UTech Las Americas: call for papers, deadline looming

With climate change dominating the world agenda, and an increasing appetite for sustainable products and technologies, polyurethane materials have a clear role to play in making the transition towards a carbon-neutral future. With their ability to extend product life through coatings, enhance thermal efficiency through insulation, and reduce energy use and emissions through vehicle lightweighting (and EV battery insulation) – polyurethanes can be at the forefront of this transition.  

The polyurethane industry continues to improve its own green credentials by addressing the end-of-life phase of its products, whilst also working towards new technologies that improve upon PU’s remarkable properties: advanced PU composites, nanocomposites and bio-based or circular feedstocks. 

UTECH Las Americas 2023 is an opportunity to share these significant innovations with our attendees. We would like to invite companies from the PU industry – and research organisations with production-ready technologies – to give presentations on the following topics:

• Recycling technologies (mechanical and chemical)
• Closing the loop
• Mass balance: certifying sustainability throughout the value chain
• Non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU)
• Composite PU materials 
• Nano materials
• Bio-based technologies
• Flexible foam
• Rigid foam
• CASE - coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers
• Cost effective machinery
• Polyurethane dispersions
• TPU 3D printing
• Direct PU additive manufacturing
• Blowing agents
• Spray foam technologies
• Flame retardants
• How to cost a product or a project

Submission criteria

The criteria for selection of papers will include:

• Contribution to industry knowledge base – is this truly a significant advance?
• Timely and relevant topic – does the presentation address current or developing concerns among polyurethane industry professionals?
• Value – will the paper highlight real progress with long-term benefits?
• Objective – does the proposed speech offer a balanced and non-commercial perspective?
• Originality

Speech proposals that offer significant evidence-based developments in these respects have a far higher chance of being selected for inclusion on the programme. Speech proposals covering purely historical ground, with an overly narrow focus and those that are deemed too sales-driven in approach are likely to be rejected.
 

For further information, please contact Alejandra Barrientos, conference co-ordinator, at [email protected] or Clare Boldurmaz, conference producer, at [email protected].

Deadline for submissions: Tuesday 28 February 2023