Guadalajara, Mexico ?CIMEG, the Jalisco Chamber for Metalworking, together with Mexico抯 National Chamber for Electronics, Telecommunication and IT Industries (CANIETI) and ROC Exhibitions, Inc., present PrecisionFab Metal & Plastics Expo, Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 23-25, 2007, at the Expo Guadalajara, Av. Mariano Otero No. 1499, Col. Verde Valle, Guadalajara, Jalisco Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
The event, part of Mexico抯 International Design and Manufacturing Technology Week drew more than 6,000 attendees last year and is the best-attended manufacturing event in Mexico. PrecisionFab brings together a complete and comprehensive mix of materials fabrication products and technologies used in a wide variety of industrial applications, like electronics, auto parts, medical devices and household appliances.
PrecisionFab features such categories as metal forming machinery and equipment, tooling and supplies, metal joining and assembly, material handling and storage, sof

Atlanta,GA - Atlantis Plastics, Inc. announced recently that Atlantis Plastics?Linear Stretch Film Division has been recertified to the ISO 9001:2000 quality standard after a comprehensive system audit performed by Lloyd抯 Register Quality Assurance (LRQA). The certification covers all stretch film products manufactured in the Tulsa, Oklahoma; Nicholasville, Kentucky; and Fontana, California plants.
揝uperior technology, quality and service to our customers are the primary drivers of the business model at Linear Stretch Films. In keeping with that spirit, we are pleased to announce continued certification to the ISO 9001:2000 standards, a globally-recognized quality systems protocol,?stated Kevin Keneally, Vice President and General Manager.
Atlantis Plastics has maintained continuous certification to ISO 9000 since 1995. The Company was certified to ISO 9002 in 1995, and upgraded to ISO 9001:2000 standards in July, 2003. The latest audit, conducted in July, 2007, took place

Pittsfield, MA ?China Array Plastics, headquartered here, has opened a new state-of-the-art injection molding facility in the Zhuankou Industrial Park in Wuhan, China. The company is among the first in China to specialize exclusively in custom molding high-performance thermoplastics ?such as polysulfone (PSU), polyetherimide (PEI) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) ?used in demanding, high-tech applications. China Array Plastics offers multinational OEMs operating in China tremendous advantages vs. importing parts, including higher quality parts, faster delivery, lower manufacturing costs, and highly trained U.S. and local expertise.
The new facility underscores China Array Plastics?growth strategy to differentiate itself as a market leader and innovator in the injection molding of high-performance thermoplastic materials. The company is currently serving and targeting high-end niche segments where these materials are increasingly in demand, such as the aviation field, where low-vol

Clinton Township, MI - KUKA Robotics Corporation, a leading global manufacturer of industrial robots, recently announced it will present emerging trends and advancements information regarding robotics at the Assembly Technology Expo (ATE) to be held September 25-27 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), IL. John Nelson, plastics industry product manager for KUKA Robotics, will be presenting new trends in six axis robotic applications for injection molders on the KUKA booth #335 on the hour from 10am to 2pm throughout the show.
"The flexibility of KUKA robots easily lends itself to plastics applications," said Stuart Shepherd, president of KUKA Robotics Corporation. "In addition to John抯 trends presentation we will be highlighting that flexibility by demonstrating on the show floor a robot that emphasizes our commitment to providing our plastics customers with a robot that specifically fits their needs."
KUKA Robotics?robots are used in a widely d

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently renewed its alliance with the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI). The alliance will continue to provide SPI members and other stakeholders in the plastics industry with important information, guidance, and access to resources to promote a safe and healthful workplace.
"This cooperative alliance continues to ensure that America's working men and women in the plastics industry have the necessary knowledge to reduce injury and illness in the workplace," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "I am pleased that this strategic partnership continues to build upon our successes and strives to protect employees' health and safety."
"Our relationship with OSHA is essential as SPI works to provide our member companies and their employees with the tools and guidance they need to create the safest and healthiest work environment possible in their pla

Malterdingen -- Introduced in the fall of 2006, the first machines are already proving a great success in production: the CAP-TEC from Ferromatik Milacron is one of the new breed of customized machines designed for specific, demanding injection molding tasks. CAP-TEC is built for the beverage industry and produces caps and closures for bottles, cartons, tubes, and bags. It does nothing else, but it does that perfectly and under production conditions that meet the real-world needs of beverage companies. As we have already seen with the production of PET bottles, the production of closures is increasingly being done right at the bottling facility.
Screw closures are a true mass production item. The German beverage industry alone accounts for many millions of these little parts each year. They weigh only a few grams, yet they require precision in their production if they are to fulfill their function reliably. The technical requirements for closures are greater than they may appear

Tempe, AZ — Those involved in the plastics industry play a significant role in today's economic activities and input from purchasing leaders in the plastics field is valuable when examining the status of the nation抯 economy.
The Institute for Supply Management, source of one of the nation抯 most highly regarded economic reports, the ISM Report On Business ?/I>, currently has an opening for plastics professionals in purchasing and supply management to participate in the monthly Report On Business ?/I> survey by joining ISM抯 Business Survey Committee. The primary commitment of committee members is to respond online to monthly and semiannual surveys.
A certain number of respondents from the plastics and rubber products sector are included in the survey results in order to accurately reflect the industry breakdown with the gross domestic product (GDP). Respondents must also meet certain other criteria to be included in the monthly survey.
Each month, Business Survey

Reading, PA - Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products (Quadrant EPP) has introduced the first high performance plastic machining stock that carries certifications for conformance to ISO 10993-1 and USP Class VI standards. The initial product offering designated Ketron PEEK LSG (life science grade) is certified for applications requiring bodily contact for a maximum of 24 hours.
The new Ketron PEEK LSG shapes are made from Victrex PEEK resins in natural (light tan) and black, and ultra-high strength grades that are reinforced with 30% levels of carbon or glass fiber, especially suited to fixturing applications. While PEEK resins themselves do not carry certification for USP Class VI, the rod and plate products from Quadrant fill that need.
According to Marc Knebel, Market Development Manager at Quadrant, "In the past, engineers had to rely on either certification of the plastic resin used to make machining stock if available on the resin, or their own certification work after

Lowell, MA - The University of Massachusetts Lowell announced a licensing agreement with Metabolix Inc. (www.metabolix.com) for the production of improved high performance plastics that are biobased, sustainable and biodegradable.
The material method (US Patent No. 5,883,199) for blending different biodegradable plastics to make them more usable, was developed by Dr. Stephen McCarthy, plastics engineering professor and director of the Biodegradable Polymer Research Center at UMass Lowell.
Marty Meehan, chancellor-elect of UMass Lowell, said, 揟his agreement is an important step in making plastics that don抰 harm the environment, and it reflects our mission at the University of Massachusetts to translate innovation into marketable products that serve the Commonwealth.?
More than 350 billion pounds of plastic is produced each year and nearly 10 percent of total U.S. oil consumption is used to make plastic, thus contributing to the world抯 growing greenhouse gas emissions a

Perrysburg, OH - Owens-Illinois, Inc., recently announced that the Company concluded the strategic review process of its plastics portfolio and has entered into a definitive agreement with Rexam PLC to sell its plastics packaging business.
Total consideration for the business (including tax basis step-up) will be approximately $1.825B, to be paid in cash at closing. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2006, O-I Plastics had revenues of approximately $760M.
The transaction, which has been approved by the board of directors of both Rexam and O-I, is expected to close early in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals and Rexam shareholder approval. O-I intends to use the majority of the sale proceeds to reduce senior secured debt maturing in 2009, 2011 and 2012. As a result of existing tax loss carryforwards, O-I expects to have only minimal federal cash tax liability from the sale transaction.
"I am pleased with the outcome of our strategic review process