Website: Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)

Overview: SPE (Society of Plastics Engineers) is a professional organization established in 1942 originally as the Society of Plastics Sales Engineers. In keeping with the sales-engineer model, the objective was to ensure a professional exploration of potential uses of plastics, engineer for the properties desired and then promote these for the intended and similar applications.

By the time SPE had formed, plastics had been in use for nearly a century. However, they were only well understood on the molecular level for a generation. Plastics have made revolutionary inroads as a replacement of hard elastomers because of the lower cost and more reliable molding properties. They have also nearly totally replaced rubber in tubing and medical devices.

SPE has technical divisions and special interests groups which operate on the national level and chapters which operate on the local level. The divisions set their own agenda and often publish technical information and a newsletter. The local chapters, most frequently, have programs of presentations and plant tours.

One interesting cycle of the industry is that it began with primarily biologically generated materials before shifting to petrochemicals. Recently SPE created a special interest group on Biopolymers keyed in not only on plastics with biological genesis, but also the full life cycle ideally encompassing biological re-composition for ecologically friendly recycling of the monomer.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)
14 Fairfield Drive
P O Box 403
Brookfield, CT 06804-0403 USA

Phone: (203) 775-0471
Fax: (203) 775-8490

E-Mail: info@4spe.org

OHIO SPE CONTACT INFORMATION

Akron - SPE
P.O.Box 1417
Akron, OH 44309

Phone: (330) 342-1120

Central Ohio - SPE - Steering Committee

Phone: (614) 882-1295

Toledo - SPE

Phone: (419) 410-1749