A Communication from the PLACE Div. of TAPPI

Published: June 30, 2004, By David J. Bentley, Jr., Editor

Providing practical information to the converting and packaging industries

Annual Meeting in Indianapolis
The TAPPI 2004 PLACE Conference moves to a totally new location this year. The selection of the Westin Indianapolis Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the August 29 to September 2 meeting will offer a convenient, easy-to-reach, and inexpensive location according to Jeffrey Wooster of Dow Chemical, the chairperson of the PLACE Division. He noted that the division officers selected this city at the request of registrants at recent division conferences.

Billed as “The Premier Technical Event For The Flexible Packaging And Converting Industry,” the TAPPI 2004 PLACE Conference will have approximately 30 sessions featuring more than 100 papers and will include various panel discussions. Technical Program Co-Chairpersons Beth Wells of Black Clawson Converting Machinery, Inc. and Warren Durling of Glad Manufacturing Co. have assembled a program that features presentations sharing real-life, how-to knowledge on topics covering:

• Advances in flexible packaging barriers
• Developments in biodegradable films
• Peelable seal technologies
• Packaging and converting adhesives
• Medical packaging
• Film web handling and winding
• Resins for film and extrusion processing
• Active packaging.

Who Should Attend
The PLACE Conference will benefit the following people involved in the packaging, converting, and hot melt industries regardless of experience level:

• Technical and marketing professionals from resin, additive, and equipment suppliers
• Converting plant employees
• Packaging engineers
• Process engineers and experienced operators
• Technical mangers
• Product development specialists
• Consultants
• Educators and students.

In addition to the formal technical presentations, the 2004 TAPPI PLACE Conference will again offer its popular Converter Spotlight session where attendees will learn from leading converters of flexible packaging who will share valuable insight on raw material improvements, converting equipment improvements, and new product development. The participants in this panel are Amcor Flexibles, Alcan, Bryce, Sonoco, Printpack, Pactiv, RJR Packaging, Alcoa, Bomarco, and C&H Packaging.

The eagerly anticipated New Technology Showcase will be Monday, August 29, 2004. Immediately following this event, conference attendees can meet company representatives during the Table Top Reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Early registrants for this feature are Flynn Burner Corporation, Black Clawson Converting Machinery Inc., Enercon Industrires, Dyneon, ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Chevron Phillips Chemical Co., The Dow Chemical Company, Mica Corporation, Brampton Engineering, Inc., MOCON, Stratis Plastic Pallets, Polytype, ATOFINA, Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC, M. Torres Disenos Industriales S.A., and Voridian Division of Eastman Chemical Co.

Committees that comprise the PLACE Division will all hold meetings during the TAPPI 2004 PLACE Conference. The committee meetings are open to all registrants and provide opportunities for everyone to participate in the behind-the-scenes plans of the groups regarding future meetings and other activities. The committees include Extrusion Coating, Film Extrusion, Active Packaging, Marketing, International Packaging, European PLACE, and Flexible Packaging.

Flexible Packaging Sessions
The meeting includes seven sessions related directly to flexible packaging. Papers in the session entitled “Biodegradable Films” chaired by Shamit Mahesh Hakani of AEP Industries are “Development and Production of Value-Added Compostible Flexible Film Products with the Consumer in Mind” by Robert Boyle of Cortec Corp. and “Easy-Opening Packaging Technology” by Johan de Clippeleir and Spencer Hirata of Bassell Polyolefins. A session on “Medical Packaging” chaired by John S. Ozcomert of Amcor Flexibles Healthcare includes papers on “Seal Integrity in Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Packages” by Anton Stauffer of PTI-Packaging Technologies and “The Interrelationship of Regulations, Standards, and Test Methods in Medical Packaging” by Michael H. Scholla of DuPont. In his paper on “The Effect of Blistering during the Heat Sealing of Paper and Foil Containing Packaging,” Lee Murray of Pechiney Plastic Packaging discusses the relationship between moisture content and blistering in laboratory tests and package leaker rate data from packaging lines and recommends how to deal with the problem.

Douglas E. Powell of Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. is chairing a session on “Laminating of Non-Wovens,” and John P. Christiano of Davis-Standard Corp. will lead the annual session called “SPE/ANTEC Exchange.” In a session called “European Exchange,” Otto M. Plassman of BP Koeln GmbH and Guenter Schubert of Hydro Aluminium Deutschland GmbH discuss “Shedding a New Light on Corona Treated Aluminum Foil.” Another paper in this session is “Rheological Indicators to Predict the Extrusion Coating Performance of LDPE” by Per-Ake Clevenhag and Claes Oveby of Tetra-Pak.

Robert S. Forsyth, Consultant, will lead a four-paper session called “Hot Melt Tutorial.” The papers will cover the use of waxes, stabilizers for hot melt products, and styrene block copolymers. A paper by John A. Harvey of ExxonMobil Chemical Co. entitled “Market Trends in Packaging, Non-Wovens, and Other Hot Melt Markets and Key Tackifier and Polymer Developments” will cover key trends in the hot melt adhesive market.

The session on “Packaging and Converting Adhesives” chaired by James Pezzuto of Flynn Burner Corp. has four papers. A paper by Hermann K. Onusseit of Henkel KGAA has the title “Trends in Packaging — A Challenge for Adhesive Development.” Michael Zajaczkowski and Thomas Kaufmann of Rohm and Haas Co. will give a paper on “Advancement in Adhesive Technology for Flexible Packaging: Non-Isocyanate Based Solventless Adhesives.” George A. Papsin of H.B. Fuller Co. will discuss “Advances in Solventless Adhesives.” The session will end with “Waterborne Adhesives for Bottle Labeling” by Robert S. Forsyth, Consultant.

Registration
A new feature for the TAPPI 2004 PLACE Conference is a multi-registration discount. Three or more individuals from the same company registering simultaneously will receive a considerable discount. This offer will end on August 6, 2004. To register for the meeting or to learn more information, visit www.tappi.org. Follow the links marked Conferences & Symposia and select 2004 PLACE Conference. Information is also available by telephone at 1-800-332-8686 (United States), 1-800-446-9431 (Canada), or +1-770-446-1400 (Other).

To obtain the special TAPPI rate at the Westin Indianapolis Hotel, reservations are necessary by July 29, 2004. Delta Airlines is the official airline of the 2004 TAPPI PLACE Conference. When making reservations, call 800-241-6760 and refer to File Number 196709A. TAPPI has arranged special car rental discounts through AVIS for conference attendees. To reserve a vehicle, call 800-331-1600 and mention Worldwide Discount Number U226699.