Spring

As we enjoy a late season snow storm in Chicago on the second day of spring, we know that the warm weather and sunshine is (probably) just around the corner. Second quarter is about to begin but reports are mixed. I have talked to people whose company’s are setting records and some who are not so fortunate. There is a healthy amount of business to be had for those who are open to new ideas. This issue features a variety of new plastic shapes and fabricating machinery that can open the door to new applications and new business for your company. We also have some exciting things on tap for the coming issues, so stay tuned!

We kick off with a double feature in Van Niser addressing both of our spotlight materials. While relatively easy to fabricate, polyethylene and polypropylene present some unique challenges that can be overcome with the right fixturing, tooling and feed and speed rate. Learn the nuances of these popular polyolephins in Routing Polyethylene and Routing & Trimming Polypropylene.

Then turn to New Applications for Bondable UHMW-PE to see how Harrison Concrete worked with Crown Plastics to improve the material flow delivery chutes of their concrete mixing trucks. The solution is simple but would not have been possible without bondable UHMW.

Is your Company on OSHA’s hit list? This month, Jack Podojil shares a letter from OSHA that was recently sent to 14,000 employers telling them that their injury and illness rates are higher than average. Learn how to take steps to get off, and stay off, OSHA’s list in Safety Solutions.

What’s next? The May/June issue we will feature our annual Nylon & Acetal Spotlight. These popular engineering materials continue to see new formulations and shapes being offered that open up new applications for our industry.

The new e-Reader Service response form on our website is undergoing some upgrades and will soon offer readers more options for requesting information from our advertisers and select editorial items. In the meantime you can still easily learn more about the advertised products in this issue and manage your subscription by clicking on the e-Reader Service link in the upper left corner of our homepage. After you fill out some basic information, you just check the advertisers you are interested in and click send. Both the advertisers name and e-Reader number from below their ad are shown for quick reference.

If you are looking for information on fabricating or materials, machinery, tooling or accessories, you’ll find it at www.plasticsmag.com. See our 2007 Buyer’s Guide or search our ten year article archive.

Enjoy the issue,

Coming May/June 2008
Nylon & Acetal
Ad/Edit Close: 04/21/08
Material Close: 04/28/08