Plastics Technology - Dedicated to improving Plastics Processing.
Issue link: http://pty.epubxp.com/i/864540
The fall is noted for a lot of things … leaves turning, the start of the football season, Halloween, the World Series, and for many subscribers of this magazine, the start (at least) of budget preparation for the following year. Of course, travel is a key component of your budget, especially with 2018 being an NPE year. But also make sure to include a line item that will allow you and your colleagues to attend the Molding 2018 Conference & Exhibit, Plastics Technology's comprehensive event for injection molders. It will take place next Feb. 27-March 1, in Long Beach, Calif., at the Hilton Long Beach Hotel. We held Molding 2017 this past April in Charlotte, N.C., and it was our largest ever in terms of speakers (62), sponsors (11), and attendees (261), and we expect that momentum to carry into 2018. Besides including Molding 2018 in your travel budget, there are a couple of other steps you might want to take. As we are in the early stages of putting the program together, perhaps you have some thoughts on topics you'd like the conference to address. Maybe you'd even like to deliver a paper of your own. In either case, I invite you to send your ideas to my two editorial colleagues at Plastics Technology who are putting the program together: Executive Editor Matt Naitove ( mnaitove@ ptonline.com; and Senior Editor Tony Deligio ( tonyd@ ptonline.com). Since Plastics Technology's parent company, Gardner Business Media, purchased the Molding Conference four years ago, Matt and Tony have worked hard to expand the scope of the program to include virtually every aspect of a molding operation—not just what goes on inside the machine and mold, but also crucial areas such as mate- rials conveying, drying, feeding/blending, equipment maintenance, best practices, tooling, ERP, and lots more. Given that our last two events were the most successful in the 27-year history of the confer- ence, I'd say this approach has gone over well with molders. The California location should give you an indication that Molding 2018 will have significant emphasis on processing issues confronting medical and electrical/electronics molders. That said, the program will be aligned with presentations on these topics: • Emerging Technologies • Establishing/Maintaining a Robust Process • Robots & Automation • Molds & Tooling • Materials • Auxiliaries We'll also address trending topics such as practical applications of Industry 4.0 (John Winzeler of Winzeler Gear gave such a talk at Amerimold 2017, which Plastics Technology and sister publications MoldMaking Technology and Modern Machine Shop co-sponsored in June in Chicago); Augmented Reality and the Smart Factory; Collaborative Robots; Sustainability; Workforce Development; and Additive Manufacturing. Molding 2018 will not only get you up to speed on the very latest technologies in injection molding, it will feature speakers who show you how to make the most out of the equipment you already have. So plug the times and dates for Molding 2018 now into the calendars of your computer and smart devices. FOLLOW US @plastechmag @jimcallari Molding 2018 will not only get you up to speed on the latest technologies in injection molding, it will feature speakers who show you how to make the most out of the equipment you already have. Mark Your Calendars for Molding 2018 And while you're at it, submit a paper for consideration at the 27th annual conference devoted to injection molding. Jim Callari Editorial Director Trainer, consultant, and Plastics Technology columnist John Bozzelli conducting a molding seminar in conjunction with last year's Molding 2017 Conference. 4 SEPTEMBER 2017 Plastics Technology PTonline.com From The Editor