RISE® 2016 for a glance at game-changing innovations

Cary, North Carolina: The latest technology innovations in engineered fabrics will find practical market applications through connections made at INDA?s Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics (RISE®) conference, January 25-28 at the Le Méridien Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.

INDA has announced the full line-up of presentations from top researchers and developers in new materials, science, and solutions. Online registration and full event information is now available at http://www.inda.org/events/rise16.

?RISE® 2016 with provide business and product development professionals, innovation teams, product managers, research engineers, and other technical scouts with an inside look at game-changing innovation in our field of engineered fabrics,? said INDA President Dave Rousse. ?Attendees will be presented with several new and evolving developments in materials science that will help their own innovation efforts.?

The RISE® conference programme will feature numerous valuable panels and speakers around the following themes:

• Industry Opportunities and Challenges
  Nicholas Mallos, Director-Trash Free Seas, Ocean Conservancy, will speak about the consequences of microfibers as an emerging pollutant. Ronald Pangrazi, Director, Engineered Fabrics Technology, Wacker Chemical Corporation, will share an assessment on flushable wipes in a presentation on ?A ‘Fatberg’ Ate My Baby.?
• Machinery Advancements
  Highlights include presentations on forming hook fasteners using ultrasonics by Jerry Rocha, President, Creative Machine Designs, Inc.; and SMART® Machine Automation Technology for Nonwovens by Bob Carney, Director Of SMART Technology, Xerium Technologies, Inc.
• Energy Economics and Olefin Trends
  Leading thinkers will provide insights into the future. Peter Ricchiuti, Assistant Dean of Freeman School of Business School and Professor of Practice, Tulane University, will share his insights during this session on ?Oils Well That End Well.? Chuck Carr, Senior Director Global Olefins, IHS Chemical, will look at raw material for nonwovens.
• Innovative Hygiene Technologies
  Topics in these sessions include fluff pulp by Judson Fidler, Technical Customer Service Manager, Suzano Pulp and Paper; odor elimination by Neda Keshavarzi, Postdoctoral Researcher, Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces; and airflow systems by Rick Klaus, Technical Sales, Osprey Corporation.
• Advanced Materials
  Learn about such coming advances as self-healing biopolymers from Melik Demirel, Professor of Engineering, Pennsylvania State University; recycled carbon fiber, by Andrew Maxey, Founder & President, Vartega Carbon Fiber Recycling LLC; meltblown fibers, James Henry, Senior Research Engineer, Arkema Inc.; and milkweed fiber, Debbie Dekleva, Wild Idea Cultivator, Monarch Flyway.

The event also will include the presentation of the 2016 RISE®?Durable Product Award on January 28. Finalists competing for the coveted award are: Groz-Beckert?s Gebecon Needle, Suominen?s Fibrella Lite, and ITW Dynatec?s Ultra SCS.

The opening reception will be held January 25, from 6 to 8 pm, at The Jaxson on the River. Other networking events include ?Dine with Industry Thought Leaders,? plus scheduled networking opportunities to connect with 100-plus attendees; and visit more than 20 product exhibits during the two tabletop receptions.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, serves hundreds of member companies in the nonwovens/engineered fabrics industry in global commerce. Since 1968, INDA events have helped members connect, learn, innovate, and develop their businesses