Corporate Support Offsets Cost of New Plastics Lab Equipment
Published 06.20.2001
Six corporate supporters have made donations or pledges to help Pennsylvania College of Technology upgrade the equipment used in its Plastics and Polymer Technology laboratories. The contributions, along with a state matching grant, will provide more than $16,000 worth of equipment.
The data-acquisition systems being purchased with the funds will provide enhanced measurement and control capabilities for the labs. The new system will provide data that's unattainable with existing components, and it will aid students' understanding of the controlling variables in the injection-molding process.
The equipment will be used by students in the Advanced Polymer Processing class for several laboratory experiments and by students in the Injection Molding class to enhance data-gathering capabilities. More than 75 students annually in the School of Industrial and Engineering Technologies will benefit from the new equipment, enabling them to work with the industry's most current technology and to become more productive when they enter the workforce.
Those donating or pledging funds are: Amp Foundation-Tyco Electronics, Harrisburg; Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products (formerly DSM Polymer), Reading; PPL Corp., Montoursville; Susquehanna Communications, Williamsport; H.O. West Foundation/West Pharmaceutical Services, Williamsport and Lionsville; and McClarin Plastic, Hanover. Each provided the required local match under the state's Engineering School Equipment Act, supplementing a grant from the state Department of Education.
"This joint partnership in purchasing state-of-the art plastics equipment will enhance student learning and benefit the businesses that hire our graduates, who have experience in the latest technologies," said Eric K. Albert, dean of industrial and engineering technologies at Penn College. "When industry and Penn College partner, it is a win-win situation for everyone the students, the College and industry in Pennsylvania."
The equipment will be installed in the Breuder Advanced Technology and Health Sciences Center on the main campus.