Recorded presentations are now available to all attendees of Plastics in Aerospace: The Virtual Edition. But if you missed the event, you can access recorded presentations by registering now to gain access! Or if you have multiple employees from your company wanting to view the recorded presentations, you can purchase a 10-Pack for team access!
Empowered Processing: The Virtual Edition, presented by the SPE Injection Molding Division offers attendees the opportunity to learn and apply best practices for the injection molding process from industry leaders and innovators. The online event, taking place June 9, includes a powerful speaker line-up, presenting on topics relevant for today’s plastic processing environment.
To honor longtime plastics journalist Bill Bregar, SPE and Crain Communications recently announced the launch of the Bill Bregar Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will support aspiring journalists and business communicators in the plastics and manufacturing industries. Bregar, who passed away on April 5, 2020, at the age of 58 of an apparent heart attack, spent 31 years reporting on the plastics industry. He joined Crain Communications’ Plastics News as a staff reporter shortly before the publication's launch in 1989.
SPE recently announced the launch of SPE Polymers, a peer-reviewed, fully open access journal dedicated to all aspects of polymer science, polymer engineering, and polymer technology. Open access provides the opportunity to quickly make article acceptance decisions leading to prompt online publication. SPE Polymers articles are immediately open upon publication which also allows for faster broadcasting of research data to a much broader audience.
ANTEC® 2020: The Virtual Edition kicked off on Monday, March 30 with three full days of amazing keynotes and technical presentations that continued over a six-week period beginning on Monday, March 30th and concluded on Tuesday, May 5. Didn't attend? No worries. Just because you didn't attend ANTEC® 2020: The Virtual Edition doesn't mean you can't keep abreast of the latest technologies, developments and trends in plastics. Register to gain access to technical session proceedings and recorded presentations, keynotes, podcasts and demonstrations.
SPE’s ANTEC® 2020: The Virtual Edition was host to plastics professionals globally and from all industries for a six-week period beginning on Monday, March 30th and closing on Tuesday, May 5. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the first five weeks and Monday and Tuesday on the sixth week, attendees logged into day-long keynote presentations and technical sessions focused on plastics used in a range of industries from medical to automotive to aerospace and more. During the six-week period, over 3,300 participants from over seven countries viewed 14 keynote speakers and 167 technical presentations facilitated by over 58 session moderators. Over 20 presentations, podcasts and demonstrations were live-streamed on YouTube and are currently accessible to everyone.
SPE recently announced a new virtual event focused on plastics in the aerospace industry. The first offering in SPE’s “Plastics In…” virtual series, Plastics in Aerospace: The Virtual Edition, taking place May 18-19, 2020, is a one and half day live online event that is focused on insights from aerospace industry leaders. Plastics performance, material innovations, supply chain challenges and solutions, and how plastics usage is growing in aerospace will be addressed. Event co-chairs Dr. Jason Lyons, SPE Vice President/Divisions, and Dr. Scott Eastman, SPE Vice President/Sections, are guiding the speaker selection process.
Dr. Prithu Mukhopadhyay is the new editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vinyl & Additive Technology (JVAT). He will assume his role on May 1, 2020. He succeeds Randy Brown who served as the editor of the journal since 2015.
The SPE European Thermoforming Division has postponed their main event of the European thermoforming industry due to the increase in COVID-19 cases internationally. The conference will be now hosted at the Starling Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, from September 30 - October 2, 2020.
Taking place May 18, SPE's new one-day virtual event will include insights from aerospace industry leaders. Event will focus on industry trends, opportunities and challenges, new and emerging technologies, and more! Want to share your knowledge in this growth industry? SPE is conducting a call for presenters for Plastics in Aerospace: The Virtual Edition.
SPE’s ANTEC® 2020: The Virtual Edition went live using the Zoom conferencing platform on Monday, March 30. The virtual event kicked off with a keynote session featuring Thomas (Tom) Salmon, CEO and Director, Chairman of the Board, Berry Global Group, and Jim Fitterling, CEO, Dow. The session was moderated by Don Loepp, Editor, Plastics News, who also led a Q&A, fielding questions asked by attendees. Dr. Brian Landes, President, SPE, started the session with a brief overview of SPE and ANTEC®. The opening session streamed live on YouTube and was available to the public. More than 1,750 viewed the opening keynote session on both the Zoom platform and on YouTube.
This webinar, presented by Dr. Abhishek Shetty, Lead Scientist, Anton Paar USA Rheology Division, on March 24th, looks at how DMA can be used to gain a better understanding of the viscoelastic and thermal properties of your material. The theoretical basics of DMA measurements are also covered along with the test methods and their resulting information. Access to this webinar is open to all.
SPE is pleased to announce that Thomas (Tom) Salmon, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Chairman of the Board, Berry Global Group and Jim Fitterling, Chief Executive Officer, Dow, will kick off ANTEC® 2020: The Virtual Edition. This opening keynote session, which will begin on Monday, March 30 at 10:00 a.m. ET, will be streamed live on YouTube and will be available at no charge to the plastics industry at large. Each CEO will provide their insights and perspectives on the plastics industry.
After hearing individually from hundreds of ANTEC® attendees, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors it became clear that meeting in-person was an impossibility. Unanimous, however, was the desire (need!) to hear from the speakers scheduled to present. ANTEC® 2020: THE VIRTUAL EDITION addresses this need.
Registration is now open! Precision extrusion in a “4.0 environment” requires a thorough knowledge of extrusion fundamentals, advanced theory and knowing where to go to get answers.
The SPE Thermoset Div. is announcing its first keynote speaker for their annual TopCon event to be held on May 12 – 13, 2020 at the Monona Terrace and Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin. “Thermosets - a Historical and Future Perspective," will be presented by Professor Tim A. Osswald, Director of the Polymer Engineering Center (PEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The SPE Thermoset Div. is announcing a special reduced rate of only $100 for students to attend their annual TopCon event to be held on May 12 – 13, 2020 at the Monona Terrace and Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
SPE has recently been announced as an Official Association Partner for the North East Petrochemical Exhibition & Conference 2020, taking place June 29-30 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
SPE recently announced a significant change with their Women’s Networking Lunch, an annual event that occurs during ANTEC®, the largest, most respected and well-known technical conference in the plastics industry. The networking lunch, renamed Working Together: A Conversation on Diversity and Inclusion in the Plastics Industry, takes place on April 1 and is being held to foster thought-provoking discussion that will continue to propel this important topic into the future.
For more than 5 years, SPE, with the financial support of the PLASTICS Industry Association, has provided free memberships to undergraduate and graduate students who are in plastics-related fields of study. Although the participation of PLASTICS has ended, SPE has not only maintained its free Student Membership option, the Society has extended this membership offering to young professionals during their first two years of working in the industry.
The organizing committee for the SPE® Automotive Composites Conference & Expo (ACCE) invites graduate, undergraduate, community college, and high school students to submit abstracts on innovative composites technologies, for automotive and ground transportation, for its annual student poster scholarship competition. The competition will be held during the ACCE at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan (in the Detroit suburbs) September 9 - 11, 2020.
The organizing committee for the SPE® Automotive Composites Conference & Expo (ACCE) invites graduate, undergraduate, and community college students to submit applications for three SPE ACCE scholarships and an additional award from the endowed scholarship funded in honor of the late Dr. Jackie Rehkopf, a long-time SPE ACCE volunteer and automotive composites expert. Applications are due April 1, 2020 and winners will be announced prior to the 2020 SPE ACCE event, September 9 - 11, 2020 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan (in the Metro-Detroit area).
The SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Expo (ACCE) team is announcing its Call for Papers, Exhibitors & Sponsors for their 20th annual event September 9 - 11, 2020 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich. in the Detroit suburbs.
Are you someone that fears going into your supervisor’s office to request permission to attend ANTEC®? Have you ever been greeted with a hasty “no way, your time is better spent in the lab” when asking for funding to travel to any conference? If so, this webinar is for you. In this webinar, Jason Lyons, Business Manager of Arkema’s Kepstan®PEKK Product Line, will guide you through several strategies that he has used over his career to not only obtain funding to attend ANTEC®, but to support other SPE initiatives along the way.
SPE recently announced the 2020 recipients for two of its prestigious awards: the Honored Service Members (HSM) Award and the Fellow of Society Award. The recipients will be honored at ANTEC® 2020, taking place March 29-April 2 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas.
SPE is adding two workshops to its ANTEC® 2020 educational roster with each taking place on Sunday, March 29 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio. Workshop #1 will focus on entrepreneurship and Workshop #2 will address using non-halogen flame retardants thermoplastics.
This year’s conference will introduce a new programming format, featuring four keynotes each day and more than 300 concurrent sessions, including presentations on additive manufacturing, applied rheology, automotive, bioplastics and renewable technologies, blow molding, chemical recycling and the circular economy, coatings, membranes and thin films, and more!
ANTEC® 2020 attendees will no longer have to miss out on ANTEC® or any ANTEC® events because they don’t have childcare. New this year, SPE is offering childcare on premises at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio each day during the largest, most respected and well-known technical conference in the plastics industry.
General Summary: Duties include travel throughout assigned region educating students in grades 5-12, teachers, and general public about the chemistry, history, processing, sustainability, environmental issues and social impact of plastics. Outreach Educators must enjoy teaching all levels of students in an informal and enthusiastic manner.
This webinar, presented by Dennis Gros, MBS Advisors, on January 14th, looks at salary trends and the factors that affect your money. Gros provides an overview of the past five years of employment in the plastics industry. Specifically, he analyzes the growth curve of compensation for roles in manufacturing, engineering, sales, supply chain, and general management.
Please participate in a brief survey on compensation and employment trends in the plastics industry. Your input is needed so that we can create the most robust and accurate report available anywhere. SPE and MBS Advisors have conducted this important research every year since 2008. This year the report will contain additional demographic analyses, including compensation levels by region, experience, education and, most importantly, gender.
On the latest episode of PlastChicks - The Voices of Resin - Mercedes Landazuri and Doreen Baker, Global Sustainability Director, Ampacet and Chair, SPE Color and Appearance Division, discuss color and sustainability in plastics, as well as other challenges in the plastics industry.
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Failure and Compositional Analysis, presented on January 9 by Jeffrey A. Jansen, Senior Managing Engineer and Partner, The Madison Group, is focused on the technique for the analysis of organic materials. It provides critical information in the evaluation of polymeric materials, including material identification, contamination, and degradation. This webinar features a fundamental understanding of the technique.
Michael Greskiewicz has been appointed as new Director of Sponsorships and Exhibits at SPE. With 30 years of experience, Michael is results-driven with a proven ability to successfully develop and manage overall sales and marketing strategies with a specific focus on sponsorship and exhibit sales.
Failure Associated with Injection Molding Defects, presented on December 12 by Jeffrey A. Jansen, Senior Managing Engineer and Partner, The Madison Group, is focused on preventative measures in injection molding, including appropriate material selection, proper mold design, and process development.
The annual 2020 plastics industry Salary Survey, conducted jointly by SPE and MBS Advisors, is slated to open for participation in January. According to Dennis Gros, President of the Recruiting Division of MBS Advisors, the Salary Survey measures how the plastics industry performs when it comes to compensation and work-life balance.
SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals recently announced several new editorial appointments for the following SPE technical journals: Polymer Engineering & Science, Polymer Composites, and the Journal of Vinyl & Additive Technology. The new editorial team is focused on ensuring smooth journal operations including good authorial experience in the submission process, timely peer reviews, and objective decision-making in the publication process. The new editorial team plans to expand the reach of SPE journals to much broader global scientific communities. Publication of invited comprehensive review articles on maturing research and perspective articles on emerging research is a top priority.
I am not a fan of graduation speeches, TED Talks, or any other lecture that includes the phrase “follow your passion.” I think it is one of the most useless and overrated phrases people lean on to make you think they're really onto something. Now, before you assume I'm a work‐hating passion‐free person, let me explain my train of thought (Godspeed to you, dear Reader).
The SPE Asean seminar 2019 was held at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The focus of the seminar was to apprise attendees on the latest developments in plastic applications and to promote the industry.
At some point you’re going to need to take more than a day or two off of work. It might be for a vacation, it might be for parental leave, or it might be for something you didn’t plan on like sick relative or an accident. Obviously the unplanned absences are harder to prepare for (unless you have a solid Magic 8 Ball on your side), but there are a few things you could do so you don’t leave your company in the lurch should that type of situation come up. Here are some of the ways you can be prepared to take off, whatever the situation may be.
Innovative technology and equipment offer superior process control and produce better parts with higher repeatability and reproducibility. In a recent article published in the October 2019 issue of Plastics Engineering, new developments by Kansas City, Mo., startup Ripple Engineering address two of the most frustrating challenges with rotational molding (rotomolding): long cycle times and poor part repeatability and reproducibility (R&R).
SPE is pleased to announce the opening of its new headquarters office in Connecticut. Located at 100 Reserve Rd, Suite B310 in Danbury, the SPE office will be situated in The Summit at Danbury, a 1.3 million square foot living, working, and recreational environment located within 99 wooded acres. Well-known in the plastics industry, The Summit property was formerly home to Union Carbide’s headquarters building.
The Automotive Division of SPE recently announced the winners for its 49th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition, the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries.
In October's issue of Plastics Engineering, Jeffrey A. Jansen, Senior Managing Engineer and Partner, The Madison Group and popular SPE webinar presenter, shares this advice for those new to the plastics industry: "Learn as much as you can related to plastics materials. Building a fundamental knowledge of plastics at a structural and molecular level will serve you well across material, processing, and design aspects."
Giving High Impact Feedback, presented on October 17 by Rick Lepsinger, Managing Partner, OnPoint Consulting, is focused on helping managers and team leaders create a climate that supports open feedback, provides strategies to reduce defensiveness, and ensures feedback is perceived as useful.
Deadline for submitting papers into ANTEC® 2020 is October 25! Don't miss this opportunity to contribute to the largest, most respected and well-known technical conference in the plastics industry.
Degradation Failure of Plastics, presented on October 10 by Jeffrey A. Jansen, Senior Managing Engineer and Partner, The Madison Group, is focused on plastics susceptibility to molecular degradation through a variety of exposures. Topics include: plastic molecular degradation; material susceptibility to degradation; stabilizers to prevent degradation; testing; and more.
On the most recent episode of PlastChicks – The Voices of Resin podcast, hosts Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri talk to guest Eric R. Larson, Author and Founder/Chief Engineer at Art of Mass Production, during ANTEC® 2019. The trio riffs on plastics, Eric's new book for children, and linguistics.
The first Plastic-Metal Hybrid (PMH) front end structure, used on the 1999 C170 Ford Focus GOR from Ford Motor Company, has been named the 2019 Hall of Fame winner by the Automotive Division SPE.
Bumps & Bruises: Starting Your First Real Job, presented on October 1 by Jeremy Dworshak, Plastics Engineer, Steinwall, is focused on maneuvering through the landscape of your first job. Topics covered include understanding your role in the workplace, effectively working with peers, planning your future and more. Bumps & Bruises: Starting Your First Real Job and dozens of recorded webinars are currently available to SPE members in the SPE Library.
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