MONTHLY MEETING

Part 1 - A Global Plastics Outlook and SPE:  Where is the Industry Going and How Will SPE Remain a Vibrant Part of It?

 Abstract:  The current economic cloud over not only the U.S. economy but globally, has forced many organizations to re-examine who they are, what they offer and adjust how they plan to conduct business in the future.  SPE has likewise been undergoing an evolution to meet these emerging economic realities and to stay both relevant and meaningful for members and our market audience.  Mr. Czuba will share how SPE is changing to meet the challenges.
 

Part 2 - The Medical Device Market:  Current Needs and Driving Technologies

Abstract:  One of the stronger sectors of the struggling economy continues to be the medical device and healthcare industry.  Advances in technologies from new materials to new processing opportunities have allowed those committed to this industry to thrive and grow.  Mr. Czuba will present some of the trends driving our industry and talk about the technologies making many of the new products possible.
 

Speaker Bio:

Len is the President of Czuba Enterprises, Inc. a product development firm headquartered in Chicago, IL, USA. He works with partner firms to take products, especially medical devices, from concept to market.  He has a degree in BioSciences from Southern Illinois University.  He has more than 30 years of experience in polymer synthesis, compounding and material development in the medical device industry.  Prior to CEI, he was with Baxter Healthcare Corporation in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, where he did device engineering, blood and IV container work and new product development.  He was responsible for several new material replacements for PVC and holds 15 US patents for his work.  He has worked on a wide variety of devices, both implantable and external accessories, used in the health care industry.  In 2004, Len Czuba was honored as one of the 100 MD&DI Notable Persons in the medical device industry.  He also is a frequent conference speaker, moderator and organizer and has given presentations and seminars around the globe. Mr. Czuba has been a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers since 1975 and is active in Chicago, has been on the board of directors of the Medical Plastics Division since 1985 and has thrice served as the Division Chairman.  Mr. Czuba was the Society’s President for SPE’s 2005 – 2006 year and is now a Distinguished Honored Service Member of the SPE.
 
 

Dear SPE GGS members:

First of all, many thanks to John LaFountain and Aimee Ose from Bay Polymer Corporation for hosting an educational tour on plastics recycling a few weeks ago.  This month we have an exciting dinner seminar to be held at the Newark Hilton on Thursday, February 17th.  Check the calendar for details.  Len Czuba (Distinguished Honored Service Member of the SPE and past SPE President) will be giving a two-part seminar on issues affecting the plastics industry: Part 1 – A Global Plastics Outlook and SPE: Where is the Industry Going and How Will SPE Remain a Vibrant Part of It? and Part 2 – The Medical Device Market: Current Needs and Driving Technologies.  Mr. Czuba will share how SPE is changing to meet the challenges and talk about the technologies making new products possible.  This is a great opportunity to network with local professionals with similar technical interests.  For those who need incentive, there will be door prizes!

Please continue to support our local chapter by attending our events and getting involved.  I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks!

Thank you

Jennifer Hoffman
SPE GGS President
jhoffman@exponent.com
 

The GGS would like to thank John LaFountain for bringing us a tour of his facility: Bay Polymer Corp. Thanks John!

Look for more diverse topics and speakers. Check the CALENDAR section of our web site for our future meetings and social events. We are planning a December social event. In March will we have our annual Education Night dinner. Plan early to attend this event! We hope to see you at one of our monthly meetings.

Tech Tip February 2011

Value added

It seems that as the market is tight for plastic processors, or so they say that some are trying to think of ways to add value. Though this concept and thought process has been around forever it seems it is still not practiced to the degree that it could be.
Valve added is a process in and of itself. The concept of valve added is to add more value to the part or product after it has been formed.   Thus the OEM while wanting a product or part may in fact save monies by having the processor preform, assembly, decoration, or packaging functions to the pieces or unit. The whole of the process takes place prior to even manufacturing a part and the processor of plastic must evaluate what it is that they do, or can do in addition to just producing plastic product.  Is it just the production of plastic parts, or is it to be a service for the many OEM‘s that they might supply. Is it the production of products, or to sell the time, and knowledge of the organization?  These are questions that only those at the top can answer. At the same time what is it that you are good at?  Do you do decoration, or sonic welding, or shipping along with the production of parts.  If in fact there is no experience in adding valve to the product within the organization than it is not there, and this may make the organization less profitable.

Thus the list of questions that may be asked at the beginning of the quotation process besides the usual ones are as follows:
1- What does the part do?
2- Is it used in an assembly?
3- How is it assembled or who is to do the assembly?
4- What is the product life in a manner of production? This year’s model or some such comment or question.
5- Is it seasonal?
6- How many bits and pieces go together?

The follow-up questions if in fact there is assembly or secondary operations,
1- What are your storage fees to store all the pieces for assembly?
2- What does it cost you to cut a PO#
3- Would it make your life easier if you only had to cut a PO for the complete unit instead of the entire bits and pieces?
Though not a complete list it gives the basis for what has to happen in looking to add valve to a product and for your customer.  At the same time it allows the organization to become more entrenched with the OEM, they become dependent on your services.

Thanks for the time to be continued.

TA-

Steven L Silvey
Silveys Plastic Consulting
360-882-3183
silveysplastics@hotmail.com

The second virtual meeting of the SPE Council will be held on Friday, February 11, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern time.  The meeting will be predominately a check point on the progress of committees and will provide a full review of the 2010 fiscal year end.  A full agenda will follow the first week of February.

Respectively Submitted,

Michael LoDico
SPE GGS Councilor
mld@plasco-corp.com

Education Corner

CHICO

This year Chico State SPE has been consulting with and advising our SME chapter on construction of a blister-packaging thermoforming mold.  SME has already created prototype parts in conventional resin and will be forming parts from biopolymers soon.  Recently, SPE members have undergone training in 5S practices to increase the efficiency of our production while decreasing our risk of accidents and injury.  Implementing these practices will not only improve the performance of our labs, but also give students experience in lean manufacturing techniques and aid our goal of becoming ever more sustainable.Lean manufacturing allows us to decrease our impact on the environment while improving production efficiency.  We believe that by applying these techniques here at school we will be better prepared to handle the challenges of today's industry.

Chris Nomura
cnomura@mail.csuchico.edu
SPE President, Chico Student Chapter

SJSU

The Student Chapter of the Society of Plastic Engineers at San Jose State University will host for the second consecutive semester a presentation from the Opportunity Fund Program. The presentation will take place on Tuesday February 15 at 6:00pm. Opportunity Fund gives grants for up to $4000 to low students to be used for a computer tuition and books in addition to offering a personal financial management class.

In the upcoming weeks a visit to a plastics industry will be finalized. The members are also working on coming up with a shirt to be used in all events where our chapter participates. Finally, the group is working on hosting a couple of talks from professionals in the area.

Luis E. Ruelas
luisruelas@gmail.com
President Society of Plastic Engineers SJSU
 

SFSU

Students at SPE SFSU start the Spring Semester in earnest as some prepare to graduate, but all prepare for the end of year Student Show.
With continued education cutbacks, and fewer classes students seek alternative creative ways to network and seek exposure for their work.
Meanwhile the SPE Officers prepare for elections and seek qualified members to run for ther various open positions.

Michael Kim
mswkim@gmail.com
SPE@SFSU President
 

Dr. Young Kim, Samsung Electronics, will deliver the first of three plenary sessions to ANTEC attendees on Monday, May 2. The topic of Dr. Kim’s presentation is “Polymers and Plastics for the Electronics Industry.” Tom Stanley, Vice President of Technology, SABIC Innovative Plastics, will serve as the Tuesday plenary speaker on May 3. Howard Rappaport, Global Business Director, Chemical Market Associates, will deliver the final plenary address on Wednesday, May 4, titled, “Industry Dynamics Impacting the Resin Supply Chain.”

For more session abstracts and presenter bios, visit the ANTEC website.

The search for new, lightweight, and low-cost structural materials that have nevertheless good mechanical properties is an active area of materials research. A promising option is the use of low-density waste-particulate materials, such as fly ash (FA) and cenosphere (CS), as reinforcing agents in a polymer matrix.1,2 These are byproducts of coal combustion in thermal power plants. Parallel efforts are under way to find new ways of characterizing the rather complex microstructures of such materials and aid optimization of their final properties. This is crucial for material design for specific applications such as packaging and construction. Our recent studies3–5 show that the fractional free volume and average free-volume size of cavities in the amorphous domains of polymeric composites can serve as useful internal material parameters for characterizing the composites' mechanical properties.

To read this complete aricle, please CLICK HERE.

The ANTEC Student Activities Committee is soliciting abstracts for interactive poster presentations for a Student Poster Design Competition. Cash prizes will be awarded to exceptional posters in several different categories. To learn more, visit the SPE website.  The abstract submission deadline is March 4.

SPE and ANTEC Groups Continue To Grow on LinkedIn® and Facebook®

If you're a member of LinkedIn or Facebook, join the Society of Plastics Engineers and ANTEC™ Groups and display their logos in your profile.

SPE is pleased to welcome five individuals to the 2011 class of Honored Service Members and five individuals to the 2011 class of Fellows of the Society.
Please join us in congratulating:

Honored Service Members

Earl W. Balthazar III – nominated by the Color & Appearance Division
Ken J. Braney – nominated by the European Thermoforming Division
Dr. Gregory A. Campbell – nominated by the Extrusion Division
Joseph J. Duska – nominated by the Palisades-New Jersey Section
Irvin E. Poston – nominated by the Detroit Section

Fellows of the Society:

Dr. Richard C. Bopp – NatureWorks LLC
Dr. Furong Gao - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Dr. David O. Kazmer – University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Dr. Andrew J. Peacock – Tredegar Film Products
Dr. Kalyan Sehanobish – The Dow Chemical Company

These ten individuals will be recognized at ANTEC in Boston, MA, on Sunday, May 1, 2011, at the SPE Celebrates Banquet.
 

Event is Wednesday,  Feb. 23
Michael's at Shoreline Park, Mountain View
      Discounted Advance registration ends 5pm Tuesday, Feb.15
      Regular registration ends 5pm Tuesday, Feb. 22
      Late registration may be available, but web page will be disabled; contact us to inquire.

"Ion-Conducting Polymers for Electrochemical Applications"
       Prof. Michael Hickner
       Department of Materials Science and Engineering
       The Pennsylvania State University
       http://www.matse.psu.edu/faculty/hickner#

Abstract:

Polymers functionalized with high concentrations of fixed ionic charges are critical components of solid-state electrochemical systems such as fuel cells and electrolyzers.  Two important considerations in the design of these materials are:  (1) the morphology of their ionic domains, and (2) the motion of the absorbed water in the polymer structure.  By manipulating the self-assembly of ion-rich domains in these polymers and by tuning the water-polymer interactions, the properties of these types of materials can be optimized for specific uses.  New generations of solid polymer electrolytes are being developed that push the limits of ion conductivity in water-absorbing polymers.  Although quantitative design parameters that connect the morphology and water binding to membrane transport properties are still not completely known, fundamental tools and insights gained from both model systems and practical membranes have allowed us to create a framework for understanding these systems and designing next-generation membranes for energy conversion and storage devices.
This talk will discuss the salient features of ion-containing polymers and provide insights into the mechanisms that control their transport properties such as ion conductivity and water permeability.  Examples of new polymers targeted towards use in platinum-free fuel cells and redox flow batteries will be highlighted.

Speaker Background:
Mike Hickner received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Tech and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech.  In graduate school he worked under the direction of James McGrath and also spent time in the fuel cell group at Los Alamos National Laboratory developing novel aromatic proton exchange membranes for both hydrogen and direct methanol fuel cells.  Before joining the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State as an Assistant Professor in July 2007, he was a postdoc and subsequently became a staff member at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM where he worked on experimental investigations and modeling of liquid water transport in fuel cells and porous media, properties of ion-containing membranes, electrochemical reactors, and nanoporous membranes for water treatment applications.  His eleven-member research group at Penn State is focused on the synthesis and properties of ion-containing polymers, measurement of water-polymer interactions using spectroscopic techniques, and the study of self- and directed assembly of polymeric nanostructures for fast transport.  He has ongoing projects in new polymer synthesis, fuel cells, batteries, water treatment membranes, and photovoltaic materials.  He has five US and international patents and over 55 peer-reviewed publications.
 

To register on the web page, go to www.GGPF.org

Or, if necessary, contact: Len Radzilowski lradzilo@te.com 650-361-3264

Increase your knowledge of the plastics industry and improve your job performance, all from the convenience of your home or office. Internet access/phone line required.
The following WEBINARS are scheduled in:

FEBRUARY

Polyolefin Series Part 4 - Propylene-based Elastomers  February 8, 2011 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
Five Causes of Failure: How To Figure It Out - Part 2  February 10, 2011 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
Polyolefin Series Part 5 - EPDM — Past, Present, and Future  February 15, 2011 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
Five Causes of Failure: How To Figure It Out - Part 3  February 17, 2011 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
Five Causes of Failure: How To Figure It Out - Part 4  February 24, 2011 - 11:00am - 12:00pm

For more information and to register, please CLICK HERE

 “A quantum dot is a semiconductor whose excitons are confined in all three spatial dimensions. Consequently, such materials have electronic properties intermediate between those of bulk semiconductors and those of discrete molecules. They were discovered at the beginning of the 1980s by Alexei Ekimov in a glass matrix and by Louis E. Brus in colloidal solutions. The term ‘quantum dot’ was coined by Mark Reed.

“There are colloidal methods to produce many different semiconductors. Typical dots are made of binary alloys such as cadmium selenide, cadmium sulfide, indium arsenide, and indium phosphide. [However], dots may also be made from ternary alloys such as cadmium selenide sulfide. These quantum dots can contain as few as 100 to 100,000 atoms within the quantum dot volume, with a diameter of 10 to 50 atoms. This corresponds to about 2 to 10 nanometers, and at 10 nm in diameter, nearly 3 million quantum dots could be lined up end to end and fit within the width of a human thumb.”

The Society of Plastics Engineers Mobile App is the premier mobile resource for plastics professionals. Use it to quickly find products and services, keep up with industry news and events, and stay in touch with the association – all conveniently from your iPhone.

TO VIEW THE iPHONE MOBILE APP FOR SPE --CLICK HERE

“A flame retardant is a material that exhibits either a delay in the start, or a decrease in the rate of propagation, of a fire.  Organic polymers can be made flame retardant by incorporating a large quantity (ca. 50 wt %) of an inorganic (e.g., Mg(OH)2. or organic (e.g., brominated polystyrene) filler. Flame retardant properties may be obtained at much lower filler content with nanocomposites. Potential uses for flame retardant nanocomposite materials include molded furniture, automotive parts (such as body panels, under hood components) and appliance components (such as electrical/electronic parts, power tool housings).”

Recent Journal Articles
To get to the abstract or article, copy the citation and paste it into favorite search engine (ex. Google).

Nonisothermal Crystallization Behaviors of Flame-Retardant Copolyester/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites
(927 – 940) Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part B - Physics 48 #5 (2009)

Thermal Degradation and Combustion Behaviors of Flame-Retardant Polypropylene/Thermoplastic Polyurethane Blends
(889 – 909) Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part B - Physics 48 #5 (2009)

Development of an aromatic triamine-based flame-retardant benzoxazine and its high-performance copolybenzoxazines
(680-689) European Polymer Journal 45 #3 (2009)

Physical and mechanical properties of flame retardant urea formaldehyde medium density fiberboard
(635-640) Journal of Materials Processing Technology 209 #2 (2009)

Glut of data on “new” flame retardant documents its presence all over the world
(236–237) Environmental Science & Technology 43 #2 (2009)

Temporal Trends and Spatial Distribution of Non-polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Flame Retardants in the Eggs of Colonial Populations of Great Lakes Herring Gulls
(312–317) Environmental Science & Technology 43 #2 (2009)

 Flame-retardant properties of magnesium hydroxystannate and strontium hydroxystannate coated calcium carbonate on soft poly(vinyl chloride)
(p 36-43) Journal of Applied Polymer Science 112 #1 (2009)

A study on the flame-retardance of poly(vinyl chloride) incorporated with metal hydroxystannates
(p 82-88) Journal of Applied Polymer Science 112 #1 (2009)

Flame-retardant epoxy resin from a caged bicyclic phosphate quadridentate silicon complex
(p 168-174) Journal of Applied Polymer Science 111 #1 (2009) Abstract

Fire performance of wood (Pinus radiata) treated with fire retardants and a wood preservative
(p 357-370) Fire and Materials 32 #6 (2008)

Improvement of thermal and fire properties of polypropylene
(p 2971-2979) Journal of Applied Polymer Science 110 #5 (2008)

Quantitative Structure?Property Relationship for Prediction of the Lower Flammability Limit of Pure Compounds
(3037 - 3039) Energy & Fuels 22 #5 (2008)

Microencapsulation of hydrophilic solid powder as fire retardant agent with epoxy resin by droplet coalescence method
(p 1671-1676) Journal of Applied Polymer Science 110 #3 (2008)

Flammability and Thermal Oxidative Degradation Kinetics of Magnesium Hydroxide and Expandable Graphite Flame Retarded Polypropylene Composites
(712 – 720) Journal of Macromolecular Science Part A - Pure and Applied Chemistry 45 #9 (2008)
 

FEBRUARY 2011

Feb. 7-11, Menlo Park area
Introduction to Materials Testing – 1 day
Bluehill®/ Bluehill 2 Operators Course – 2 days
Bluehill 3 Operators Course – 2 days
http://www.instron.rsvp1.com/wa/training/tc_loc.aspx?lid=249&schedule=show&mgh=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.instron.us&mgf=1
 

Feb. 9, Santa Clara
IEEE/CPMT dinner lecture
"Impact of Packaging on Photovoltaic Panel Performance and Reliability"
Alelie Funcell, Founder, CEO, and President, Renewable Energy Test Center
http://www.cpmt.org/scv/meetings/cpmt1102.html
 

Feb. 27-March 3, San Jose
IEEE Advanced Lithography annual meeting
http://spie.org//x10942.xml?WT.svl=mddce10
 

Feb. 20-23, Pacific Grove (Asilomar)
ACS POLY Division Workshop
"Materials for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Systems"
http://polyacs.net/Workshops/11FuelCells/home.htm
 

Feb. 27-March 3, Pacific Grove (Asilomar)
ACS POLY Division Workshop
"Materials and Processes for Polymeric Membrane Mediated Water Purification"
http://polyacs.net/Workshops/11WaterPurification/home.htm
 

MARCH

March 2, 8am PST
Agilent AFM webinar, "Innovative Measurements of Polymers"
https://agilenteseminar.webex.com/mw0306lb/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=agilenteseminar
 

March 8-9, Santa Clara
UV/EB West 2011 Conference
http://uvebwest.com/index.html
 

March 20-24, San Jose
Annual SEMI-THERM Event
http://www.semi-therm.org/
 

March 31, Emeryville
CASSS Discussion Group - Achieving Good Column Performance
http://casss.org/displayconvention.cfm?conventionnbr=9732
 

Presented by Bill Tobin, WJT Associates

Improve your injection molding cycles and increase your bottom line profits.
Scientific Molding Seminars will give you and your team a better understanding of the injection molding process from beginning to end.
These seminars are great for:

Setup technicians
Troubleshooting technicians
First and second-level supervisors
Maintenance technicians
Process engineers
Quality control professionals

15 February, 2011 La Quinta Inn & Suites, Portland Airport, OR
17 February, 2011 La Quinta Inn & Suites, San Francisco Airport West, CA
22 February, 2011 Econo Lodge, Whippany, NJ
24 February, 2011 Comfort Inn, Philadelphia Airport, PA
1 March, 2011 Days Inn, Milwaukee Airport, WI
3 March, 2011 Days Inn, Elk Grove Village, IL

Tuition is $250.00.   CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
 

May 1-5, 2011

Hynes Convention Center and Boston Marriott Copley Center Hotel
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

ANTEC Top 5 -- Top 5 Reasons to Attend ANTEC

1. Broaden Your Understanding of the Plastics Industry - Attend sessions exploring the full spectrum of the plastics industry. ANTEC is the place to gain exposure to developments and people from throughout the entire industry.

2. Network - Meet with fascinating, informed and creative collegues from around the world to share insights from a broad range of disciplines and industries within plastics.

3. Visit with Exhibitors - Walk the tradeshow floor and talk with representatives from leading companies who offer solutions for your business.

4. Understand the Impact of New Technology - Confer with the plastics industry's leading experts to learn what new technologies and techniques are being developed today.

5. Build New Skills - ANTEC offers seminars, workshops and other forums for people of all levels within the plastics industry. Take advantave of one or more of our special sessions to enhance your skills and increase your knowledge.

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), also known as high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) or high performance polyethylene (HPPE), is a thermoplastic. It has extremely long chains, with molecular weight numbering in the millions, usually between 3.1 and 5.67 million. The high molecular weight results a very good packing of the chains into the crystal structure. This results in a very tough material, with the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic presently made. It is highly resistant to corrosive chemicals, with exception of oxidizing acids. It has extremely low moisture absorption, very low coefficient of friction, is self lubricating and is highly resistant to abrasion (10 times more resistant to abrasion than Carbon Steel). Its coefficient of friction is significantly lower than nylon and acetal, and is comparable to teflon, but UHMWPE has better abrasion resistance than teflon. It is odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic.

UHMWPE finds use in high modulus fibers (for example, Spectra or Dyneema) for bulletproof vests. Due to its low friction and wear resistance it is used in industrial impact, wear, and sliding applications in both normal and corrosive environment. It is also used in orthopaedic implants (artificial hips, knees).

UHMWPE is a type of olefin and, despite relatively weak Van der Waals bonds between its molecules, derives ample strength from the length of each individual molecule. It is made up of extremely long chains of polyethylene, which all align in the same direction. Each chain is bonded to the others with so many Van der Waals bonds that the whole can support great tensile loads.

When formed to fibers, the polymer chains can attain a parallel orientation greater than 95% and a level of crystallinity of up to 85%. In contrast, Kevlar derives its strength from strong bonding between relatively short molecules.

The weak bonding between olefin molecules allows local thermal excitations to disrupt the crystalline order of a given chain piece-by-piece, giving it much poorer heat resistance than other high-strength fibers. Its melting point is around 144 or 152 degrees Celsius, and according to DSM, it is not advisable to use UHMWPE fibers at temperatures exceeding 80 to 100°C for long periods of time. It becomes brittle at temperatures below -150°C.

The simple structure of the molecule also gives rise to surface and chemical properties that are rare in high-performance polymers. For example, the polar groups in most polymers easily bond to water. Because olefins have no such groups, UHMWPE does not absorb water readily, but it also does not get wet easily, which makes bonding it to other polymers difficult. For the same reasons, skin does not interact with it strongly, making the UHMWPE fiber surface feel slippery. Similarly, aromatic polymers are often susceptible to aromatic solvents due to aromatic stacking interactions, an effect aliphatic polymers like Dyneema are also immune to. Since Dyneema does not contain chemical groups (such as esters, amides or hydroxylic groups) that are susceptible to attack from aggressive agents, it is very resistant to water, moisture, most chemicals, UV radiation, and micro-organisms.

Under tensile load, UHMWPE will deform continually as long as the stress is present - an effect called creep.

UHMWPE is synthesized from monomers of ethylene, which are bonded together to form what is called ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (or UHMWPE). These are molecules of polyethylene which are several orders of magnitude longer than familiar, high density polyethylene due to a synthesis process based on metallocene catalysts. HDPE molecules generally have between 700 and 1,800 monomer units per molecule, while UHMWPE molecules tend to have 100,000 to 250,000 monomers each. The material is also known as high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) or high performance polyethylene (HPPE). The polymers are aligned randomly when they are produced. To make fibers like Dyneema, they are dissolved and drawn into fibers as the solvent evaporates, causing the polymer chains to orient in the direction of the fiber.

The production of UHMWPE demands relatively little energy and uses no aggressive chemicals. The product can easily be recycled, so environmental pollution from product and process is minimal.

The on-line version of the SPE GGS Spearhead is published 10 times a year. All rights are reserved. Errors and omissions are regrettable and will be corrected if possible. We reserve the right to edit any submissions. No form of this newsletter may be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the SPE GGS. To submit articles, information, corrections, or additions to the on-line Spearhead, contact spearhead@spe-ggs.org.