Letter from the Chair
Every year, it seems, it has become more difficult to keep people involved with outside groups or associations. Time is more precious than ever before – and jobs are more demanding. However, I believe people underestimate the importance of keeping up with new technologies, having a central source for industry-related education and information, and finding a community where others are facing similar business challenges.
If you are not a member of SPE and, specifically, a member of our SPE Decorating & Assembly Division, I encourage you to look into joining. Along with discounts you can receive for events such as the ANTEC coming up in March and our SPE Decorating & Assembly Division Topical Conference that will take place June 3-4 in Franklin, Tennessee, your membership offers much more.
One nice benefit that has been added recently is the “Chain” – an email community that provides SPE members the ability to ask questions to the membership and tap into an enormous amount of knowledge from other members. It works somewhat like LinkedIn, but it comes through your email and is very easy to access.
I encourage you to visit www.4spe.org and see what is available. There are several different levels of membership, depending on your needs. If you do decide to join, and you are involved in the decorating and assembly of plastics, make sure you include Decorating & Assembly as your primary or a secondary division on your membership application.
I hope to see many of you at our upcoming events this spring and early summer. We are hoping to make our TopCon (that will once again partner with IMDA) the biggest and best one yet. Mark your calendar now for June 1-3 in Nashville. It will be a great conference, and it’s not a bad place to visit either.
Jeff Peterson
President, Peterson Publications, Inc.
Chair, SPE Decorating & Assembly Division
Mark Your Calendar: ANTEC 2019 Heads to Detroit
The largest technical conference in the plastics industry, ANTEC 2019 is known as the place where “classroom theory connects with real world solutions.” Co-hosted by SPE Detroit, the conference will take place March 18-21 at the Marriott Detroit Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan. The Decorating and Assembly Division of SPE will offer several technical sessions on Monday, March 18, from 2-5:30 p.m. Presentations in the Joliet room will cover a variety of topics, including:
Innovations and New Trends in Specialty Coatings
Karen Kukla, Akzo Nobel
Application of 2K Injection Molding & Decorative Chrome Plating on Plastics
Ari Espina, Taiyo
Advancements in Decorative PVD Chromium Coatings for Polymer Substrates
Michael Brazil, Vergason
UV Curing Process Development and Control
Kevin Joesel, Heraeus
Why Test Inks and Dyne Pens Cannot Tell the Full Truth About Surface Free Energy
Art Kasson, Kruss
Fixtureless Laser Marking Drastically Cuts Cost of Tooling
Faycal Benayad-Cherif, Foba
New Developments in Adhesion Promotion Using Flame Plasma Surface Treatment – A Tutorial
Joe DiGiacomo, Flynn
2019 TopCon and IMDA Symposium Set for Nashville
The SPE Decorating & Assembly Division, in partnership with the In-Mold Decorating Association (IMDA), will be holding its 2019 Topical Conference (TopCon) and IMDA Symposium on June 3-4, in Franklin, Tennessee – right outside Nashville. It will be held at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs Hotel.
“We are excited to work with IMDA and Ron and Myra Schultz again this year for our event,” stated SPE Decorating & Assembly Division Chair Jeff Peterson. “There is certainly a synergy between both our groups that makes sense to co-locate together.”
The two-day event will include presentations on new plastics decorating and assembly technologies, as well as the latest in in-mold decorating and labeling. There will be breakout tracks for decorating, assembly and in-mold decorating presentations. In addition, both groups will offer a series of workshops where attendees will split into smaller groups to discuss topics of interest. Topics addressed will include:
- Variable Data Technologies for Decorating
- Surface Treatment Technologies for Decorating/Assembly
- Improving Durability with UV, UV LED and EB Curing
- Choosing the Best Option for Bright Metallic Finishes
Assembly workshops will include sessions dedicated to the best assembly/joining process for the application, automating assembly processes and solutions for joining with decorated parts. IMDA also will have a series of workshops dealing with the latest in in-mold decorating and labeling.
Along with the presentations and workshops, the event will include a supplier trade fair that will run through breaks, an extended lunch and a reception following the first day of programming. IMDA will hold its annual IMDA Awards Dinner the first evening of the event as well.
For registration and other details on the SPE Decorating & Assembly Division TopCon and IMDA Symposium, visit www.plasticsdecorating.com and click on the TopCon link. IMDA members can visit www.imdassociation.com for further details. n
