AIMCAL presents 2022 Product of the Year, Technology of the Year and Sustainability Awards
- Published: May 06, 2022
The Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL) honored 2022 Product of the Year, Technology of the Year and Sustainability Award winners at a ceremony during the 2022 AIMCAL Executive Leadership Conference (April 4-5, 2022, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC).
The 2022 Product of the Year Award* went to ProAmpac Holdings, LLC, Flexibles Division (Cary, IL), for a quilted, multilayer film/foil phase-change mat used to insulate attics in residential, commercial and industrial buildings and reduce energy costs for heating, cooling and ventilating by up to 50 percent.
The 2022 Technology of the Year Award went to Rheonics (Winterthur, Switzerland) for its InkSight multi-station, ink viscosity-control system for printing presses. The Rheonics InkSight system delivers quality, cost and environmental benefits by managing all viscosity measurement and control functions, thereby allowing operators to focus on quality rather than measurement.
The judges also awarded a Technical Excellence Award to InkSpec (St. Bruno, Quebec, Canada) for its InkSpec MIIS-V3 viscometer, model 40339-2200, a patented and patent-pending device that measures and controls the viscosity of process fluids. Based on acoustic suspension technology, the unit is unaffected by flow, micro-foaming or machine vibration. The small, light sensor can be installed in tight spaces and mounted vertically or horizontally. Primary applications include flexographic, gravure and corrugated printing; food and beverage can coating; sheet coating; and medical-device printing and coating. Other commercial applications include adhesives, gloss and coefficient of friction coatings for offset printing; glass, mirror and eyeglass coating; and industrial laminating.
The 2022 Sustainability Award went to Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. (Bennington, NH) for a 100% post-consumer-recycled (PCR) fiber stock for gift/loyalty cards. The 28-point Monadnock Envi PC 100 Card material is a coated/laminated structure engineered for dimensional stability, durability, printability and performance equal to all-virgin-fiber cards. It can accommodate magnetic stripes, scratch-off and signature panels and maintains the structural integrity needed to allow affixing to a carrier with fugitive glues and damage-free removal by the consumer. Designed with maximum PCR content as an alternative to polyvinyl chloride, polylactic acid, virgin-fiber solid bleached sulfate or mixed virgin/recycled fiber cards, the Monadnock Envi PC 100 Card is renewable and has been independently verified as recyclable in curbside bins. Other potential applications for the PCR material include hotel keycards, near-frequency communication (NFC) cards and radio frequency identification (RFID) cards.
Membership information is available on-line at www.aimcal.org.