Penn College Invites Public to Thermoforming Center Grand Opening

Pennsylvania College of Technology's Plastics Manufacturing Center, in conjunction with the Plastics and Polymer Technology Department at the college, will host a grand opening for its Thermoforming Center of Excellence on April 7, marking the completion of nearly two years of renovating and equipping the new state-of-the-art plastics program facility.

"We will celebrate two milestones in the history of the plastics programs at Penn College: the ribbon-cutting for the new plastics wing and the christening of the Thermoforming Center of Excellence," said Hank White, director of the Plastics Manufacturing Center. "Both new resources will allow the college to provide graduates to industry with education and skills worthy of tomorrow's industry leaders."

The event, scheduled 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the center located in the east wing of the Breuder Advanced Technology and Health Sciences Center is open to the public. Activities include guided tours of the Thermoforming Center, the blow-molding lab, the extrusion facility, the rotational molding center, the industrial processing lab, the physical and analytical testing lab, the injection molding lab and the design lab. Also featured will be a faculty presentation titled "Penn College Plastics: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow;" a screening of the plastics episode of "degrees that work." a college-produced documentary TV series that highlights Pennsylvania's targeted industry clusters; and a "meet and greet" with the college's plastics and polymer technology faculty and Plastics Manufacturing Center staff.

Penn College offers a bachelor's degree in plastics and polymer engineering technology and an associate degree in plastics and polymer technology. Penn College is one of only five colleges in the nation accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology to offer plastics and polymer degree programs.

The new Thermoforming Center of Excellence provides opportunities for industry to partner with Penn College and the Plastics Manufacturing Center on projects such as material and mold trials, material development, process development and troubleshooting.

As a special mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University, committed to applied technology education, Penn College offers Plastics Manufacturing Center clients access to industrial-scale process equipment and extensive material-testing laboratories; world-class training programs; expert consulting staff, including members of the Penn College faculty; and student interns and graduates who can bring education and experience to the workplace.

The Thermoforming Center of Excellence was opened with start-up grants from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania, and with support from the Society of Plastics Engineers Thermoforming Division, the Society of the Plastics Industry, and Mark Strachan of Global Thermoforming Training Inc.

To learn more about majors in plastics and polymer technology and other academic programs offered by the School of Industrial and Engineering Technologies at Penn College, call 570-327-4520 or visit online .

For information about industry training and other services offered through the Plastics Manufacturing Center, visit on the Web or call 570-321-5533.

For general information about the college, visit online , e-mail or call toll-free 800-367-9222.