PCI News

This year's Gravure Day was held on October 31, 2005. There were many excellent presentations about the state of gravure printing and opportunities for students in the gravure industry. Juniors Steve DiLullo and Michelle DeFouw organized the event and did an excellent job.

Dr. Nick Triantafillopoulos, the Director of the Akron Technology Center for OMNOVA Solutions and Director of New Technologies for ROHMNOVA LLC, presented Dr. Abubakr a check for $30,000 for the fourth consecutive year. The money will be used for grauduate research projects, an undergraduate scholarship competition and faculty development.	GEF scholarship recipients, Sharon Maxey, Michelle DeFouw and Steve DiLullo stand with Scrap Cox, Laura Wayland-Smith Hatch, the executive directof of GEF and Dr. Abubakr.
Bill Boyd, President of Transprint USA, gave a presentation of heat transfer, or dye sublimation, printing. He also talked about gravure sleeves in place of engraved cylinders, which Transprint USA is among the first to utilize.	Ben Starr, Technical Support Specialist for CGS Publishing International and 2003 graduate of WMU, returned to discuss the future of printing and soft proofing. CGS produces ORIS, a software that provides a RIP and an ink optimizer, and donated the software to the PCI department.

 

PLGA Scholarship (posted 10.12.05)

Kate Blout was nominated to receive the Packaging, Label and Gravure Association's annual scholarship of $2,000. This is the second year that the PLGA has extended this scholarship opportunity for WMU students.

Congratulations!

This year, the Fall Convocation (now called the Fall Meet and Greet) attracted more than 110 students from the three undergraduate programs and the graduate program. Faculty and staff were introduced and gave a brief summary of what they do, as well as the three student organizations. Scholarships, jobs opportunities and internships were also discussed. The Fall Meet and Greet is a great way to improve the freshman experience and retention by connecting the entering class to the department.

The Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Imaging has made its second newsletter The Parkview Edition available for download here. (Adobe Acrobat is required.)

Paper Coating Course will be offered on July 18-21, 2005. WMU's Paper Coating Course, having educated hundreds of papermakers and suppliers over many years, is being re-introduced with an updated, fresh format featuring classroom instruction, laboratory workshops, and pilot coater evaluations. For more information see http://www.wmich.edu/coatingplant/coatingcourse/index.html

Highlights from Flexo Day 2005:

Speakers: Jim Parker from Graphic Solutions, LLC. and Dr. Bradley J. Bazuin from ECE Department

Flexo Day is a good place for students to learn about new technology in the flexographic printing industry.

Discussions during the lunch and the afternoon panel.

There is a new surge in demand for paper engineering graduates. The department is reaching out to high school math and science teachers to recruit new students to the program. To learn more, please read this letter [pdf] from Said AbuBakr, PCI department chair.

A Western Michigan University alumnus with a long track record in the paper and energy industries has been named the executive director of WMU's Paper Technology Foundation. Glen A. Tracy, whose WMU appointment was effective April 1, 2004, comes to the University from Shell Services USA in Houston, where he had served as director of business development for the past two years. In that role, he led Shell's development of paper industry services. Prior to that he was a general manager for Shell Trading Gas and Power Co., also in Houston. In addition, he has held management positions in the energy sector with engineering and recycling firms, and he has extensive paper mill management experience.

WMU's Paper Technology Foundation, established in 1958, supports and enhances the internationally known paper programs offered by WMU's Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Imaging. It also helps recruit and financially assist young men and women who wish to pursue careers in the pulp and paper industry. Foundation members include many of the leading figures in the nation's paper industry.

Tracy succeeds longtime PTF head Dr. John A. Ferguson, who retired in February of 2004.

On September 1, 2004, The Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Imaging held its first all department Fall Convocation to celebrate the beginning of the semester and to welcome the incoming class. The main purpose of the event was to improve retention by connecting the entering class to the department and to the department's student organizations. Other activities included interactive discussions on careers, summer jobs and scholarships opportunities.

Images from the event follow.

The Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Imaging has made its inaugural issue of The Image available for download here. (Adobe Acrobat is required.)

(selections from WMU News)

Patented technology that could turn paper-mill sludge into viable consumer products and boost the usefulness of recycled paper will be developed by Western Michigan University, thanks to an April 1 technology transfer made to WMU’s Paper Technology Foundation by consumer giant Kimberly-Clark.

The firm has presented three technologies related to fiber and by-product processing to WMU’s Paper Technology Foundation. The gift, which was announced at the foundation’s semiannual meeting in Kalamazoo, includes a total of seven patents. The technology will spark three separate research initiatives on campus, as faculty researchers develop and commercialize the technology. Kimberly-Clark’s gift also includes funds and equipment to support the research projects.

“These gifts to WMU are just another example of how we continue to strengthen our overall industry-university relationships,?says Cheryl Perkins, Kimberly-Clark’s senior vice president and chief technical officer. We are delighted to have identified such a quality institution that will further advance these technologies and pursue the commercial opportunities they present.

“It’s a tremendous compliment to have such an industry leader recognize the University’s faculty for its expertise and entrust important technology to us so that it can be developed and commercialized in a way that will make a real difference in the marketplace,?said WMU President Judith I. Bailey of the gift. “We’re absolutely delighted to count Kimberly-Clark among our industry partners and look forward to a long and productive relationship with the company.

“Western Michigan University was selected as the recipient for these technologies because of its strong engineering program in paper and printing science,?says Corrine Sukiennik, director of Kimberly-Clark Worldwide’s Global Technology Transfer program. “Of special importance is the existence of the school’s pilot paper facility and the opportunity it presents in conducting research with the donated technologies. In addition, the University’s Paper Technology Foundation, made up of leading industry companies, provides the support and guidance required to impact the future of the pulp and paper industry--which represents one of our country’s key renewable resources.

According to James Tanner of Kimberly-Clark’s technology transfer team, the patents involve the treatment of paper fiber and the byproducts of paper processing to modify fibers so they can be reused to produce consumer products.

“We’ll be able to recruit and support promising graduate students and our faculty will have an opportunity to take on a new line of cutting-edge research,?says AbuBakr. “We expect it to lead to technical advances for the industry and the development of additional patents.

Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark Corp., which is a leading global consumer products company. Its tissue, personal care and health care products are manufactured in 43 countries and sold in more than 150.

WMU’s Paper Technology Foundation, established in 1958, supports and enhances the internationally known paper programs offered by WMU’s Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Imaging. It also helps recruit and financially assist young men and women who wish to pursue careers in the pulp and paper industry. Foundation members include many of the leading figures in the nation’s paper industry.

Displaying their new hats at the PAC dinner (l to r): Dave DiTallo, Area Sales Manager, Eltromat Electronics; Walter Siegenthaler, Executive VP, Max Daetwyler Corp; and Butch Hoover, VP of Sales, WRE/ColorTech.

This year's Gravure Day activities have concluded, bringing to close a busy two days of department activity. Monday, November 3, brought the Printing Advisory Committee to the new Parkview Campus for discussions and committee meetings. PAC activities ended--and Gravure Day began--with a luncheon at the Fetzer Center. Speakers discussed the gravure industry and possibly its most important aspect: the gravure image carrier. Keynote speaker Peter Daetwyler, president of Max Daetwyler Corp., spoke about the importance of education to the future of the industry. Presentations were given regarding cylinder plating technology, video registration systems, cylinder sleeve technology, and students' roles in the industry. Look forward to more "Days" in the future, including Litho Day and Flexo Day.

Our department's new home is on WMU's 265-acre Parkview Campus, part of the new Business Technology and Research Park. The new College of Engineering and Applied Sciences facility boasts 15 hi-tech classrooms, seven computer teaching labs, 75 research and teaching labs, along with breakout rooms and conference rooms. Approximately 3,000 students will occupy the 343,000 square feet of space. Click here for a map and directions. Visitor parking is in the front circle. To avoid a ticket, please make sure to obtain a visitor pass from the department office.

The Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Imaging at Western Michigan University has just received word from the American Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) that both Chemical Engineering and Paper Engineering programs have been accredited. The accreditation is retroactive from October, 2001.

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