Fingerpainting Once Again: Six Predictions for the Future of Touch Panel Displays

Posted on November 27, 2011 by

Editor’s Note: Mark Fihn, publisher of Veritas et Visus, a group of newsletters dedicated to the flat-panel display industry, gave a keynote presentation at the recent 2011 AIMCAL Web Coating Conference in Reno, NV. In his talk, he predicted what might lie ahead for touch panel displays and our interaction with these devices.

By Mark Fihn

As young children, among our very first lessons in life, we learned to paint with our fingers. We’ve now come full circle — the rapid evolution of touchscreen technologies has helped create a useful and very popular way for us to once again use our fingers as a tool to immerse ourselves directly into the content we’re working with. With a view to identifying some of the new developments that will serve to create entirely new markets and quite novel ways to interact with devices of all kinds, here are six general predictions for the future of touch screen displays.

But first, it’s important to review the, at least, five distinct aspects of touch that the human brain registers. They are:

  • Mechanoreception – related to tactile feeling
  • Equilibrioception – related to balance
  • Thermoception – related to temperature sensing
  • Nociception – related to pain
  • Proprioception – related to motion and awareness of the body in space.

1. Explosion of hybrid touch technology offerings. One of the reasons that so many touch technologies are currently competing for a position in the market is because none of the existing technologies perfectly satisfies the needs of the application. As such, numerous developments are underway to combine more than one touch technology into a single solution – thereby broadening the usage model. It’s quite predictable, that in the absence of technology breakthroughs that satisfy all user needs, that hybrid approaches will continue to be introduced into the market.

2. Haptic feedback. Studies indicate that the human sense of touch is enhanced significantly by both audio and force-feedback cues. Without such extra-sensory feedback, touching a glass-like surface is unappealing, (which helps explain the sounds we receive with regard to a typewriter and the keystroke response of a typical computer keyboard). Even the sound of a pencil on a sheet of paper provides feedback cues that are helpful to the user. As such, it’s very likely that the touch screen market will increasingly include haptic feedback technologies. There are several haptic technologies competing for a share of this growing market, and there will be a bit of a battle to identify the best haptic solutions for the future.

3. Non-touch interactivity. The popularity of Nintendo’s Wii has demonstrated a need for enhanced motion recognition and digital interaction with display devices. Both Sony (with its newly released Move) and Microsoft (Kinect) have signaled a substantial response to the Wii – enabling much more sophisticated interactive capabilities. We’ll almost certainly see these sorts of gestural solutions gain favor in the home and the workplace – ultimately replacing the traditional remote control, and perhaps even making inroads into the mouse market.

4. Indirect touch solutions. The notion of “touch screen” technology predisposes one to consider touch technologies that directly address the surface of the display. But there are many surfaces besides the front of the screen that can be used to manipulate data on the screen. Consider the backside of a smart phone. Rather than obscuring the images on the display with your fingers, the touch interaction could be easily shifted to the back surface of the phone – functioning to some extent like a mouse.

5. Interaction with 3D displays. Stereoscopic 3D-display technologies have recently gained mass-market attention, particularly in the TV space but also in various PC announcements. One of the biggest challenges associated with 3D displays is that most user-interface technologies, (including touchscreens) register in only x/y space.  Manipulating images in 3D space has not been developed in concert with the emergence of the 3D-display market. Although 3D mice and camera-based solutions have been developed to recognize user inputs in 3D space, the technology is still in its infancy. It’s predictable that, in the coming years, we’ll see more and more developments related to interacting in 3D space – across all applications.

6. Any surface can be touch-enabled. Think of walls, carpeting, tables – non-display solutions.  Our sense of touch is used everywhere – and will be digitized.

My Thoughts:  Mark offered a wide-ranging review of current and potential developments in this area of high-tech converting. Yes, converting is a lot more than just packaging. Its numerous processes—solution and vacuum coating, laminating, slitting, sheeting, finishing—are all part and parcel when it comes to manufacturing many of the computer devices that we’ve come to take for granted. And converters will be there tomorrow to help create the tools that exist only in a designer’s mind today.

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Threats & opportunities for the global label market

Posted on November 18, 2011 by

AWA Alexander Watson Associates logoIn a series of wide-ranging presentations at the 2011 AWA DecTec Narrow Web Label & Product Decoration Printing and Imaging conference held earlier this week in Chicago, industry experts from up and down the supply chain addressed numerous threats and opportunities for the global label market today and down the road. Here are some notes from the talks given by AWA president/CEO Corey Reardon and Dr. William Llewellyn, AWA vp-senior consultant.

Market forecasts

  • The 2010 global label market grew by 5.5-6.0 percent to 43.4 billion sq meters (US$28-30 billion in sales of finished, printed materials).
  • Global growth for pressure-sensitive label formats was 8.5 percent last year.
  • Overall, growth for the world label market will slow to 4.0 percent annually over the 2010-2015 period.

Threats

  • There’s rising competition among different label formats in all sales markets.
  • New flexible-packaging apps are replacing the need for labeled rigid containers.
  • Film-based label use is growing at multiples of the rate for paper-based labels.
  • Retailers often now control market dynamics, and CPGs want cost transparency such that label converters are less and less in command of what will happen.
  • Increasing costs of polymer, adhesives, inks and chemicals are slashing margins.
  • Sustainability issues are being driven by the perception of high waste levels in the supply chain, the classification of release liner as packaging waste and European eco concerns over incompatible materials used to label PET containers.

Opportunities

  • Want to sell labels? Go East (and South), Young Converter. Growth in emerging markets such as China (9 percent a year to 2015), India (11.5 percent annually) and South America (5 percent/yr) will outstrip levels in North America and Europe.
  • Eighty percent of pressure-sensitive label growth will come from various emerging markets.
  • Label-sales and volume growth in the Rest of the World are being driven by new converting capabilities and demand in the Middle East and Southern Africa.
  • Strong end markets for p-s labels include cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, foods/beverages, and beer/wine/spirits.
  • Top end markets for shrink-sleeve labeling are HBAs, cosmetics, food/bevs and household-care products.
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Thoughts on ICE Europe 2011

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

ICE Europe logoThe 7th Intl. Converting Exhibition (aka ICE Europe 2011) has come and gone, and I think it’s left a strong, positive mark on the regional industry for the future. With nearly 400 exhibitors from two dozen countries, and 5,700 visitors from more than five dozen nations, the event is now firmly established and was well received at its new venue. Converting Quarterly had a very successful show, introducing AIMCAL‘s official technical journal directly to a European audience after a year of attending just about every related event possible in the US. We sold international subscriptions and gave away almost every copy of the magazine we shipped over. I know the CQ staff and I are already looking forward to returning to the New Munich Trade Fair Centre in about 16 months for the show’s next edition—March 19-21, 2013.

So, what might those 16 months hold for the converting, web-processing and finishing industries? A survey of 1,000 converters (conducted by C2 Coating & Converting) gives some predictions.

  • 47% foresee strong growth for the paper, film and foil markets in 2011-12, while another 36% predict some level of lower growth.
  • 62% say South America will see strong growth with similar positive forecasts for other regions: Germany (51%), Middle East (50%), US (48%) and Asia (41%).
  • Only 12% predict strong growth in 2011-12 for Europe (likely the fault of the continuing Greek debt crisis and concerns for the future of the Euro).
  • 80% of respondents see growth for their own companies now vs. 2010.

ICE Europe was a lot like a miniature version of the PACK EXPO / CPP EXPO shows held earlier this fall. Lots of running machinery (okay, slitter/rewinders mostly) and demonstrations of components and inspection systems. While traffic was a little anemic on opening day (in Hall B5 at least), the aisles and booths all around were busy on Day 2 and even on the morning of Day 3. Additionally, AIMCAL had a respectable presence with a Hall B6 pavilion featuring 10 member companies in a turnkey setup reminiscent of its popular pavilion at last spring’s ICE USA in Orlando, FL.

On that note, I close out coverage of our Bavarian adventure. Bis später (Until next time).

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ICE Europe 2011 Wrap-Up Report

Posted on November 13, 2011 by

ICE Europe logoThe 7th Intl. Converting Exhibition (ICE Europe 2011) closed last Thursday at the New Munich (Germany) Trade Fair Centre after breaking all records for visitors, exhibitors and display floor space. Based on survey results, the top interests of attendees were coating, laminating, slitting/rewinding, components/accessories, test/measurement systems and materials—in that order. Production/engineering, R&D and corporate management were the top three job classifications of visitors.

Here are a few new-product developments from the show.

Slitter/rewinder world

Atlas Converting Equipment Ltd. (UK) launched its next-generation Titan SR9 Series with the SR9-DT Dual Turret slitter/rewinder. New features include lower power consumption and enhancements in sustainability for a reduced carbon footprint. The unit’s Linear Tracking Slitter (LTS) section ensures the shortest and a constant web length between the knives and the rewind shafts for improved web control. The Titan SR9-DT is reportedly the fastest (1,000 mpm), shafted secondary slitter/rewinder in the world for converters of flexible packaging. Live demos at ICE Europe showed processing of a 1,210-mm-wide parent roll of 30-micron, 8-color flexographically-printed Natural OPP film.

Bimec S.r.l.’s STM/83 dual-spindle slitter/rewinder is suitable for plastic films, paper and laminates with high output, durability and innovative design. It was shown along with info on the supplier’s line of rewinders, reversible salvage rewinders, center-folding machines, shafted and shaftless unwind stands, and core cutters.

Ashe Converting Equipment displayed its Sapphire S2 slitter/rewinder, which incorporates dovetail-mounted slitting assemblies with fast setup and changeover of slit patterns for razor, shear and crush-cut slitting. Engineered for a range of films, laminates, flexible packaging and papers, the unit runs at speeds up to 700 mpm (2,300 fpm). New software eliminates many of the buttons on the machine and gives operators full control via an integrated-PC touchscreen.

The new RB4 Series slitter/rewinder from Laem System is said to reduce downtime and operator physical exertion while increasing productivity and versatility. With a maximum speed of 600 mpm (2,000 fpm), the unit runs materials from 10-450 microns thick, features a shaftless unwind and aspirated splicing table.

“Think economically and slit ecologically” was the theme of Soma Engineering’s Pluto eco slitter/rewinder, an entry-level machine for standard work. Aimed at converters processing high volumes of material, the unit was developed to cut investment and running cost while preserving the environment by eliminating hydraulics, reducing energy consumption and permitting a clean, oil-free operation.

The Goebel Optima-Z rewind station for cigarette, tipping and filter papers has a working width of 1,650 mm (65 in.) and runs at 1,200 mpm (3,900) fpm. The equipment handles parent rolls with unwind diameters up to 1,500 mm (59 in.) and rewind diameters to 620 mm (24.5 in.).

Kampf’s MicroslitCON slitter/rewinder system is engineered to process extremely narrow cuts with tight tolerances at speeds of 500 mpm (1,650 fpm). It runs metallized PET, BOPP and BOPET films from 1.5-12 microns thick. The unit on exhibit at ICE Europe was sold to process high-tech battery-separator films.

Web-processing systems

Preco’s new 330-mm-wide (13 in.) rotary converting platform (RCP) uses multilayered construction to die-cut, laminate, strip away (remove matrix), slit, sheet, perforate, fold, island-place and perform most other traditional converting tasks—all in-line on one machine. The RCP also can incorporate value-added treatments such as various types of printing, ink curing, hot-melt gluing, reciprocal flatbed cutting, corona treatment and other operations. A highlight of the unit on display was the FlashLite™ glavo laser on the RCP process-station manifold.

The new StarPack Line from ROFIN-BAASEL Lasertech offers solutions from every kind of laser application in the packaging field for cross-web / free-form scribing / web-direction scribing / perforation or both. The units fit a variety of web-processing needs for easy-opening tear spots or controlled-atmosphere packaging perforation. A new 3-axis scanner features a working area up to 1,250 x 1,250 sq mm (50 x 50 in.).

SOMATEC clean-room winders meet the requirements of medical materials and the food industry. They are either painted with clean-room approved lacquer or are completely nickel-plated. Operator-panel doors or terminal boxes are made from stainless steel. Closed side frames use polycarbonate windows. Idler rolls are hard-coated aluminum or chromium-plated. The winders comply with ISO 1464 and US FDA standards.

Components and add-ons

The new Maxcess Fife-500 web-guiding system for narrow-web and nonwoven applications features an easy-to-use color touchscreen with icons and text in multiple languages to simplify operation and reduce training time. It leverages the latest technology to improve performance and brushless motors to reduce maintenance. Faster core-processing speeds let it adapt quickly to changes in the web—even at high line speeds of 500 mpm (1,650 fpm).

The BASIX R47 compact discharge electrode and ES47 power-supply unit from Eltex-Elektrostatik GmbH provide new static-control performance for web processors. The UL-certifed R47 discharging bar is protected against contact and easy to clean; the ES47 has a robust steel housing, two high-voltage connectors and bars are connected via clamp terminals.

High-tech materials

Holy Cow! Whey-protein coated films with high-barrier properties for food-packaging apps were shown by the Fraunhofer Institute IVV. Coating polymer films with the by-product of cheese manufacturing yields a material with barrier almost comparable to the EVOH layer conventionally used. It also reportedly has excellent adhesion to the substrate and sufficient flexibility to meet functional and mechanical requirements.

Exopack Advanced Coatings’ inspire™ medical components feature high MVTR, low trauma and breathability. Standard films, foams, laminates and breathable adhesives are offered. Conductive films for use in clinical apps such as ECG, TENS, biosensors and EMI/RFI radiation shielding for medical equipment are also available.

Ceramis® high-barrier films, coated with SiOx onto PET, OPA, OPP and PLA, are produced by Amcor Flexibles Europe & Americas on high vacuum-coating machinery. The highly transparent materials combine barrier against gases, water vapor and aromas and are not affected by temperature and humidity. PET-SiOX films with gauges down to only 8 microns are available, allowing a material source reduction of up to 30% for improved sustainability.

Check out the ICE Europe 2011 Photo Album.

Posted in coating/laminating, flexible packaging, labels, package printing, paper/paperboard/cartons, slitting/rewinding, sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

ICE Europe 2011 Photo Album

Posted on November 13, 2011 by

ICE Europe logoThe 7th edition of the Intl. Converting Exhibition (ICE Europe 2011) closed last Thursday with record numbers of visitors, exhibitors and display space. With 5,700 visitors from 65 countries, 384 exhibitors from 23 countries and a net exhibition space of some 10,000 sq meters (108,000 sq ft), ICE Europe 2011 broke all records. At its new venue, the Munich Trade Fair Centre, the show had grown by 7% in visitor numbers, by 17% in exhibitors and by 24% in display space compared to the previous event.

Here’s a brief look at some noteworthy new machinery. Check out my next post for details on these and other new-product developments from the biennial trade fair.

Atlas Titan SR9-DT

Atlas Converting Equipment, Ltd. (UK)’s new Titan SR9-DT Dual Turret slitter/rewinder was demonstrated three times a day during the show.

Bmec slitter/rewinderThe Bimec S.r.l.  STM/83 dual-spindle slitter/rewinder is suitable for plastic films, paper and laminates with high output, durability and innovative design.

Ashe Converting Equipment Sapphire S2Designed to run at speeds up to 700 mpm (2,300 fpm), the Sapphire S2 from Ashe Converting Equipment has slitting assemblies for fast setup and pattern changeover.

Goebel Optima-Z rewind stationThe Goebel Optima-Z rewind station for cigarette, tipping and filter papers has a working width of 1,650 mm (65 in.) and runs at 1,200 mpm (3,900 fpm).

Kampf MicroslitCONHandling extremely narrow cuts on metallized PET, BOPP and BOPET films of 1.5-12 microns, this Kampf MicroslitCON was sold to process battery-separator films.

Laem slitter/rewinderWith reduced downtime and high versatility, the RB4 slitter/rewinder from Laem System handles materials from 10-450 microns with razor or circular-knife cutting.

SOMA slitter/rewinder“Think economically and slit ecologically” is the theme of the new SOMA Engineering Pluto eco slitter/rewinder for entry-level operations.

Converting Quarterly stand at ICE Europe 2011Shameless plug: Here’s the Converting Quarterly stand with our bilingual sales team: vice president of sales Cindi Stocker (at right) and German translator Carina Spaulding. Yes, my daughter came over from Manchester, UK, to help us out for the European-market debut of AIMCAL‘s official technical journal.

Me in MunichFinally, all work and no play would make ICE Europe a little boring, so here I am enjoying a cold one at Munich’s world-famous Hofbräuhaus. Prost!

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How the changing private-equity market will impact packaging converters

Posted on November 4, 2011 by

Intense competition for deals, new regulatory requirements, a looming industry shakeout and changing limited-partnership (LP) sentiment are key themes coming out of the just-released Grant Thornton Intl. annual private-equity report, A force for growth. How will these trends impact packaging converters?

The study, based on interviews with 144 buyout firm executives worldwide, reveals that today’s uncertain global economic climate is the biggest challenge confronting the global private-equity (PE) industry. Successful firms likely have addressed the need to grow their portfolio companies by relying on operational improvements rather than financial engineering as a way to build value. Forty-six percent of respondents cited becoming involved in important management functions as a major driver of growth, while one-third reported financial planning and 30% human resources as key factors in generating growth.

“We’ve seen the private-equity investment model evolve to meet the challenges posed by global economic uncertainty, new regulatory requirements and additional LP requirements,” says Steve Brady, head of Transaction Advisory Services at Grant Thornton. “Despite capital markets volatility reshaping PE, our survey found that  sentiment among respondents was overall optimistic.”

CPGs are most active
The end users of converted packaging—CPG companies—were highlighted in the survey as the most active area of PE investment this year, followed by business services, manufacturing, healthcare and telecom/media/telecommunications. “It’s significant that the consumer sector is cited as the most active. This could change if a double-dip recession does occur,” Brady says.

The study also found that PE is well entrenched as a funding source in North America with a significant number of US middle-market companies owned by financial buyers. That’s certainly true for the packaging-converting industry. Still, four out of 10 North American survey respondents foresee cross-border M&As within their PE portfolios likely to take place, primarily involving Canadian and US companies. These groups also have less interest in investing in Asian, European and Latin American countries due to the complexity in structuring deals, cultural issues and their lack of offices in foreign countries.

When it came to deal flow in North America, 52% of respondents thought that the majority of transactions would come from family-owned businesses and privately-held companies. The US labelmaking field, in particular, seems to be ripe for private-equity takeovers as many of these owners are nearing retirement age without family members wanting to continue. Thirty percent thought that secondary buyouts would make up their primary source of new deals, while 15% said corporate divestitures would account for the bulk of deal flow.

Private-equity interest has continued at an elevated level—23% of fiber packaging and materials deals in H1 2011, after making up 25% of all 2010 deals, says Blaige & Co. This is a sharp increase from 2009, when financial buyers were involved in only 16% of transactions. A notable financial deal in the first half of 2011 was the merger of Ahlstrom Capital and Accent Equity’s respective portfolio companies (A&R Carton and Flextrus) forming the €500-million converting group, Arch Packaging.

Respondents to the GTI survey in North America believe that intense competition and new regulatory requirements, though, will create new jobs…but not converting-manufacturing operator jobs at the companies being purchased. Half of the respondents, for example, said they anticipate increasing organizational headcount over the next year for portfolio-company management, back-office research and deal origination.

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How printed electronics are invigorating old electronics

Posted on October 31, 2011 by

By Peter Harrop, chairman, IDTechEx

Printed Electronics USA & Photovoltaics USA 2011 logosMost of the well-known objectives of printed electronics remain elusive because they are glamorous, Olympian dreams based on some very exciting demonstrations in laboratories. For example, we plan stretchable, invisible solar cells to go over the whole of a car or building and tightly rollable, color screens and keyboards that unfurl from inside a tiny mobile telephone. That does not mean that there is no progress with printed electronics but most of it is of the nature of “In a gold rush, get there first and sell shovels.”

Raghu Das, CEO of IDTechEx and co-author of the annual, “Printed, Organic & Flexible Electronics Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2011-2021,” says, “The giant East Asian electronics companies often remind us that there are huge gains being made with printed electronics but most are out of sight of the public. They cite one printed layer replacing several non-printed layers in LCD flatscreen TV screens, greatly reducing the cost. This is a more sophisticated application of the principle used to print membrane keyboards and battery electrodes.”

What gets noticed
Indeed, the public will not know or care that third-generation lithium-ion batteries are printed and solid-state, but they will be aware of the doubling of the all-electric range of their electric car that results. This will let them use more electricity by plugging in at night; it is one fifth the cost of gasoline per mile. Add to that the plan of T-Ink, Inc., to replace heavy, expensive wiring in road vehicles with printed wiring. There are now a huge number of enhancements to existing products in the marketplace thanks to printed electronics, and they do more than enhance the profits and market share of companies. To the satisfaction of their investors, some of the leaders are being bought by ambitious chemical and electronics companies.

For example, chemicals and materials giant DuPont has acquired Innovalight, Inc., a company specializing in advanced nano-silicon inks and process technologies that increase the efficiency of crystalline-silicon solar cells. Basically, the extra layer improves efficiency by a precious few percent.

The acquisition further strengthens DuPont’s position as a clear leader in materials for the solar-energy market, enabling a broader and more integrated photovoltaic (PV) materials and technology offering. DuPont exceeded $1 billion in revenue from sales into the conventional PV market last yer, and it has set a goal to reach $2 billion by 2014 based on continued growth supported by new innovations that improve solar-module efficiency, lifetime and overall system costs. In other words, there is much for it to contribute long before we have ubiquitous flexible photovoltaics.

“Innovalight has very exciting technology that improves cell efficiency, and DuPont can help expedite its adoption,” says David B. Miller, president, DuPont Electronics & Communications. “DuPont and Innovalight share a commitment to innovation in materials that have a common purpose — to make solar energy more efficient and more affordable.”

Selective-Emitter PV tech to triple?
The press release told us that Innovalight, located in Sunnyvale, CA, has developed innovative proprietary silicon-ink products, process technology and a pipeline of anticipated products. Silicon inks used in conjunction with DuPont™ Solamet® PV-metallization pastes boost the amount of electricity produced from sunlight, enabling the production of superior Selective Emitter solar cells. According to industry estimates, Selective Emitter technology could represent 13 percent of crystalline-silicon solar cell production by 2013 and up to 38 percent by 2020.

“Innovalight brings in-depth knowledge of solar devices, silicon technology and Selective Emitter technology, and DuPont adds expertise in materials science, manufacturing capabilities and global market access,” says Innovalight founder Conrad Burke. “Our offerings are complementary, and together we will broaden and accelerate our ability to meet customer needs and address today’s energy challenges with our continued innovations.”

In addition, DuPont’s broad range of offerings in PV-module materials, including backsheet films and encapsulants, will accelerate adoption of new high-efficiency solar cells that need to be packaged into modules to meet in-field performance requirements.

Innovalight is one of a large number of exciting new companies transforming the electronics scene by updating old products with printed electronics. Kovio in Milpitas, CA, is printing the logic in the electronic tickets of the Los Angeles Metro, replacing the silicon chip, cutting costs. Forget what people told you about printed electronics not threatening the silicon chip.

Then, there are visible improvements to existing products following the billions of battery testers printed onto Duracell batteries by Avery Dennison and all those OLED displays on phones and cameras. Here we have the animation of the Cluedo board game by T-Ink and the group of companies that animated a magazine cover recently using NTera printed color displays and entirely printed battery and logic.

My Thoughts: For more on these and other developments from companies such as Oxylane, De La Rue, the University of Illinois, Artificial Muscle and Bayer of Germany, join me and Converting Quarterly at Printed Electronics USA & Photovoltaics USA 2011 (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) in Santa Clara, CA. CQ will exhibit in Booth B-113. Stop by and pick up a copy of our 2011 Quarter 4 issue.

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