September will be the first month of the 2001- 2002 year for the Section. We will start with a plant tour of Groen Brothers Aviation where we will see how the use of plastics and composites fulfill the structural and weight requirements of the Gyroplane. I hope to see all of you there.
On the September 22 is scheduled for the  5th annual SPE golf outing. at the Davis Park Golf Course. It should be a lot of fun I hope you can plan this into your busy schedules. If you would like to participate or help sponsor  contact Rodney Haun at Reaction Polymers, me or one of the other board members. The details are in this months newsletter
Thanks,
Brent Strong
President
Great Salt Lake Section

The Council (the governing body of SPE) met in Dallas, Texas, on May 6, coincident with the Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC) of the Society.  Incoming president Terry Browitt of Terinex, Inc. of Toronto, Canada, stated that his administration, contrary to the previous term, would have a single theme, and that theme would be Value.  He discussed the value in networking, the value in the technical meetings, and the value of the exchange of knowledge through SPE.  The greatest value, he feels, is the value of face-to-face meetings with our colleagues through monthly Section meetings and our technical conferences.
From the floor:  The Council met as a Committee-of-the-Whole on Saturday the 5^th, and then met in formal session on Sunday the 6^th.  We approved the charter of the Australia/New Zealand Section, with two of the members of that Section there to receive the plaque.  At the same time, we approved the change in name for the UK Section to the United Kingdom and Ireland Section., more accurately reflecting the area covered by the Section.
Executive Director Mike Cappelletti introduced the new Deputy Executive Director Susan Oderwald.  Susan has a strong background in association management and will be focusing on the day-to-day operations of the Society while Mike focuses on the strategic issues.  Mike also previewed at the Annual Business Meeting the second of a four-part series narrated by Morley Safer.  These are intended to appear on public television and focus on the positive aspects of plastics.
There were a number of presentations by Sections and Divisions to the SPE and its activities:
· $100 each to the SPE Student Essay Contest, by Western Michigan, Akron, Southern California, and Wichita Sections, and Rich Bradley of the Palisades Section.
· South Texas Section presented $17,000 to the Polymer Additives and Modifi

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Whatever the actual drive method (hydraulic, electric or some combination of the two), the screw and barrel of an injection molding machine or extruder is the actual "engine" that allows the device to actually produce parts.  For that reason, they need careful, appropriate attention.  Of course, the inside of the barrel and the screw itself are invisible during use, and for this reason, they and their components quite often don't get the attention they deserve.  Here are some places to apply that attention:
When you do preventive maintenance checks (you do do regularly scheduled preventive maintenance, don't you?), check the screw and barrel carefully:

• Check the clearance between the screw and the barrel, especially in the high-wear areas around the non-return valve.  (Doubling the standard clearance will result in a reduction in processing (melt) rate of 25%.  Excess clearance also causes inconsistent shot size, shot weight and packing.)  Your machine or screw/barrel manufacturer can tell you what the preferred clearances are for your type and size of equipment.
  
• Check the screw, barrel and drive alignment.  Misalignment is a major cause of wear.
  
• Check the straightness of the screw. 

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