Technology Never Sleeps

While the triennial NPE2021 show has been canceled because of the global coronavirus pandemic, we at Plastics Technology will be as busy as ever reporting in depth on new products and technology trends—both here on this website and in print. The same can be said of our sister publication MoldMaking Technology.

And as a bonus to our regular robust coverage of new technology that appears each and every month here and in our print issues, we will be generating a special supplement packaged with our May magazines (and highlighted on our respective websites). We’re calling this the Technology in Plastics Showcase (TiPS). Let me tell you what this is about.

First, TiPS will feature the latest new products in a wide range of categories, notably primary machinery of all kinds, auxiliary equipment of all types, molds/tooling, and materials—both resins and additives.

Second, TiPS will be packed with feature content on emerging technology trends you need to consider to gird yourself against future disruptions to your business. You might be thinking, “Another pandemic? Is he crazy?” Truth be told, disruptions come in all shapes and sizes, not just viral. So we’ll be focusing on “lessons learned” from this current disruption and what you might need to do differently so the next one isn’t so, well, disruptive.

TiPS will be packed with feature content on emerging technology trends you need to consider to gird yourself against future disruptions to your business.

Maybe you’ve seen what’s been going on in Industry 4.0 and wondered “Do I really need all this?” Maybe you run a molding plant with 12 presses and only six robots and figure “I’m up to date on automation.” Perhaps you’ve looked at additive manufacturing and dismissed it as “Oh yeah … for prototypes.” Maybe you’ve looked at training your employees but figured, “Who has the time for that?” 

Well, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, “The times they have a-changed.” So we’ll be tackling such issues as digital manufacturing, automation, additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing), and training … tools have been around for years, but ones that you need to revisit now more than ever to make your processing operations more resilient.

Third, TiPS will offer visitors all this plus an added feature: on-demand videos from suppliers showing the latest new technology and solutions in action. We’re calling these “Digital Demos,” and they will be 10-20 minutes long.

We will soon be launching an easy-to-navigate microsite that will house all of this content. You’ll be able to go to that site directly or link to it from the Plastics Technology (and MoldMaking Technology) home pages.

For now, bookmark this page so you will have the opportunity to learn the TiPS that might help your company become more competitive.