Conferences
Article Type: Publications From: Pigment & Resin Technology, Volume 39, Issue 6
LOPE-C 2010: Overwhelming success
In its second year on the international stage, Large-area, Organic and Printed Electronics Convention (LOPE-C 2010) has successfully positioned itself as the central market place of a newly emerging basic industry, serving as the meeting platform of its industrial, scientific, engineering, investor and end-user communities.
New record in attendees and exhibitors
More than 850 fully registered attendees from 30 countries gathered for 180 presentations in the three-day conference featuring multi-track keynote,business, main technical, scientific and poster sessions. Doubling last year%27 s show floor area to accommodate 89 exhibitors, LOPE-C 2010 exceeded all expectations, introducing a host of new products and demonstrating advanced manufacturing equipment suited for mass production. In the review of international observers, LOPE-C figures as the gateway to a new era: of organic and printed electronics.
Indicative of the advanced state of organic and printed applications is the growing number of attendees from industrial end-user segments such as print,packaging, automotive, security and consumer electronics crowding the presentations by consumer goods manufacturers Nokia, Sony and Samsung,publishing houses such as Gruner & Jahr and Bauer, and automotive firm Fiat.
At the newly introduced LOPE-C 2010 Investor Forum, matching up international investment houses with firms vying for start and follow-up financing, the fundraising presentation by Finland-based Enfucell was awarded best contribution by the Organic Electronics Association (OE-A). Enfucell is developing a thin and flexible, environmentally friendly battery for disposable electronics. The judging panel was chaired by LOPE-C 2010 keynoter David Fyfe of Sumitomo Chemicals and former CEO of Cambridge Display Technology.
The global players in the field of organic and printed electronics, such as BASF, Coatema, Du Pont, Evonik, H.C. Starck, Clevios, Konarka, Fujifilm Dimatix,Merck, Plextronics, PolyIC, Soligie, SunaTech, all exhibited in the Congress Center of Messe Frankfurt, Germany.
Mass production
Large-scale investments in the mass production infrastructure of organic and printed electronics are taking place, ramping up manufacturing of products such as sensors, memory devices, e-readers, organic photovoltaic cells (OPV) and lighting – all taking advantage of the unique properties of organic materials and innovative inkjet and screen printing processes that yield lightweight, flexible and robust products and are enabling a host of innovative industrial as well as low-cost consumer applications not feasible up to now.
Besides, marketable products and machinery, LOPE-C 2010 featured a current set of Technology Demonstrators and a “Tool Box”, sponsored by OE-A and participating firms, containing 20 functional devices and materials geared towards university students to stimulate academic design competitions, whose results will be presented at next year%27 s event. Well received was an interactive raffle-ticket with printed display offered to every attendee as part of an OE-A demonstrator project.
Exhibition highlights
Fujifilm Dimatix, acknowledged as a long-time leading provider of industrial inkjet printheads and printing integration solutions, presented its XYZ-stage inkjet deposition system, advancing print accuracy to ±5 μm. PolyIC, a leader in roll-to-roll printing techniques of organic devices such as RFID tags presented a highly transparent conductive layer on flexible polyester films, as an ITO replacement in touch screen applications. Coatema demonstrated its Smartcoater unit featuring R2R coating, printing and laminating, and the Precision coater for clean room applications. Merck Chemicals, UK was present with a saturated-color polymer-microparticle concept for new electrophoretic display materials. Sweden-based ThinFilm showed a new low-cost ferroelectric,non-volatile, rewritable microstructure for printed memory devices for interactive consumer gadgets and ID tags already in high-volume pilot production. Plextronics presented its new organic ink material made from non-toxic components and delivering an up to 40 percent increase in power density for organic PV cells specifically geared to indoor energy harvesting applications.
LOPE-C – industry driven event
“With our successful 2010 event” says Wolfgang Mildner, Chairman of the OE-A and Managing Director of PolyIC, “we have proven that LOPE-C is the worldwide showcase of the industry and the leading indicator of scientific and engineering progress in organic and printed electronics”. Above all, Mildner says, “LOPE-C is fully industry driven. It speaks for the industry.”
“The industrial impact of organic and printed electronics”, says Andrew Hannah, Vice Chairman of the OE-A and CEO of Plextronics in Pittsburgh,PA, USA, “was clearly visible at LOPE-C 2010. What the industry needs at this stage is an international marketplace as provided by LOPE-C, and a global perspective in terms of roadmapping as pursued by the OE-A.”
Reinhard Baumann, Chairman of the LOPE-C Scientific Board and Professor at Chemnitz University of Technology, emphasizes the remarkable research activities in the emerging field: “I%27 m impressed how much impact is coming from the academic community, especially from young scientists entering the field.”
An important outcome of this year%27 s conference, says Wolfgang Mildner, was to establish an ongoing discussion platform for the producers and users of organic and printed electronics. In this process, the task and objective of LOPE-C will be to explicate and channel the users%27 expectations and demands on the new technology.
LOPE-C 2011
The next LOPE-C conference and exhibition will take place June 28 to 30,2011, at the fairgrounds of Messe Frankfurt, Germany.
About LOPE-C
LOPE-C is the leading, fully industry-sponsored annual conferences and exhibition of organic and printed electronics. LOPE-C presents the economic trends and the scope of scientific achievements in the field. The convention focuses on the production and application of organic and printed electronics. LOPE-C is jointly organized by the OE-A and Messe Frankfurt Ausstellungen GmbH.
About OE-A
Formed in 2004 as a Working Group within VDMA (German Engineering Federation), the OE-A is the foremost professional body representing: the worldwide organic and printed electronics industry. With more than 140 members throughout Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, OE-A represents the entire industrial value chain.
OE-A roadmap
The official OE-A roadmap, fixing time lines for applications and technologies, is now out in its third edition. The 4th edition is due in 2011 and will be presented at LOPE-C 2011 (www.oe-a.org).
About Messe Frankfurt Ausstellungen
Messe Frankfurt Ausstellungen GmbH is a fully owned subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt GmbH. At an annual turnover of €440m (2008), Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest fair company operating their own fair grounds. The globally active holding operates a worldwide network of 28 daughter companies,five branch offices and 52 international distribution partners and representatives. With this broad-based structure, Messe Frankfurt is present in more than 150 countries, with important industry events in more than 30 locations. In 2008, Messe Frankfurt organized a total of 102 fairs, 60 of which took place in foreign countries.
Exhibitor comments
LOPE-C 2010 demonstrated the future of organic and printed electronics in terms of new technologies and applications. PolyIC was a Gold Sponsor and got strong benefits from the high number of attendees, with a good mix of users,technologists and people with general interest. LOPE-C is the right event for our industry! Wolfgang Clemens, PolyIC, Germany.
Very well organized conference taking place in state-of-the-art facilities and providing a good atmosphere. Peter Eckerle, BASF Future Business GmbH,Germany.
Owing to the extraordinary level of organization, the conferences and exhibits blended together in an effortless manner. The spacious exhibition floor provided us with the opportunity to engage actively with our customers. Ming Zhou, CEO, SunaTech Inc., China.
LOPE-C exceeded my expectations in both, number of attendees and the high-quality conference program. Rolf Aberg, CEO, Thin Film Electronics, Sweden.
Very well-organized and helpful staff. Messe Frankfurt was very accessible for travellers. Speakers were excited to share and learn about the industry,attendees were well within the target for the show. Scott Durham, Novacentrix,Inc., USA.
Impressive exhibition of a growing industry. Very good platform to discuss plans and move topics ahead. We had many very qualified contacts. Günter Raabe, Felix Schoeller Service GmbH & Co. KG, Germany.
Great success for our company – we had more than 80 visitors on day one alone. Great organization and conferences. Thomas Kolbusch, Coatema, Germany.
A well-attended and worthwhile exhibition platform with exhibitors and attendees from the most diverse fields. Julius Maier, Kammann Maschinenbau GmbH,Germany.
The event was productive, connecting us to an ecosystem of players well grounded in what’s real and what’s hype. Jennifer Ernst, PARC, USA.
The trade fair showed very innovative technologies. It is a good chance to get into contact with other companies for doing business. Jürgen Neuber,Neuber GmbH & Co KG, Germany.
For Fraunhofer IAP, LOPE-C 2010 was a very successful meeting. We presented our latest results in OLEDs, OPV and OTFTs. Fraunhofer IAP announced an OLED device with printed security feature which was very well received by the visitors. Armin Wedel, Fraunhofer IAP, Germany.
American coatings show and conference 2010
With 328 exhibitors and about 6,700 overall participants (2008: 331/5,600),the second American Coatings Show and Conference was hugely successful as the highlight event of the US paint and coatings industry. The combination of trade show and conference, held April 12-15, 2010 at the Charlotte Convention Center,North Carolina, thus once again exceeded all expectations.
At the trade show held from April 13-15, 2010, exhibitors from 17 countries(2008: 14) displayed a comprehensive range of products on 68,100 square feet of space (2008: 68,600 square feet) on all aspects of paint and coating formulation. Companies from abroad accounted for 23 percent of the exhibitors,and in addition to the USA, leading countries represented at the show included China, Germany, Canada and India.
Featuring almost 100 presentations and other events as well as 958 participants from 40 countries (2008: 750/25), the American Coatings Conference,which ran from April 12 to 14, had significantly more visitors than the premiere two years ago. This impressively highlights the extraordinary importance of this event, which has only been in existence for a short time.
At the conference, the best presentation was honored with the American Coating Award. Consisting of a US$2,500 cash prize and a small sculpture,the award was given to Oihana Elizalde, Stephan Amthor and Collin G. Moore(BASF) for their presentation on “Improving Waterborne Anticorrosion via New Binder Concepts.”
In addition, the paper entitled “Role of Nanoparticle/Polymer Interface on Hybrid Coatings Performance” by Xiaohung Gu (NIST) and her co-workers received the Roon Award for “Best Technical Paper” at the Plenary Session on Monday.
The American Coatings Show & Conference is organized by the American Coatings Association, Washington, DC, and Vincentz Network, Hannover/Germany,and run by NürnbergMesse North America based in Atlanta, GA.
The next regularly scheduled American Coatings Show & Conference will take place on May 7-10, 2012. This time it will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN, thus placing it in the middle of the“Manufacturing Belt,” the oldest and largest industrial region in the Northeastern United States.
Show contact: NürnbergMesse North America, Inc., 400 Interstate North Parkway, Suite 550, Atlanta, GA 30339 USA, Dirk Ebener, Tel.: +1 (770) 6 18-58 30, Fax: +1 (770)6 18-58 31.
Electrocoat 2010: the thoroughbred of coatings!
ECOAT 2010 was held May 4-6, 2010 at the Louisville Downtown Marriott and the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville was magnificently decorated as The Kentucky Derby was the week prior to the conference.
The conference was scheduled a bit differently than in years past, hoping to help attendees curtail travel expenses while still packing in all the great keynotes, workshops, networking and exhibits that attendees enjoy with every conference. Jeff Oravitz, MetoKote Corporation, kicked off the event Tuesday afternoon with a stimulating keynote addressing issues confronting manufacturer’s in today’s economic environment. This well-received discussion also brought to light strategies that manufacturer’s can apply in determining their future in this tough economy. Wednesday opened with a thought-provoking keynote address by Matt Kirchner, American Finishing Resources, LLC. Matt discussed trends in the US Energy Sector and the idea of Exponential Energy. He defined how these trends will affect e-coaters and how changes in technology and policy can be leveraged to reduce energy costs. Finally, Stephen Schulte, Hixson A/E/I,introduced Thursday’s sessions with his message of “Environmental Issues You May Have Missed!” Steve brought to light certain environmental issues receiving increased attention by state and federal regulators. He outlined their impact on e-coaters and practical steps for compliance.
Each day was also sprinkled with selections of workshop content including basics of ecoat, maintenance, pretreatment, corrosion testing, operational excellence, color control, lean workflow, roundtable and panel discussions on various topics, rounding out the attendees’ educational experience.
A bonus for ECOAT 2010 attendees this year was complimentary admittance to the Process Cleaning Expo’s special events and exhibit floor. Coach Rick Pitino, University of Louisville’s Men’s Basketball Coach, was in the house at the KICC sharing his motivational message. It was a treat for all in attendance as he applied his experiences with players, other coaches, and his staff into “life lessons” about developing relationships with people,treating them with respect, and making each day a “good attitude”day!
The Industry Awards Luncheon was held on Wednesday, May 5, to honor individuals in the industry for their contribution to the conference as well as to the industry. “The Best End-User Paper” award recognizes electrocoaters who devote much of their personal time and company resources to provide technical information for the Conference. The winner of 2010’s Best End-User Paper Award was Brent Swartz, MetoKote Corporation.
The George E.F. Brewer Award was presented to three recipients for their achievements in Development of Electrocoat Technology, Market Promotion of Electrocoat Technology and Application of Electrocoat Technology. David Myers,Luvata Electrofin was our first recipient of this year’s Brewer Award for his outstanding contributions and service to the Development of Electrocoat Technology. David has been in the electrocoat industry over 30 years in various management roles within both supplier and custom coater companies. He was instrumental in the founding of The Electrocoat Association and served as President of the Association for two consecutive terms as well as on many committees, in many conferences and many other industry roles.
Our next recipient of the Brewer Award was Jeff Oravitz, MetoKote Corporation. Jeff received this award for his outstanding contributions and service to the Market Promotion of Electrocoat Technology. Jeff has been involved with electrocoating for over 25 years. He joined MetoKote in 2005, and has served in various operational, sales and marketing roles. Prior to his tenure at MetoKote, he enjoyed a 20-year career with PPG Industries, Inc., where he served in a variety of technical, commercial and management roles. He served on the organizing committee that formed The Electrocoat Association, where he held the position of Vice President. He has participated in numerous Electrocoat Conferences as a presenter, moderator and now keynote speaker as well as held many committee positions!
Our final Brewer Award recipient was Lyle Gilbert, awarded posthumously for his contributions and service in the Application of Electrocoat Technology. Lyle began his MetoKote career as Plant Manager in 1974, and was promoted to Corporate Sales Manager in 1976 and then to Director of Marketing in 1988. He was the Founder and Editor of the MetoKote News for 12 1/2 years, with over 8,000 copies circulated quarterly. He served as director of sales and marketing for most of his 26 years at the company, retiring in March 2000. He was involved in promoting electrocoating technology throughout his career and continued as a consultant (LG Consulting) to the industry following his official retirement. Lyle moderated Product Finishing’s Electrocoat Forum and in 2008 became a columnist for PF Online’s “Electrocoat Clinic.”Over the years, he authored and presented several technical papers at various conferences in addition to several industry articles for trade magazines. Like the other recipients, Lyle was involved in the startup of The Electrocoat Association and served on its Board of Directors. He also lent a hand to other industry Associations including The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) and The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), where he gained their title of “Certified Engineer in the field of Coatings.”
The exhibits portion of the conference is a great networking forum. Industry suppliers host a leisurely, relaxing venue to discuss products and services as well as respond to specific attendee inquiries. This year attendees were introduced to everything from Mimes to Magicians, Casino Might to Miniature Machines and everything in-between!
ECOAT 2010 ended with a networking reception at Churchill Downs. Beautiful,sunny 75° weather contributed to a great afternoon that included good food,drinks and gaming to boot! “It was a great atmosphere for everyone to relax and network in a comfortable environment at the end of a rigorous conference,” states Karen McGlothlin, Executive Director. “We like to offer these types of events for our attendees, coaters and suppliers to get together and discuss casually the issues that impact our industry.”
The Electrocoat Association will continue its effort to promote members’products and services and to be a strong voice in encouraging the use of electrocoating throughout industry. If you did not attend this year’s Conference, but would like to obtain the Conference Proceedings of all the technical papers presented, please call Anne Von Moll at 513-527-8800 or 1-800-950-8020, ext. 298.
