The recent ANTEC conference in Philadelphia was the highlight of the Injection Molding Division’s (IMD’s) work during this board term. ANTEC was a confluence of new research and advanced thinking, highlighting the latest state-of-the-art in plastics technologies. For those of you who missed the event, the SPE headquarters proudly disclosed that ANTEC attendance continues to show strength, and is slowly on its way back towards pre-pandemic numbers.
For the IMD board, the months of constant meetings and planning for our presence at ANTEC had finally reached its intended outcome. Our TPC, Davide Masato, and his review team selected 17 papers on various topics of injection molding and related technologies for presentation at the conference, and coordinated the evaluation and selection of IMD’s Best Paper Award. This was awarded to Pia Wagner of IKV for her paper on Segregation of immiscible polymers and consequences for PCR processing. I want to thank Davide, along with Tom Giovannetti, Chad Ulven, Joe Lawrence, and Jeremy Dworshak for their commitment and great effort to lead this very successful initiative!
This year’s ANTEC also saw the return of our IMD ANTEC networking reception, and on behalf of the IMD board, I want to thank Autodesk for sponsoring and giving us the ability to host such an event. In the past, the ANTEC reception was considered to be an important investment for IMD, as an outreach to our division membership and to the greater SPE community. I want to thank Angela Cengarle, our Communication Chair, for strengthening our online presence and widely promoting ANTEC and the reception. It was extremely well attended with almost 200 registrants, especially considering it was held on the last evening of the conference.
Unfortunately, our newest initiative, the “Injection Molding IMPACT Performance Awards” parts competition had to be postponed, and is now planned for the Fall of 2025. We had hoped to launch a first of its kind exhibit at the ANTEC, showcasing the winning designs and highlighting the latest in injection molding innovation. The decision to postpone the awards competition was a difficult one, but necessary due to the low number of entries. We received feedback that the available time given, was too short to react to the call for participation. I hope we can do better in the Fall, and I want to thank the SPE headquarters for their incredible partnership and support in embracing this new innovation parts competition. We look forward to continue our work with SPE HQ as we move into the Fall.
Aligned with the ANTEC, we also held our third IMD board meeting this term, on the last day of the conference. Here is a quick summary of the most important meeting topics:
1. IMD Election. The injection molding board election process is currently underway. All IMD members should have received an email with instructions to cast your votes by April 04, 2025.
2. Board Leadership. We are actively recruiting for the roles of IMD Treasurer (to begin in 2026) and IMD Sponsor Chair (to begin immediately). We invite you to come forward and declare your interest if you would like to participate in leading the future of our IMD, and chairing these important functions.
3. Membership. Member Development will aim to develop targeted events which are most important to our members and Division, with a special focus on increasing corporate members.
4. Role of the Technical Director. We are seeking input to strengthen the role of our Technical Director. The proposal would be to adjust our bylaws to bring the work of our education committee under the leadership of the Technical Director. This collaborative team would then be responsible for professional development including key learning events such as the “Week of Injection Molding,” as well as promoting research and publications for technical papers submitted through the IMD.
5. Key Performance Indicators. To meet the long-term objectives of our mission, KPIs have been launched to measure our progress towards the improvement of our vital competencies over the coming years. This includes setting targets for board member attendance, financials including sponsorships, member/division growth, wider communications reach, developing (internal/external) partnerships, and ANTEC programs.
6. Committees. All board members will be encouraged to serve on at least one active committee and contribute to our mission and KPIs.
7. Next Board Meeting and Event: The final board meeting of this term is scheduled for June 10, 2025, at Penn State Behrend in Erie PA, followed by the Penn State Behrend Innovation & Emerging Plastics Tech Conference on June 11-12, 2025. All IMD and SPE members are invited to register and attend the conference.
David Kusuma, Ph.D.
Chair, SPE Injection Molding Divisio
The recent ANTEC conference in Philadelphia was the highlight of the Injection Molding Division’s (IMD’s) work during this board term. ANTEC was a confluence of new research and advanced thinking, highlighting the latest state-of-the-art in plastics technologies. For those of you who missed the event, the SPE headquarters proudly disclosed that ANTEC attendance continues to show strength, and is slowly on its way back towards pre-pandemic numbers.
For the IMD board, the months of constant meetings and planning for our presence at ANTEC had finally reached its intended outcome. Our TPC, Davide Masato, and his review team selected 17 papers on various topics of injection molding and related technologies for presentation at the conference, and coordinated the evaluation and selection of IMD’s Best Paper Award. This was awarded to Pia Wagner of IKV for her paper on Segregation of immiscible polymers and consequences for PCR processing. I want to thank Davide, along with Tom Giovannetti, Chad Ulven, Joe Lawrence, and Jeremy Dworshak for their commitment and great effort to lead this very successful initiative!
This year’s ANTEC also saw the return of our IMD ANTEC networking reception, and on behalf of the IMD board, I want to thank Autodesk for sponsoring and giving us the ability to host such an event. In the past, the ANTEC reception was considered to be an important investment for IMD, as an outreach to our division membership and to the greater SPE community. I want to thank Angela Cengarle, our Communication Chair, for strengthening our online presence and widely promoting ANTEC and the reception. It was extremely well attended with almost 200 registrants, especially considering it was held on the last evening of the conference.
Unfortunately, our newest initiative, the “Injection Molding IMPACT Performance Awards” parts competition had to be postponed, and is now planned for the Fall of 2025. We had hoped to launch a first of its kind exhibit at the ANTEC, showcasing the winning designs and highlighting the latest in injection molding innovation. The decision to postpone the awards competition was a difficult one, but necessary due to the low number of entries. We received feedback that the available time given, was too short to react to the call for participation. I hope we can do better in the Fall, and I want to thank the SPE headquarters for their incredible partnership and support in embracing this new innovation parts competition. We look forward to continue our work with SPE HQ as we move into the Fall.
Aligned with the ANTEC, we also held our third IMD board meeting this term, on the last day of the conference. Here is a quick summary of the most important meeting topics:
1. IMD Election. The injection molding board election process is currently underway. All IMD members should have received an email with instructions to cast your votes by April 04, 2025.
2. Board Leadership. We are actively recruiting for the roles of IMD Treasurer (to begin in 2026) and IMD Sponsor Chair (to begin immediately). We invite you to come forward and declare your interest if you would like to participate in leading the future of our IMD, and chairing these important functions.
3. Membership. Member Development will aim to develop targeted events which are most important to our members and Division, with a special focus on increasing corporate members.
4. Role of the Technical Director. We are seeking input to strengthen the role of our Technical Director. The proposal would be to adjust our bylaws to bring the work of our education committee under the leadership of the Technical Director. This collaborative team would then be responsible for professional development including key learning events such as the “Week of Injection Molding,” as well as promoting research and publications for technical papers submitted through the IMD.
5. Key Performance Indicators. To meet the long-term objectives of our mission, KPIs have been launched to measure our progress towards the improvement of our vital competencies over the coming years. This includes setting targets for board member attendance, financials including sponsorships, member/division growth, wider communications reach, developing (internal/external) partnerships, and ANTEC programs.
6. Committees. All board members will be encouraged to serve on at least one active committee and contribute to our mission and KPIs.
7. Next Board Meeting and Event: The final board meeting of this term is scheduled for June 10, 2025, at Penn State Behrend in Erie PA, followed by the Penn State Behrend Innovation & Emerging Plastics Tech Conference on June 11-12, 2025. All IMD and SPE members are invited to register and attend the conference.
David Kusuma, Ph.D.
Chair, SPE Injection Molding Divisio
