COVER STORY Medical Plastics: Well and Good Healthcare applications depend on a growing range of unique materials By Pat Toensmeier From SPE The SPE University “Roadshow” Already Thousands of Links in “The Chain” What’s happening with SPE’s new online platform for plastics networking? Chemical-Resistant TPE Materials with Adhesion to Engineering Thermoplastics By Florian Vetter and Sehyun Kim Adhesion is just one of many demands on soft thermoplastic elastomers Formulation Strategy to Achieve Highly Colorable and Weatherable ASA By Steven D. Blazey Acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate materials maintain color with optimized formulations The Wet Molding Method By Annette Wettach An alternative approach for mass-producing carbon fiber-reinforced plastics “Shale Gas-Advantaged” Plastics By American Chemistry Council They’re expected to boost U.S. jobs & exports CONSULTANT’S CORNER Maintaining High Standards for Medical Packaging By Elayne Schneebacher Keeping standards up requires thorough quality testing methods PLANT VISIT Keeping It Clean By Michael Tolinski Cleanroom thermoforming presents challenges—and rewards INSIDE SPI A Presidential Visit to Techmer PM …and other news about the state of the plastics industry, from SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association DEPARTMENTS Energy-Saving Tip By Dr. Robin Kent Industry Patents By Dr. Roger Corneliussen Industry News Upcoming Industry Events Market Place Advertiser Index About the cover: Medical plastic products have to be flexible—in multiple ways—for a changing healthcare market; see our cover story. (Main photo courtesy of BASF.) www.4spe.org