BETHESDA, MD - Manufacturers seeking to increase their competitiveness and develop new products and processes boosted attendance by more than 30 percent at the biennial uv.eb EAST, a conference and exhibition dedicated to UV and EB technology that was held October 4-5 in Syracuse, NY. About 260 people attended, which was a 30-percent increase from the previous event held in 2009, with 40 percent of attendees potential end-users of the technology.

With a large turnout from New York, the event also drew attendees from 29 states and five countries, offering a trade expo and special conference focus for printing and packaging, industrial applications, electronics and medical devices. The event also spotlighted the startup of a new NYSERDA-funded UV/EB Tech Center in Syracuse. The center, built to accelerate commercialization of the technology, is located at the State University of New York-College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

"Our turnout reflects the fact that U.S. manufacturers understand they can no longer wait for the economy to improve or regulations to change. Survival means utilizing state-of-the-art technologies, materials and processes such as those offered by UV and EB," said Howard Ragin of DSM and President of RadTech, the nonprofit sponsor of the event. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) also sponsored the event. NYSERDA has also offered significant funding to the UV/EB Tech Center.