Seven, Eight and Nine

As the summer gets under way we are marking several milestones at Plastics Distributor® & Fabricator: June marks my seventh year with the magazine; this issue features our Ninth Annual Nylon & Acetal Shapes Special Advertising Section; and the July/ August issue will feature our 2005 Buyer’s Guide, the eighth we will publish. The plastics shapes industry is thriving. Reports continue to be strong from all segments and, in spite of continued price increases, optimism is high. We are very excited to be part of this dynamic industry and look forward to helping you stay current and competitive with the most targeted editorial product.

Our Ninth Annual Nylon & Acetal Shapes Special Advertising Section covers the wide variety of cast and extruded nylons and acetal shapes offered by leading suppliers. It also contains two features that can help you identify areas of opportunity for these multifaceted engineering resins and highlights several new products.

In Acetal Copolymer – Compression vs. Extruded, Kenneth Grier, Manager, Technical Resources, Ensinger-Hyde illustrates how improvements in the extrusion process have eliminated limitations that were once associated with extruded sheet.

In Nylons and Acetals: News & Perspectives, Michael Gehrig, General Manager, Ensinger / Penn Fibre Plastics discusses how engineering resins only become commodities when their value is undersold and when suppliers stop investing in development and expansion into new markets.

Also in this issue, in The Importance of Spoilboards, Van Niser shows how spoilboard methodology is critical to receiving maximum productivity from your CNC router. In Safety Solutions, Jack Podojil discusses how “Effective Risk Management” is a decisive factor in reducing the extent and the severity of work-related injuries and illnesses.

What’s next? Our July/August issue should not be missed! Not only will it feature our 2005 Buyer’s Guide, it will include previews of the upcoming AWFS® Fair this July and the SPE Thermoforming Conference this September. See Mark Your Calendar for dates and website addresses.

Enjoy the issue,