Tradeshow Season

This is a busy time of year. Summer is flying by and the days are already getting shorter here in Chicago. This is also an exciting time of year. The biggest machinery and tooling show of the year is less than a month away and the SPE’s Annual Thermoforming Conference is less than a month after that.

These shows offer two great opportunities for plastic sheet fabricators to see first hand what’s new in machinery and tooling for our industry. From routers, saws and lasers, to cutting tools and forming and trimming machinery, the leading manufacturers and suppliers will be debuting and showing cutting edge technology that can make you more competitive and more profitable. During these complex economic times businesses need to pursue every opportunity that will offer them a competitive edge and help insure their survival until things return to normal.

We kick off this issue with a feature on an interesting shop located in Springfield, Missouri, Polyfab Plastics & Supply. Founded by the company’s current General Manager, Lowell Miller, Polyfab has seen considerable growth in the signage market and has produced a wide array of product for everything from amusement park signage to depth markers for their tank division. They have developed an array of fabrication and decorating techniques to provide their clients with custom signage to meet their growing needs.

Next we look at hot line bending. A process that many fabricators in the U.S. and Europe use to produce fixtures with a premium appearance. Traditionally performed with acrylic sheet, this process is being revamped as fabricators turn to alternative materials, such as PETG sheet.

Are you ready for IWF 2008 and the 18th Annual SPE Thermoforming Conference? Turn to page 21 to review dozens of products that will be featured at these two shows. You will also find IWF and SPE Booth numbers in the text and under the ads of exhibitors in this issue.

This is not only a busy time of year, it’s our biggest issue because it contains our 2008 Buyer’s Guide. Our Eleventh Annual Buyer’s Guide offers a collective resource of our advertisers’ products and services. It is divided into eight categories with an alphabetical listing and description of manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and services for all facets of the plastic shapes industry.

Finally, in Safety Solutions, Jack Podojil addresses a timely topic in Machine Safety. Machine guarding and related machinery violations consistently rank among the top 10 of OSHA citations issued. Workers who operate and maintain machinery suffer approximately 18,000 injuries and over 800 deaths per year.

Need more information? Our new e-Reader Service response form on our website offers you more options for requesting information from our advertisers and select editorial items. If you are looking for information on fabricating or materials, machinery, tooling or accessories, you’ll find it at www.plasticsmag.com.

Enjoy the issue,

Coming September/October 2008
Finishing & Assembly
Ad/Edit Close: 08/23/08
Material Close: 08/30/08