NPE 1997, the triennial trade show dedicated to the plastics industry, is also the world's largest plastics event. This year, the show is expected to attract 75,000 visitors from 90 foreign countries and more than 1,500 exhibitors, spread over one million square feet of space at McCormick Place in Chicago.

According to a study conducted by the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. (SPI), 75% of all exhibitors at NPE 1997 will introduce new plastics-related products and services, including auxiliary and downstream equipment, machine components, primary processing machinery, and toolmaking/moldmaking. The balance of the other new products and services falls into the categories of plastic resin or molding compounds; processing techniques; plasticizers, stabilizers, or other additives; CAD/CAM/CAE/CIM; packaging materials or techniques; robotics; and composites.

Also on hand: more than 100 experts who will conduct presentations about current and future trends in the plastics industry. The 20 planned conference sessions will include presentations specifically devoted to various aspects of new technology as they concern materials, molding, composites, machinery and equipment, controls, packaging, thermoforming, recycling, training, and business.

The three-day conference "presents a unique continuing education curriculum for the tens of thousands of people who will be attending NPE 1997," explains Larry Thomas, president of SPI. "The presentations will provide people with valuable information they can use to compete and succeed in both the domestic and international marketplace."

NPE is sponsored by SPI, a trade association of more than 2,000 members representing all segments of the plastics industry in the United States. SPI's operating units and committees are composed of resin manufacturers, distributors, machinery manufacturers, plastics processors, moldmakers, and other industry-related groups and individuals.

For more information on NPE 1997 and SPI see their website at: http://www.npe.org

NPE 1997

Show products

Static removal

Magnum Force^TM system eliminates static and removes dust and particulates from flat or contoured surfaces. By using blowers instead of compressed air, the system can produce 30 to 70% lower operational costs. It can be used wherever a clean, controlled, medium-to-high-velocity air stream is needed to blow off static discharge, particulates, or dust from product surfaces in preparation for the next step in the process. Magnum Force is constructed of extruded aluminum with adjustable air-stream blade and cast-aluminum flanged ends, a design that provides flexibility and precise air volume control and a velocity range at discharge of 4,500 to 27,500 fpm by using a blower.

SimcoBooth N4782 2257 N. Penn Rd. Hatfield, PA 19440 FAX (215) 822-3795

Valves

4WRTE Series 3X proportional directional control valves are presented in four different sizes with flows to 423 gpm and working pressures from 4,600 psi/315 bar for the size 10 to 5,100 psi/350 bar for sizes 16, 25, and 32. The valves mount on standard ISO, NFPA, ANSI D-05, D-07, D-08, and D-10 interfaces. Type 4WRTE valves, with integrated electronics are well suited for closed-loop controlling of position, velocity, pressure, and force.

The Rexroth Corp. Industrial Hydraulics Div. Booth S407 2315 City Line Rd. Bethlehem, PA 18017 FAX (610) 694-8467

Clamps

2-Ear clamps are for factory maintenance or heavily vibrating equipment. A one-piece design offers a positive, tamper-proof seal without damage to the hose. Installed on air, fluid, and steam lines, the clamps assure adequate closure and compensate for tolerance variation in hose sizes.

Oetiker Inc.Booth E9605 Box 217 Marlette, MI 48453 FAX (517) 635-2157

Test stand

EZ-250 test stand is a versatile, motorized test instrument designed to perform tension and compression measurements up to 250 lb, on specimens up to 20 inches long. Critical peak force readings are sampled at 5,000 times per second when used with AccuForce(R) III or IV force gauges. Some of the user selectable parameters include upper- and lower-force and travel limits, platen speed, cycles, and communications options. Once programmed, the EZ-250 can perform cycle tests; transmit gauge, cycle count, and travel readings; and zero the force gauge, automatically.

AMETEK US Gauge Div.Mansfield & Green Products Booth 8343 8600 Somerset Dr. Largo, FL 33773 FAX (813) 539-6882

Control systems

A redesigned line of oil systems offers improved heating, cooling, and controlling capabilities. The vertical design provides increased efficiency, while requiring less floor space due to a smaller footprint. A cool-oil-reservoir design eliminates thermal shock by isolating the cooling circuit from the heating circuit, and incorporates a continuous-flow heat exchanger for increased heat-transfer areas, resulting in increased cooling capacity.

Mokon Booth S2702 2150 Elmwood Ave. Buffalo, NY 14207 FAX (716) 874-8048

Computer workstations

The booth will feature computer workstations that can access product presentations, industry-specific presentations, CAD drawings, design analysis software, and AlliedSignal Plastics' site on the Internet. A team of technical support and commercial sales representatives will be available at each workstation to walk attendees through the presentations and answer questions.

AlliedSignal Plastics Inc. Booth S2523 Box 2332 Morristown, NJ 07962 FAX (201) 455-3507

Resins

Wood-fiber-filled plastic, WOOD-COM, can be made of either waste wood, paper, or newsprint. In addition to wood fibers, biofeedstocks such as jute, kanef, and sisal can be combined to produce a variety of plastic composites. WOOD-COM is produced on a twin-screw extruder and pelletized as feedstock for plastic processors. The wood-fiber used is a post-industrial waste and the wood is the by-product of window, door, plywood, furniture, and millwork manufacturers. It is segregated by species and processed into flour. Weight reduction is an important benefit of the WOOD-COM material, because wood is lighter than plastic or other fillers, it reduces the weight of final products.

Natural Fiber Composites Inc. Booth E9763 103 Water St.Baraboo, WI 53913 FAX (608) 356-8084

Bonding guide

A comprehensive design guide for bonding plastics serves as a reference for engineers designing with plastics. In addition to general design guidelines, the book examines the properties and adhesive test results for more than 30 of the most commonly used resin families. For each selected plastic, the guide provides information such as associated trade names, general description, typical properties, and application areas. The book also correlates adhesive shear strength and performance with a specified base resin, including various formulations that include additives and fillers.

Loctite Corp. Booth E11241 1001 Trout Brook Crossing Rocky Hill, CT 06067 FAX (860) 571-5465

Switch

Model KIA capacitive proximity switch detects the level of plastic materials in loader tubes. In loader tube applications, the proximity switch must operate so that it does not sense the empty tube, but does reliably detect the presence of material in the tube. This requires that the sensitivity setting be midway between the point where the switch just senses the empty tube and the point where it just senses material in the tube. With the KIA, the sensitivity range required in loader applications is distributed over multiple turns of the potentiometer. The user can determine when the switch just detects the tube and the material, and then position the potentiometer midway between the two. The unit is available in four configurations: two-wire ac/dc normally open, two-wire ac/dc normally closed, three-wire dc, and two-wire dc quadronorm.

ifm efector inc. Booth E-8042 805 Springdale Dr.Whitel and Business Park Exton, PA 19341 FAX (610) 524-2010

Hot-air oven

MiniClean system is a compact, bench-top, hot-air oven that removes solidified plastic from nozzles, filters, spinnerets, and other small metal parts. Plastic is converted to a harmless, non-polluting vapor in approximately two hours.

Seghers Dinamec Inc. Booth E11541 3114 Emery Circle Austell, GA 30001