Anniversaries

We celebrate several milestones this issue from our 11th Annual Nylon & Acetal Shapes Special Advertising Section to the 50th anniversary of the AWFS® Fair in Las Vegas, Nevada this summer. I am also marking my ninth anniversary with the magazine, eight of them as the Publisher. There have been many advancements in the industry during my tenure and this issue has several examples of how rapidly times are changing and how important it is to stay current to be competitive.

We start with the continuation of Van Niser’s series on Real World Routing Solutions. Cutting tool technology has evolved dramatically, however there continues to be a lot of confusion regarding optimal machining methods and practices.

Two feature articles kick off our Nylon & Acetal Shapes Special Advertising Section. Nylon and Acetal have been around for a long time and they continue to meet a wide range of applications. Our special section also includes listings of the standard and custom shapes offered by leading manufacturers and this year they include some new faces and new offerings.

Then turn to the AWFS® Fair Vegas Preview which features nearly thirty manufacturers who will be showing machinery and tooling designed specifically for the plastics industry. And, for the first time ever, the AWFS College of Woodworking Knowledge will present a seminar entitled “How to Improve Productivity and Edge Quality When Cutting Plastics.” See the lead article in News Briefs for more information. Advertisers in this issue who are exhibiting at AWFS Vegas have their booth number listed in or under their ad. We will also be exhibiting. Please visit us in booth #13120 if you are attending the show.

Finally, in Safety Solutions, there is no better time to talk about Machine Guarding than in an issue that features a lot of machinery. This month, Jack Podojil, with the help of his son Allen, discuss how to asses your shop’s risks and they provide an overview of the minimal general requirements for machine guards.

What’s next? July/August will feature our 2007 Buyer’s Guide.

You can find more products and information for plastic fabricators by searching our 2006 Buyer’s Guide and a nine year article archive.

Enjoy the issue,