RISE® will highlight plastics in the environment and market shifts and trends.
TW Special Report
RISE® — The Research, Innovation & Science For Engineered Fabrics Conference — will be held September 24-25, 2019, at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. The ninth edition of the conference is co-organized by the Cary, N.C.-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) and NC State University. The event is designed to accelerate new thinking with “two days of in-depth technical exploration into ‘what’s next’ and ‘what’s needed’ from the most prescient leaders in materials research, and innovative science as applied to engineered fabrics,” according to INDA.
This year, the emphasis is on sustainability — sustainable additives, sustainable polymers and sustainable recycling — as well as new product developments amid market shifts and trends that drive advances in nonwovens.
Andrea Ferris, CEO, Intrinsic Textiles Group, is the featured keynote speaker. Her presentation will focus on Intrinsic’s CiCLO® technology, which was developed to allow polyester to biodegrade in marine environments, wastewater treatment plants and landfill conditions at rates similar to fibers such as wool.
Other speakers at this year’s event include: Teresa Clark, ENSO Plastics LLC; Sandi Childs, Association Of Plastics Recyclers (APR); Dr. Susan Selke, Michigan State University – School of Packaging; Dr. Isao Noda, Danimer Scientific; Vanessa Mason, PrimaLoft Inc.; Thomas Carlyle, Lenzing Fibers Inc.; Dr. Srikanth Pilla, Clemson University; Dr. Matthew Tipper, Nonwovens Innovation & Research Institute (NIRI); Richard Morell, Groz-Beckert USA Inc.; Dr. Vicki Barbur, Battelle; Dr. John Connaughton, UNC- Charlotte; as well as INDA’s own Director of Market Research and Statistics Brad Kalil, and Director of Education & Technical Affairs Chris Plotz, among many other speakers.
Conference participants also have the opportunity to tour the 60,000-square-foot NWI, which is a global partnership between industry, government and academia. The more than $50-million-dollar facility features state-of-the-art equipment, pilot lines and analytical technology. The institute operates on an “open innovation” platform and “engages experts from industry and higher education in building next-generation nonwoven applications, while also providing training and guidance to the field’s future leaders.”
RISE® Innovation Award
INDA also will announce the winner of the annual RISE Innovation Award, which recognizes “innovation in areas and on the periphery of the nonwovens industry which utilizes advanced science and engineering principles to develop unique or intricate solutions to advance the usage of nonwovens.” Finalists — selected from disposable and durable product categories including raw material advances, advances in process or manufacturing technologies, new products, or application development — will present their technologies to attendees on the first day of the conference. Attendees will vote on a winner, which will be announced on Thursday afternoon.
“This year we focus on some material science solutions to the growing issue of plastics in the environment along with some other eye-opening developments to help technology scouts bring new ideas into their product development plans,” said Dave Rousse, INDA president. “Partnering with the Nonwovens Institute, we will hold the event on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh and tour the impressive pilot lines at the NWI. Lots of value packed into two full days.”
For more information about RISE® — The Research, Innovation & Science For Engineered Fabrics Conference, please visit riseconf.net.
July/August 2019
