The world’s largest event dedicated to the educational, technical, and scientific advancement of ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) technologies.

Sustainability 2024

RadTech 2024 UBV+EB Sustainability Award Winners

Leading the Way with Sustainable and Responsible Manufacturing

 

Join us in celebrating the remarkable achievements of the RadTech 2024 Sustainability Award Winners! Their pioneering use of ultraviolet and electron beam (UV+EB) technologies leads the way for sustainable and responsible manufacturing practices.

These leading companies have demonstrated various benefits, including energy savings, CO2 reductions, minimized water usage, and a significant decrease in VOC and hazardous air pollutant emissions. Moreover, they’ve streamlined supply chains, reduced transportation costs, and slashed waste through recyclability and material substitution.

We applaud the RadTech 2024 Sustainability Award Winners for their outstanding contributions to a greener, more ethical future. Join us at RadTech 2024, from May 20 to 22 in Orlando, Florida, as we celebrate their achievements and UV+EB’s pivotal role in sustainable manufacturing

Radtech 2024 Sustainability Award Winners

Avery Dennison Corporation

Avery Dennison has developed innovative and more sustainable UV-cured adhesives (UV WarmMelt), replacing solvent-based adhesives without compromising performance.

The main advantage of UV WarmMelt adhesive technology over traditional UV HotMelt and solvent-based adhesives, is its extremely low levels of VOCs and odors. Since they are made without solvents or other potentially hazardous process aids, they are a particularly good fit for applications in strict regulatory environments, such as medical, automotive, or home and personal care applications.

The use of UV technology will enable Avery Dennison to achieve their 2030 GHG reduction commitments. This includes reducing Scope 1 emissions by 70% by 2030 compared to a 2015 baseline and reducing Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to a 2018 baseline. This sustainable benefit is also passed down to the entire value chain by offering a unique and more sustainable solution.

The introduction of the UV WarmMelt adhesive RR3030 for their wet wipe reclosure portfolio is a clear and important step forward to achieving their 2030 goals. This UV WarmMelt solution is able to replace existing solvent acrylic adhesive solutions without any compromise in terms of performance. An initial life cycle analysis reports a 25% CO2 reduction in comparison with a solvent adhesive alternative, reducing the water needed to produce the material by 50%. This represents a significant step forward in terms of sustainability without any compromise in performance. Future regulation will drive packaging sustainability, such as wet wipe reclosure labels to be solvent-free, and the UV WarmMelt is the first high-performing solvent-free adhesive available for these applications positioning UV WarmMelt as a truly future proof adhesive solution across many industries.

MacDermid Graphics Solutions

MacDermid Graphics Solutions produces photopolymer printing plate precursors for the flexographic printing industry, which are subsequently UV cured and processed by our customers. We have developed a process to collect and repurpose used printing plates, after printing, into various end products. The end products can include a wide variety of foam-based applications–such as construction, matting applications (carpet, anti-fatigue applications) ceiling panels, and many more. It is estimated that 15 million lbs of flexo plates or more are used in the Americas annually which are currently being utilized in waste to energy processes – but some even to landfill. 

MacDermid now offers an alternative to repurpose such waste into new products. Previous attempts have struggled to handle used plates due to the combined composition of the photopolymer material, an adhered PET backing, and dried ink. Our process utilizes the entire combination of materials without pre-separation techniques, and results in either circular (within the flexo industry) or ancillary (outside of the flexo industry) product applications- with further outlets under development.

Cypris Materials, Inc

Cypris’ patented copolymer technology eliminates the need for the most polluting component of colored coatings: pigments and dyes. CYPRIS™ structural color isn’t just superior in environmental and social impact, it also eliminates complex manufacturing processes and supply chain logistics while catching the consumer’s eye with never-before-seen color effects. This differentiated approach yields coatings with applications far beyond the reach of traditional pigments, including ultra-violet and near-infrared heat reflective coatings, opening new market opportunities for a brighter tomorrow.

Cypris prioritized UV curable coatings as our first commercial application to offer customers the lowest possible cradle-to-grave carbon footprint option. 100% solids UV coatings already offer a lower carbon footprint option to traditional water, solvent and powder coating options. However, to further reduce the environmental impact of colored coatings, one needs to consider the pigments. Recent LCA (Lifecyle Assessment) analysis demonstrates that CYPRIS structural color copolymer has 1/5th the carbon emissions of organic pigments. UV/EB curable coating technology in conjunction with CYPRIS copolymer offers the lowest carbon footprint coating option. CYPRIS structural color copolymers are 50% plant based, making them more sustainable than petroleum based pigments and dyes.

allnex

allnex collaborated to develop a customized UV-Curable Resin for 3D-Printed homes with Mighty Buildings, an innovative California company that uses 3D printing technology to manufacture sustainable and climate-resilient high-quality homes. In this sustainability-focused partnership, allnex provides the materials Mighty Buildings uses to print the predesigned parts that are then assembled in progressive kit-of-parts construction to build homes onsite. The panels are critical elements helping the company in its drive towards more sustainable building solutions, featuring 80% automated production, 99% less construction waste, and 60% recycled printing materials. 

The homes can be built in half the time of conventional homes, by combining materials science with robotics and automation, as it is a goal of Mighty Buildings to make carbon-neutral housing a reality for everyone. Since the walls are built layer-by-layer from the ground up, they must be cured more or less instantly to ensure proper workflow, as enabled by UV cured resins. By combining just the right monomer and oligomer, allnex says it customizes the formulation for the company’s special technology, which cures each extruded layer on the spot using a UV light attached to the nozzle.

Allied UV

Allied UV process solutions allow North American manufacturers to replace solvent-based and water-based coating solutions with 100% solids UV solutions, with no VOC’s or HAP’s. These coatings provide corrosion protection for mechanical tubing, safety sprinkler pipe, OCTG line pipe and many other metal / other substrates. Allied UV is also the world-leading supplier of LED-cured coatings for the Industrial Marketplace.

In one example, Allied UV materials converted a water-based coating (with co-solvents – so it was flammable) to UV coatings:

  • Water-based coating usage: 2.04 lbs VOC per gallon, @33% solids, 115,151 gallons per year = Total VOC’s of 234,908 lbs per year
  • UV Coating: No VOC’s or HAPs, @100% solids, so needing just 38,000 gallons per year = Total VOC’s of 0 lbs per year

This user reduced VOC’s by 234,908 lbs per year (for past 4 years) – A nearly one million pound reduction.

Allied UV has converted dozens of North American manufacturers to UV coatings, from water-based and solvent-based coatings, eliminating VOC’s and HAP’s entering the environment. In addition, with UV LEDs, Allied UV solutions can help NA Manufacturers reduce their energy costs by up to 65%. The Allied UV solvent free / (non flammable) process eliminates ovens/IR heating systems, offers a much smaller footprint using less floor space, much faster production speeds, greater efficiency, lowered transportation/handling costs, no mess downstream – A significant safety and cost factor to the plant, and no downstream handling issues such as pipes sticking together. Allied has also developed ROI and VOC reduction calculators: https://www.alliedphotochemical.com/roi-calculators