Brand owners to set out material needs at international plastics additives & compounding conference

July 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Taking place in Aachen, Germany, on 26-27 September, AddCom will feature two parallel tracks devoted to additives and compounding, bringing together the collective experience, expertise and reputations of IKV and Smithers Rapra to produce one combined event for the industry. The high profile event will focus on the production and use of polymer additives, their efficient use in compounding including machine and process technology and their final incorporation into end products – concentrating on improvements in efficiency, performance and cost savings.

Experts from world class companies including BASF, Dow, DuPont, Milliken, Bayer Technology Services, Coperion, Brabender, Automatik Plastics Machinery, Merck KGaA will give crucial R&D updates on topics ranging from the latest acrylic additives for improving polycarbonate scratch resistance and inorganic additives for infra red absorption, reflection and spectral filtering to the vacuum conveying of powders and granules and latest compounding machinery and processes. Representatives from three of the most important additives markets: the packaging, electrical appliances and automotive sectors, come in the form of world renowned brands Danone, Electrolux and Ford Motor Company who will set out their key material and performance requirements from the plastics additives industry. As the compounding of plastics is strongly related to a major part of the additives industry AddCom provides an outstanding opportunity to link both industry sectors.

Material suppliers will hear first-hand how they can align material properties of the future with the megatrends of the sectors they serve, delegates from the compounding sector will get the latest developments in machine and process technology and end-user will find out more about new materials and opportunities to fulfil future requirements.      

Speaking about the conference, Dr Karlheinz Hausmann, Research & Development Fellow at DuPont du Nemours International SA and chair of the additives track said “The programme of the conference nicely reflects our view that more sustainable solutions to improve the environmental footprint of the plastics and additives industry is a top goal across geographies. This goal presents new challenges to all levels of the value chain, including raw material manufacturers, additive suppliers, converters as well as brands with respect to following new regulations, addressing the sustainability issues holistically and designing for success taking into account economical feasibility. Clearly there is no single solution to improving sustainability, but collaboration is the catalyst that sparks innovation and I believe this conference will provide a very good platform for this.”


Attendees will also benefit from the opportunity to visit the nearby facilities of IKV and Quarzwerke GmbH hear about current research activities, witness the machinery in action and see the processing of raw material to finished product.

Registrations for the conference can be made via the conference website www.addcom-conference.com or by contacting Sharon Garrington at sgarrington@smithers.com. Smithers Rapra and IKV are offering a special discounted rate for early registrations until 31 July.  The conference will be held in English.

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Media Contact: Alix Reeves
Tel:     +44 (0)1939 252460
Email: areeves@smithers.com

Media Contact: Dipl.-Ing. Eike Henning Klünker
Tel:     +49 (0) 241 - 80 28371
Email: kluenker@ikv.rwth-aachen.de


Note to Editors:

Smithers Rapra is a global leader in rubber, plastics, polymer and composites testing and consulting services mainly in the tyre, industrial, transportation, consumer and medical industries.  Smithers Rapra encompasses what was previously Smithers Rapra Technologies, established in the United Kingdom in 1919 and Smithers Scientific Services, established in the United States in 1925. For more information, visit www.rapra.net or www.smithersrapra.com

About The Smithers Group:
Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, The Smithers Group includes Smithers Viscient, Smithers Pharma Services, Smithers Rapra, Pira International, Intertech Pira, Smithers Quality Assessments, and iSmithers.  These companies provide technology-based services to a diverse mix of market sectors, with expertise in well-defined niche areas. This strategy fosters stability and longevity, enabling Smithers companies to leverage their technical and brand equity to compete effectively on a global basis. For more information, visit www.smithers.com.

About IKV:
IKV, the Institute of Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen University, is Europe-wide the biggest research and education institute engaged in the field of plastics processing enjoying outstanding reputation. More than 300 staff are employed in finding solutions to problems connected with processing, materials technology and part design in the plastics and rubber industries. IKV's close contacts with industry and science, together with its outstanding facilities, enable cutting-edge research in plastics technology and ensure that students benefit from a comprehensive, practically oriented course of study.
For more information, visit www.ikv-aachen.com