Business News
2008 Flexible Electronics and Displays Conference Attracts Record Number of Exhibitors and Sponsors
Thursday 10. January 2008 - Exhibitor Space Expanded to Accommodate New Players to Showcase Products at Flex Conference
The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a public/private partnership chartered with developing the flexible electronics and displays industry supply chain, today announced that an unprecedented number of exhibitors and sponsors have signed up for the 7th annual Flexible Electronics & Displays Conference and Exhibition. This significant increase has initiated a move to a bigger space to accommodate more exhibitors and is attributed to the burgeoning interest in the diverse new technologies represented by the printed electronics industry. The Flex Conference will be held January 21 – 24, 2008 at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix, Ariz.
Some of the new players taking a high-profile role this year include EI, Exopack, iTi Corp., NanoMas Technologies, N. Dakota State’s Center for Nanoscale Science & Engineering, Northfield Automation, Sonoplot, Tamarack Scientific, Trident and UniJet. In addition to these new companies, returning sponsors and exhibitors include AGI, Applied Materials, CAMM, Dupont Teijin Films, E Ink, Emerson & Cuming, FDC, FUJIFILMS Dimatix, GE, Hamilton Precision Metals, H-P, Honeywell, Motorola, New Way Air Bearings, Plextronics, Precision Process, Soligie, Sartomer, and Universal Display Corp. Media sponsors include Cintelliq, Displaybank, DisplaySearch, ID TechEx and NanoMarkets.
Examples of the leading-edge technologies newly featured in this year’s exhibits include several ink jet applications from Trident, UniJet and iTi. Trident develops piezoelectric impulse ink jet printheads and inks for applications requiring inert, rugged, stainless steel printing equipment, while iTi manufactures digital systems for industrial applications, and customized requirements. Other offerings include Sonoplot’s applications in biological, microarrays, polymer-based and printable electronics, and semiconductor packaging; Exopack’s electronic and engineered films; and NanoMas Technologies, which enables mass production of high-quality nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes.
“USDC has expanded its outreach to industries beyond its traditional scope, which has greatly contributed to the doubling in exhibitor and sponsor participation,” noted Dan Gamota of Motorola, conference co-chair and an early leader in USDC’s move to pursue new directions in flexible printed electronics. “Seeing new players exhibiting their latest products and giving presentations on the most recent technology and product developments are the reason USDC’s conference is the premier event to attend in this area,” added Gamota. The organizations that USDC has developed closer collaboration with include the Printing Industries of America (PIA), Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), International Microelectronics and Packaging Society (iMaps) and Organic Electronic Association (OE-A), as well as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which will publish the peer-reviewed papers for the all-new academic track.
“We look forward to participating with other industry leaders as exhibitors at this year’s Flex Conference where we will show our latest electronic paper demonstrators and very recent products including electronic books using E Ink technology. This is a highly respected forum-essential for everyone interested in sharing and hearing the most recent data and progress being made in this dynamic, growing sector,” commented Dr. Michael McCreary, vice president of Research and Advanced Development at E Ink Corporation and chairman of USDC’s board of directors. He added, “If you only have the opportunity to participate in one flexible display and printed electronics conference, this is certainly the one to attend.”