The organizers of the successful and long-running conference series Textile Coating and Laminating (TCL) have announced its expansion and refocus as the World Congress on Textile Coating (WCTC20). The event will debut in Berlin on November 19-20, 2020. The venue hotel is the Novotel Berlin Am Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany, which has excellent conference facilities. Tegel Airport is a 15-minute drive away.

In the modern textile industry, coating, surface modification and laminating are the key means to tailor textiles and nonwovens to create functional products for specific, often high-performance, applications. This expanded conference will take the necessary wide perspective on all these processes.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The core of the conference program will be presentations by invited experts, but in order to give an opportunity for anyone with exciting and relevant ideas to present to a high-level international audience, a call for papers is being issued for contributions in the following areas, with emphasis on work that will impact the industry, now and in the future. Suggested topics include the following:

Session 1: Machinery, equipment and processes for coating and laminating

Automation, the exploitation of intelligent sensors and controls, and data exchange.

Cloud computing-based production. Microfactories and mass-customized production lines. Digitized production. Methods for increasing productivity and sustainable manufacturing. Plasma and enhanced deposition techniques. Energy-saving processes. Water- and chemical-saving processes. Scatter coating technology. Digital coating/finishing. Photocatalytic processes. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation curing. Monitoring technologies for QA/QC. Sonochemical methods. Cutting and trimming equipment. Stenters.

Session 2: Novel applications for coated and laminated textiles

Smart coatings. Novel functionalities achieved via coating and lamination.

Energy storage and generation. Battery materials. Electronic materials. Digital printing for wallcoverings and home decoration/customized garment manufacturing. Thermoregulation. Hydrophilic/hydrophobic materials. Oleophobic/stain-resistant materials. Wear resistance. Electromagnetic interference (EMI)/radiofrequency interference (RFI) shielding.

Components for next-generation automobiles and public transportation.

Construction materials/roof membranes. Architectural membranes. Composites.

Conveyor belts/papermaking fabrics. Agriculture/horticulture. Geotextiles.

Filtration.Packaging (especially sustainable packaging). Medical. Safety and protection. Sport and leisure.

Session 3: Coatings and laminate materials

Adhesives/binders. Resins. Powder coatings. Coatings based on biomaterials. Recyclable materials. Biodegradable materials. Recycled materials. Nanoporous membranes. Nanomaterials. Antibacterial materials. Elastic/stretchable coatings. Metal/conductive coatings. Graphene coatings. Three-dimensional (3D), haptic and sensory coatings. Fluorescent/high-visibility coatings. Self-repairing materials.

Session 4: Chemicals and raw materials

Alternatives to polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/Fluorocarbons. Solvent-free, water-based technologies. Water-free technologies. Functional (electronic, hydrophobic, antibacterial) inks for digital application. Phase-change materials (PCMs). Halogen-free flame-retardants (FRs). Intumescent coatings.

Session 5: Industry and market trends

Legislation. Standards and testing. Consumer pressures. Environmental requirements. Economic outlook.

Submitting abstracts

Abstracts submitted for review should be 300-500 words. Selection of the papers to be presented will be based on ideas and concepts that emphasize new and significant findings and developments that will have an impact on the coating and laminating industry. Abstracts must be received before April 27, 2020; the earlier, the better.

Acceptance of a presentation is subject to payment of the half-price registration fee. Speakers accepted by way of the Call for Papers are eligible for a 50 percent discount on the registration admission fee. Speakers are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses.

The abstract must include the name, company or other affiliation, telephone number, email and mailing address of the speaker and/or the person to whom correspondence about the abstract should be directed.  Only one speaker per presentation will be allowed, although co-authors may be listed. The speaker for the paper should be indicated. Papers should be as generic and non-commercial as practical, with names of companies kept to a minimum.

All presentations should be planned to run approximately 20-25 minutes.

Please email Abstracts to Dr Nick Butler, email: editorial@intnews.com.