The RadTech 2012 Technology Expo & Conference, running through May 2 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, IL, USA, got off to an excellent start, with a combination of exhibitors, technical conference presentations and end-user sessions showcasing the latest innovations and newest opportunities for energy-curing technologies.

Gary Cohen, executive director of RadTech International, the organizer of the expo, said that energy-curing technologies are being utilized in many new applications, and the record registration of end users for this year’s expo shows that interest in UV and EB is extremely strong.

“We are seeing a movement in innovation toward UV and EB,” said Cohen. “We are seeing new applications in industry all of the time, and very often, UV and EB are the driving force behind these new applications. At RadTech 2012, we are seeing a record number of end users who are here to learn about our technology.”

End-user sessions are a major highlight of RadTech 2012. Yesterday’s sessions included Printing and Packaging, Field Applied and LED Curing, while today’s sessions include Environmental, Health & Safety, Sustainability, UV Curing for 3D Substrates and UV Curing for Finger Nails.

The full-day Printing & Packaging session covered a lot of key issues, with Stephen Klump of Nestle’s Quality Assurance Center highlighting the session with his talk on the importance Nestlé places on packaging safety and migratory issues.

“Nestlé’s name is on the packaging,” Klump told attendees. “All eyes turn to Nestlé during a recall. It takes years to build trust and fidelity to your brand, and seconds to lose it. That is why we are so committed to safety.”

The Technology Conference is another bright spot, with 24 tracks being held over three days, spanning topics ranging from Photovoltaics, and Electronics to Waterborne and many more.

Molly Hladik, senior applications engineer at Brewer Sciences and chair of the Technical Conference, said that the record pre-registration for the technical talks, particularly among end users, shows how interest in UV and EB is growing.

“This is the highest pre-registration of attendees, as well as percentage of end-users, for our technical conferences,” Ms. Hladik said. “We invited a lot of high-quality presenters, and their talks are excellent.

–Dave Savastano