Articles

• Come for the freebies, stay for the technology
  Nine years ago, twin-screw extruder manufacturer Entek (Lebanon, OR) made its debut at NPE with a 10-by-10-ft booth. At the time, the newcomers generated interest from attendees on the basis of their machines' ability to process high-wear materials effectively. At NPE 2006, although the company has a new 40-mm extruder, proprietary barrel-cladding, and revamped control technology to show off, the much larger South Hall booth (#1304) is likely to attract visitors for reasons beyond the high-tech equipment: namely a large replica of Mt. Hood, an unmistakable Oregon landmark, which makes up the stand's backdrop, as well as what Entek officials are calling “a taste of Oregon.”


• NPE once again means machines for Milacron
  Milacron's (Cincinnati, OH) decision to leave machines back in Batavia, OH when it came to Chicago for NPE 2003 was called a lot of things at the time, but now, as the company prepares to bring 15 machines in total to NPE 2006, it describes the experience in one way: educational.


• Soccer wouldn’t be soccer without the help of plastics
  When NPE visitors to the Canon Communications Plastics Group's booth (#2626) in the South Hall assemble in front the 42-inch plasma screen to take a break from the exhibition to watch the World Cup soccer matches from Germany in June, whether they realize it or not, they will be confronted with plastics throughout every game.


• Half a million pounds of scrap plastics expected to be reclaimed at NPE
  Emphasizing the vastness of NPE 2006, equipment running at Chicago's McCormick Place will generate thousands of pounds of reusable scrap each day of the show. The companies that will run the official recycling program at NPE 2006 say they hope to collect and reprocess half a million pounds (227 metric tons) of such material, keeping all but a small fraction of the scrap from the show out of Chicago landfills.


• 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 Thursday, May 25 (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 week and we’ll keep updating the numbers for you.