Articles

• The price of flight to Chicago
  If you’re even thinking about attending NPE 2006, a good start is to get to Chicago. We’re keeping tabs on airfares for you. This list shows the cost (U.S. dollars) of a round-trip ticket from several major cities to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, as of Wednesday, April 12 (don’t forget that you can fly into Midway Airport as well). Our source is travelocity.com. Dates include a Saturday night stay in the Windy City. Check back here each month and we’ll keep updating the numbers for you.


• Experience the summer sounds of Chicago
  The Windy City has been famous for its wide variety of dining, shopping, theatre, and art options, but what puts the soul into this vibrant Midwestern city might just be the music. Anything from experimental rock to classical can be found throughout the city's venues, and there are plenty of wonderful acts that can be seen during NPE without paying a dime. With as many musical offerings the city has, there are as many eager fans wanting to attend, so make sure you purchase tickets in advance or show up early to the free performances. Here are just a few samplings of what the city has to offer.


• Make it your NPE
  At first glance, the triennial NPE event may seem like a five-day show, held exclusively at McCormick Place in Chicago from June 19-23. But Bill Carteaux, president of NPE 2006 organizer, the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI; Washington DC), is encouraging exhibitors and attendees to change their perspective.


• Seminar offers tech tips to keep molders competitive
  Among the seminars and tech sessions at NPE 2006 is “Combating Global Competition with Better Technology,” and it's hard to be timelier than that. Sponsored by Robert A. Beard & Assoc. (Kenosha, WI), the session will look at the latest technology for tooling designed for shorter cycles and mold cooling. There are a number of ways to be competitive, and molders and moldmakers need to work together to find out how to get to the lowest-cost manufacturing. Beard says a lot of things will get you there.


• Bayer MaterialScience touts PC glazing, nanotubes
  At its traditional pre-NPE conference, Bayer MaterialScience gave journalists an extensive preview of the company's newest initiatives, promising that an overarching premise of innovation will be apparent in Chicago this June. Did we mention the Rinspeed zaZen concept car that will be on display? It features a teardrop-shaped PC roof and Swarovski crystal coating. In addition, the company's VisionWorks-themed booth will showcase: