlap with other conferences. By moving to March we're reducing the potential conflicts with other events to allow end-users and suppliers to learn more about UV+EB while networking with the UV+EB industry leaders from around the world. Being in Orlando in March isn't bad either.”

RadTech 2020 also features the RadLaunch program, the idea accelerator for ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) technology start-ups, students and innovators.

Dr. Mike J. Idacavage, Radical Curing LLC and co-chair of RadLaunch, reported that the impact of the RadLaunch program has far exceeded the value of the individual monetary grants given to each company.

“Since the initial RadLaunch awards were announced in 2018, I have received feedback from numerous RadLaunch awardees that one of the most valuable things that RadLaunch offered was an introduction to companies such as material suppliers, equipment suppliers and end-users that could furnish support and guidance as the RadLaunch winner developed their project,” Dr. Idacavage added.

Technical Conference
One of the major highlights of RadTech 2020 is the RadTech Conference, which features more than 125 presentations as well as 14 Exhibit Theater segments. Fortune said he is looking forward to the sustainability-related topics across multiple conference sessions.

“From circular economy-related topics and recyclability of UV+EB materials, we're excited at the interest in promoting the environmentally friendly advantages of UV+EB technology,” he added. “We also have cool sessions on Industry 4.0, micropatterning, 3D printing, characterization, formulations, raw materials, and so much more. Also, we have an excellent list of panel discussions featuring industry experts, discussing topics like UVC LED development, flexible packaging, post-processing of 3D printed parts, and more.

“With the surge of interest and applications for UV LED we will again see several topics related to UV LED at RadTech 2020,” Fortune added. “We're seeing continued adoption across the printing and packaging industries with a new interest in several industrial markets. We will also feature a panel discussion on Electron Beam and another discussing Innovations in Flexible Packaging. We will have several sessions for 3D printing and additive manufacturing including three dedicated conference sessions on chemistry, materials, and markets, as well as several panel discussions featuring industry experts discussing new markets and post-processing. Of course, sustainability will be an important topic across multiple sessions, and as always, we will focus on the new materials and enabling chemistry offered by UV+EB technology.”

Short Courses
RadTech 2020 begins on March 9 with five short courses:

• UV/EB Professional Short Course (Undergraduate Level), led by Dr. Idacavage, Radical Curing LLC, and Dr. Neil Cramer, Colorado Photopolymer Solutions/University of Colorado;
• Advanced Photopolymerization Topics (Graduate Level), featuring Dr. Susan Bailey and Dr. Molly Hladik of Michelman;
• UV LED Bootcamp, conducted by Jennifer Heathcote, Eminence UV, LLC;
• Design of Experiments for UV/EB Scientists and Engineers, led by Dr. Allan Guymon, University of Iowa;
• Lunch & Learn: Introduction to the Basics of UV Cationic Curing, featuring Dr. Idacavage.

March 9 Sessions
The Technical Conference begins on March 9 and features four sessions of three concurrent tracks. The morning session features tracks on Applications I, Micropatterning & Low Gloss, and Sustainability.

Track A, Applications I, will be covered by Anna Drabczyk of Cracow University of Technology; Bob Lin of Evonik; Kristy Wagner of Red Spot Paint and Varnish; and Marcus Hutchins of allnex.

Track B, Micropatterning & Low Gloss, will feature talks by Henry C. Bilinsky, MicroTau Pty Ltd; Jonathan Shaw of allnex; Mike Toth of BYK USA; and David Ivarsson, Efsen UV & EB Technology. Track C will offer Introduction to the Basics of UV/EB Curing, which will be led by Dr. Idacavage.

After the break, attendees will be offered sessions on Applications II, Additives, and New Product Debut I, which will feature a series of short talks.

Track A, Applications II, will have talks by Michael J. Dvorchak, Dvorchak Enterprises LLC; Vijay Mannari, Eastern Michigan University; Xiaoqun Zhu, Beijing University of Chemical Technology; and Jonathan Shaw, allnex.

Additives, the subject of Track B, will be analyzed by Joseph Lichtenhan, Hybrid Plastics Inc.; Mike J Idacavage, advisor - Nagase America; Nikolas Kaprinidis, BASF; and Salvatore J. Monte, Kenrich Petrochemicals, Inc.

Track C consists of New Product Debut I. Speakers will include Molly McManus, Aquisense Technologies; Camila Baroni, IGM Resins; Manjuli Gupta, Sartomer Americas; Steve Kranz, Originresins; Kevin Nance, Alberdingk Boley; Michael Gould, RAHN USA; Mike Kelly, Allied PhotoChemical; and Neil Cramer, Colorado Photopolymer Solutions. 

After lunch, the conference resumes with sessions on Printing & Packaging, Materials I and Characterization.

Printing & Packaging will have talks by Elliot Coulbeck, Lubrizol; Imtiaz Rangwalla, Energy Sciences Inc.; Julie Cross, Domino Printing Sciences; and Karl Swanson and Sage Schissel, PCT Ebeam and Integration, LLC.

Materials I will feature Atsushi Tachibana, Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.; Bob Ruckle, Siltech Corporation; J. Taylor Goodrich, Sirrus Inc.; and Kimihiro Matsukawa, Kyoto Institute of Technology.

Characterization will be discussed by Callie Higgins, NIST; Erin Peters, PCT Ebeam and Integration, LLC; Huan Lee, Lambient Technologies; and Jonathan Shaw, allnex.

After the break, there will be sessions on UV LED, Materials II and Formulation. UV LED will be covered by Brett Skinner, Heraeus Noblelight America; Jennifer Heathcote, Eminence UV, LLC; Rui Zhou, Phoseon Technology; and Thorsten Vehoff, Heraeus Noblelight GmbH.

Materials II will feature talks by Richard Eckberg, Momentive Performance Materials; Songhai Shao, Showa Denko Group; and Takeo Suga, Waseda University.

Track C, Formulation, will host presentations by Amy Gran, Ashland LLC; Tong Wang, Allnex; Jun Nie, Beijing University of Chemical Technology; and James Goodrich, Miwon North America.

There will also be six presentations throughout March 9 at the Exhibit Theater:

• 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Is UV Technology Ready for Food Applications? (Presented by IUVA);
• 11:15 a.m. - noon: UVC LED Development;
• 1:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: What’s Going On with UV Healthcare Efficacy Standards? - Q&A’s (Presented by IUVA);
• 2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Emerging Applications in Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing;
• 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.: The Future of Photoinitiators and New UV+EB Raw Materials;
• 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.: Post-Processing and Testing/Characterization of UV curable 3D materials and Cured Objects.

March 10 Sessions
The RadTech 2020 conference continues into its second day with three concurrent sessions as well as the Exhibit Theater. The early morning session features three concurrent sessions: Industry 4.0, Measurement and Material Durability and Specification Testing.

Industry 4.0 will be led by David Ivarsson, Efsen UV & EB Technology; Darrin Leonhardt, Heraeus Noblelight America; and Mike Gharagozloo, Heraeus Noblelight America. Measurement will have talks by Dominik Stephan, Dymax; Jim Raymont, EIT Instruments; and Robin E. Wright, Wright Way UV Consulting LLC.

Material Durability and Specification Testing will have presentations by Chris, Seubert, Ford Motor Company; Mary Ellen Rosenberger, BaySpring Solutions, LLC; Michael Dvorchak, Dvorchak Enterprises LLC. That will be followed by Introduction to the Basics of UV/EB Curing, led by Dr. Idacavage.

After the break, the conference will feature segments on 3D Printing, Exterior Coatings, and New Product Debut II.

3D Printing will have talks by Brendan McGrail, Sartomer; Amelia Davenport, Colorado Photopolymer Solutions; Forough Z. Shahraki, Eastern Michigan University; and Kyle Snow, Sartomer. Exterior Coatings will feature Anna Johnson, Arkema; Arun Patel, Everlight USA; and Jonathan Shaw, allnex.

New Product Debut II will have short presentations by Michael Kiehnel, BCH; Dhara Metla, BYK USA; Bob Lin, Evonik; James Gacek, Chitec Technology Co.; Norihito Nishimura, Showa Denko; James Goodrich, Miwon North America; Jim Raymont, EIT, LLC; and Keith Cordero, Ushio Americas.

After lunch, attendees will have three concurrent sessions to select from: Formulating for 3D Printing, Wood & Building Products and RadLaunch Presentations.

Formulating for 3D Printing will be led by Paul Share, Advanced Materials Design; Caitlyn Cook, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Nathan Noyes, Croda; and Allan Guymon, University of Iowa.

Wood & Building Products will be covered by Aurelien Hermann, University Laval; Jonathan Shaw, allnex; Kevin Nance, Alberdingk Boley; and Chloe Paquet, Universite Laval.

RadLaunch Presentations, the focus of Track C, will be covered by Kevin Barnett, Pyran; David Walker, Azul3D; Thomas Hafkamp, Eindhoven University of Technology; Kangmin Kim, University of Colorado; Ian Hosein, Syracuse University; and Hamidreza Asemani, Eastern Michigan University.

After the break, the second day concludes with sessions on Advanced Materials for 3D Printing, Adhesion to Difficult Substrates and Hybrid/Dual-Cure.

Advanced Materials for 3D Printing will have talks by Roberto Bianchi, RadLab AG; Roumanie Marilyne, CEA/LITEN; Yann Stolz, Sartomer; and Sébastien Vry, CEA/LITEN.

Adhesion to Difficult Substrates will feature Chakrapani Srinivasan, IGM Resins; Christopher MacNeil, Sartomer Americas; and William C. Miles, Penn Color.

Chris Baumgart, Red Spot Paint and Varnish; Chris Davis, IST America; Jon Scholte, Sartomer Americas; and Sage Schissel, PCT Ebeam and Integration, LLC will present during the Hybrid/Dual-Cure segment.

Exhibit Theater will feature the following sessions:

• 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Electron Beam Mythbusters;
• 11:15 a.m.- noon: UV vs. the Coronavirus - What’s the Situation and What are We Doing? ;
• 1:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Trends in Lightweighting;
• 2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Trends in UV+EB Inkjet for Packaging;
• 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.: Maximizing ROI and Sustainability in UV+EB Projects;
• 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.: Innovative Directions in Flexible Packaging

March 11 Sessions
The final day of RadTech 2020 will be Wednesday, March 11, beginning with tracks on Electronics, Equipment and Sustainability & Regulatory.

Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Endurance Testing Systems; Hwa-il Jin, Samsung Electronics; Neal T. Pfeiffenberger, Sartomer; and Selina Monickam, Pixelligent Technologies, LLC will present during the Electronics portion.

Equipment will be discussed by Charlie Cooper, Illinois Accelerator Research Center, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Robert Saenger, IST America; Mike J. Idacavage, Radical Curing LLC; and Tilman Weiss, sglux GmbH.

Sustainability & Regulatory will be the focus of talks by Brett Van Horn, Sartomer Americas; Brigitte Lindner, RAHN USA; Marika Morone, IGM Resins; and Marcia Kinter, SGIA.

Aftre the break, sessions will be held on Photoinitiators, Adhesives and New Product Debut III.

Photoinitiators will be covered by Nir Waiskopf, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Shuhua Jin, Henkel; Stephen R Postle, IGM Resins; and Robin Wright, Wright Way UV Consulting. Adhesives will be the focus of talks by Ling Li, Henkel; Marcus Hutchins, allnex; Shabbir Attarwala, Henkel; and Willy Du, Wraio Chemicals.

New Product Debut III will have short presentations by Kevin Joesel, Heraeus Noblelight America; Aki Kanaya, Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.; Deivis Parejo, Honle UV; Andrew Brannon, American Ultraviolet; Jill Fowler, International Light Technologies, Inc.; Jeff Norris, Lubrizol Advanced Materials; Eric Zhou and Dr. Chen Liang, Changzhou Tronly New Electronic Materials Co.; and Brian Sullivan, Energy Sciences Inc.

The final three sessions, Global Market Overview, Kinetics and New Product Debut IV, will be held after lunch.

Global Market Overview, a look at North America, China and Europe, will be given by n Market Overview by Eileen Weber, allnex and president, RadTech North America; Jun Nie, RadTech China; and Paul Kelly, RadTech Europe/Luxsit Ltd., respectively.

Kinetics will be covered by Kangmin Kim, University of Colorado Boulder; Martin Thompson, Domino Printing; Sage Schissel, PCT Ebeam and Integration, LLC; and Yanxi Zhang, Netzsch Instruments North America.

New Product Debut IV will feature Kevin Joesel, Heraeus Noblelight America; Joe Lichtenhan, Hybrid Plastics; Murali Kumar, Luminus Devices; Michael Knoblauch, Keyland Polymer Material Sciences; Eileen Weber, allnex; and Jerry Lu, Double Bond Chem., USA.

Exhibit Theater will have its final two sessions:

• 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Defining Sustainability with UV & EB Technology;
• 11:15 a.m. - noon: IUVA Young Professionals Ask Me Anything (Presented by IUVA).

For more information or to register for RadTech2020, see www.radtech2020.com.