From the Editor

These past few weeks have produced a plateful of conferences, seminars, and expos that appeal to every taste and appetite—so much, in fact, one almost can liken the selection to a restaurant’s soup du jour!

The fall conference menu began with Tech 007, staged by the Tag and Label Mfrs. Inst. (TLMI) September 4-6. Held at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, IL, the James Bond-themed event, titled “For Your Eyes Only,” boasted a record attendance at over 350, which speaks well to being first in line at the fall conference buffet.

With a goal to create a unique, open exchange between suppliers and converters, the association regularly serves its membership with opportunities to discuss best practices, new technologies, and industry trends.

The PLACE Div. of TAPPI next served 238 attendees a healthy diet of technical expertise on polymers, laminations, adhesives, coatings, and extrusions. Held September 16-19 at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark in St. Louis, MO, the meeting keyed on issues and technologies including sustainability, product security and safety, regulatory issues, and the latest innovations in materials and equipment.

Along with a tabletop trade fair and a keynote address by Rob Peck on how to remain focused while meeting the challenges one faces daily, the conference also honored two outstanding members. Ginger Cushing of Michelman Inc. was bestowed the Leadership & Service Award and Andreas Albrandt Prize; Lee J. Murray, retired from Alcan Packaging, received the PLACE Div.’s Technical Award and Rohm & Haas Prize. The next technical meeting is slated for Sept. 15-17, 2008, at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel in Portsmouth, VA.

For starters at the next conference, sponsored by the Assn. of Industrial Metallizers Coaters & Laminators (AIMCAL), an appetizer selection of short courses was served on “Vacuum Coating for High Barrier Performance” and “Wrinkling and Winding Defect Troubleshooting.”

Like a refreshing oasis in the desert, AIMCAL served more than 215 attendees at the annual technical conference, which was held at the Radisson Ft. McDowell in Scottsdale, AZ. Main entrees included a full menu of sessions for both vacuum web coating as well as web coating/laminating.

Known for spicing things up a bit with nontraditional activities, AIMCAL offered attendees an optional Dr. Bernard Henry Scholarship 5K run, golf, jeep tours, or—for the first time since I’ve attended a technical meeting—target shooting at the Scottsdale Gun Club. Both the technical sessions and activities were “right on target.”

Best paper status was awarded to two winners. Jay Tannan of PRUFTECHNIK Service received the honor in Vacuum Web Coating for “Measuring Roll Parallelism in a Vacuum Metallizing Chamber Using Inertial Alignment Equipment.” For Web Coating/Laminating, Ed Culbertson of Mitsubishi Polyester Film stood out for “Corona Treatment of PET Film.”

The Converting Equipment Mfrs. Assn., a div. of AIMCAL, will hold its Slitting/Rewinder Seminar November 13-14 at the Radisson Univ. Hotel in Minneapolis, MN.

The In-Mold Label Conference (IMLCON) dovetailed its conference with AIMCAL’s at the Radisson Ft. McDowell October 10-12. The team of AWA Alexander Watson Assoc. and the In-Mold Label Decoration Assn. dished out full helpings of market data as well as information on printing inks and new materials. Attracting a diverse audience of 138 attendees from novices to masters of their trade presented the challenge of serving an expansive breadth of information, but all left the table with a feeling of satisfaction.

Last but not least, the Converting & Package Printing Expo (CPP), held in Las Vegas October 15-17, staged its third edition (now twice in Vegas) in conjunction with PMMI’s Pack Expo. Logistics this time worked well, and exhibitors with whom I spoke were satisfied overall. I know I’ve had my fill of traveling!

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