38th International Polymer Conference
A conference sets standards

The international polymer conference PPS-38, which took place from May 22 to 26 on the premises of Olma Messen in St. Gallen, was a great success for Empa. The organizing committee, led by Rudolf Hufenus, Edith Perret and Hania Curjel, put together an interesting mix of technical and social events.
In preparation for the conference, more than 700 oral and poster presentations had to be reviewed, evaluated and finally approved by the scientific committee. This selection convinced nearly 750 people to attend the conference – a record-breaking number.
Lectures, presentations and a tour of Empa
Over the four days, a total of more than 500 lectures in up to ten parallel sessions were given and over 100 posters presented. The topics were well mixed and tailored to the polymer sector; experts from industry and science shared their knowledge on topics such as injection molding and molds; rubber and elastomers; fibers and films; foams and membranes; composites; compounds, alloys and much more. As polymer is a high-value but also controversial material, there were lively discussions on biopolymers, sustainable development, the increasingly important recycling of plastics and on the hot topic of microplastics.
Social events must not be missing
As is customary at such a large international conference, in addition to the technical exchange there were also various social events such as the welcome reception with alphorn blowers, a guided tour of downtown St. Gallen, and like the evening banquet with Appenzeller music. For the accompanying persons, the partner program offered an excursion to the island of Mainau, to Aescher and Ebenalp as well as to the "Klangschmiede" in Toggenburg.
The Polymer Processing Society (PPS)
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