Sure, there's 1.2 million sq' of exhibits to check out in the five-day extravaganza known as Pack Expo 98. But attendees will also have a chance to take in a variety of seminars and conferences before and after the show. To help you plan your Pack Expo week, here's a preview of what you can expect.
Technology breakthroughs on display
Future-Pak '98 runs November 10 to 12 at Chicago's SwissYtel. It's billed as the only conference to combine the latest technical developments in plastics and plastic processing with emphasis on how these developments affect packaging. The conference draws an audience of 200-plus executives with R&D, product development, sales and marketing, and management responsibilities.
On Tuesday, November 10, two pre-conference courses are offered. From 8 a.m. to noon is Barrier materials-1998: An in-depth review and comparative analysis. Presenting the course will be Morris Salame, president of Polysultants Co. It's followed from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. by Structure-processing-property: Characterization of packaging films. Presenting this second pre-conference course will be Dr. Yash P. Khanna of AlliedSignal.
Wednesday, November 11, brings Session One: New barrier technologies. Running from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., it includes the following: A new EVOH resin for coextrusion coating, by Eval Co. of America; Role of protective layers on the barrier of moisture-sensitive polymers, by AlliedSignal; Rockbarrier barrier films incorporating Clearbar Technology, by Rockwell Solutions Ltd.; The influence of tortuosity on PET barrier, by Polysultants; Development of thermally stabilized EVOH, by the Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.; Prediction vs. equilibrium testing for permeation of organic materials, by Science by Design; Unique multilayer biaxially oriented nylon film from American Biaxis and an innovative form, fill, seal pouch application, by Nichimen America.
Following lunch is Session Two: New equipment advances. Papers are as follows: A new generation of modular coextrusion blown film dies, by Macro Engineering & Technology; Auditing your extrusion coating or cast film line, by Black Clawson Converting Machinery LLC; Solvent recovery system-new technology by hot nitrogen desorption, by D.E.C. Impianti Ltd.; Innovation in laboratory coextrusion films processing, by Randcastle Extrusion Systems, Inc.; and The modular disk die-inside the module, by BBS Corp.
Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is Session Three: New resin and film advancements. On the agenda are these papers: Poly(trimethylene phthalates or naphthalate) and copolymers: New opportunities in film and packaging applications, by Shell Chemical Co.; MPact(TM) Marlex polyethylene resins, by Phillips Chemical Co.; MPact(TM) Applications, by Phillips Chemical Co.; New technology to reduce cure time of adhesive laminated sealant films, by Huntsman Packaging Corp.; High-clarity linear low-density polyethylenes for food packaging applications, by Eastman Chemical Co.; A new wave of materials for food packaging, by Viskase, Corp.; and Advances in ionomer and acid copolymer resin technology for the packaging industry, by DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers.
After a break for lunch, the conference concludes with Session Four: New applications and packaging technologies, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Featured are these topics: Tracking pathogenic microorganisms in food utilizing an enhanced bar code format: SIRA Food Sentinel System(TM), by Louisiana State U.; Optimum packaging for home meal replacement applications, by Amoco Polymers; 'Total Systems'-the only approach to case-ready retail packaging, by World Class Packaging Systems; Blue sky packaging-Where do we go from here?, by Clemson U.; Development of aluminum TULC Technology, by Toyo Seikan Kaisha; Development of new style pouch, by Toyo Seikan Kaisha; and Self-heating meals, by the HeaterMeals Co. Pre-conferences are $395, conference is $985.
