Printing and Packaging session features Nestlé and more

By David Savastano • Editor

Graphic arts are a major user of energy curing technologies, as packaging and publications find the advantages of UV and EB curing beneficial for their products in terms of performance and appearance.

During today’s end-user conference on Printing & Packaging, RadTech has brought together industry leaders throughout the supply chain.

One key concern has been the issue of migration of ink in food packaging, and Nestlé has been at the forefront of the issue, having created the highly regarded Nestle Guidance for Food Grade Packaging Inks. Dr. Stephen P. Klump of Nestle’s Quality Assurance Center will be on hand, leading off the morning session with his talk on “Nestlé’s Approach to Packaging Safety and Compliance: Nestlé Inks Guidance Document and the Suisse Ordinance on Inks.”

After Dr. Klump, David Ettinger of Keller & Heckman LLP will analyze “The Basics of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Regulations of Materials Used in Food Packaging Applications.” Dr. Marc Heylen of Cytec Industries follows with “Energy Curable Acrylates for Indirect Food Packaging Applications,” and Gary Jones of Printing Industries Association of America closes the morning talks with “EPA Changes Related to UV or EB Printers.”

Opportunities for Printing & Packaging is the theme for the afternoon session, beginning with Karl Swanson of PCT Engineering Systems LLC, who discusses “4-in-1 Package Decorating System: New Electron Beam Converting Equipment to Enhance Packaging Materials.” Dr. Don Duncan of Wikoff Color, president-elect of RadTech, follows with “Comexi Offset Technology: A New EB Variable Offset Press.” Dr. Michael Laksin of Ideon LLC closes the session with his talk on “Electron Beam Curing in Packaging – Current & Future Trends.”

“All in all, this is the most exciting Printing and Packaging program that I’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Duncan. “Since so much of UV/EB printing goes into food packaging, getting Dr. Stephen Klump of Nestlé to speak was huge. Nestlé has so famously created and promulgated formulation limits and guidelines for all Nestlé printing that there is great interest in hearing from Stephen.

“Then, he will be followed by a discussion of what limits that new regulations place on formulation,” Dr. Duncan added. “Having this discussion about customer-imposed requirements and government-imposed requirements might cause some exciting times, as we moderate questions from the floor. The afternoon session is about Opportunities for the industry. There will be several new technologies discussed, some of which are being formally introduced at drupa later in the week. We also hope to get a discussion going with some print buyers about what they see for the future.”