Coating and Ink Research Institute (CIRI) Opens

The new 3400 square foot CIRI facility is located at The NCC Fowler Family Southside Center, 511 E. Third Street, Bethlehem, PA.

CIRI was created to provide a center of excellence for printing and coating technology to implement industrial growth opportunities for the graphic arts and wood and metal coating industries. The goal of CIRI is to assist these industries in meeting challenges form offshore competition, regulations for energy conservation and elimination of VOCs, decreasing the carbon footprint, and reducing dependence on oil by utilizing rapidly renewable resources such vegetable oils. Substantial grant funding from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/NEP) and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance (PITA) will be used as leverage for expansion by forming a consortium composed of partners in the graphic arts and coating industries, universities, trade associations and research organizations.

The Institute will offer the following services to accomplish this goal:

•  Develop the consortium composed of raw material suppliers, ink and coating manufacturers, printers, suppliers of paper and plastic film, manufacturers of equipment including presses, coaters, and accessories, and related consumers of these products.

•  Conduct research and development

•  Conduct seminars and training courses

•  Provide a testing facility utilizing the printing equipment used at Lehigh, former Lehigh printing equipment. Negotiations are in progress with Testprint from Holland to make available at CIRI their equipment including a state of the art Printability Tester, Tack-o Scope, and a Hydroscope for evaluating litho ink/fountain solution interactions in order to predict performance on the press.

•  Utilize the coating expertise and equipment at ETAC from their research on energy conservation, pollution control, drying by forced air , heat IR, RF, and micro- wave, and UV/EB energy curing

•  Provide expert consulting services utilizing staff and renowned industrial consultants.

CIRI will be headed by Alfred Fuchs, director, a polymer chemist and expert in coatings at ETAC, and Jean Lavelle, assistant director, who conducted extensive research in inks and printing at Lehigh University.

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