Rotational Molding Workshop Draws International Participation

Published 06.11.2013

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A two-day workshop at Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Plastics Innovation & Resource Center brought nearly 20 participants from four states, two Canadian provinces, the West Indies and Mexico to northcentral Pennsylvania, where they learned from experts in the rotational molding industry.

The center’s Hands-On Rotational Molding Workshop, which was held May 14-15, offers participants hands-on experience in combination with classroom training on higher-level technology in rotational molding.

“Since rotomolding is a small part of the plastic industry, there is not a lot of information available, and (at this workshop), you can find basic information,” said Antonio Cantu Sanchez, an employee of Laerdal Medical’s Mexico manufacturing plant.

A participant in the Hands-On Rotational Molding Workshop at Penn College, Janin Lacasse, of Rotoplast, East Farnham, Quebec, conducts a tensile test on a specimen that was cut from a rotationally molded test box. (Photo by Whitnie-Rae Mays, student photographer)Focused on developing the connection between material preparation, molding and final part quality, the workshop was led by world-renowned expert Paul Nugent, of MNOP Consulting, who led classes in troubleshooting.

During part of the first day’s activities, the participants traveled to New Berlin Plastics, where general manager Brad Wertman opened the company’s doors to the class to watch large-scale parts being made. In the college’s advanced laboratories, hands-on sessions covered material preparation, molding and part testing.

“It helped me to understand my job at AKRO a lot better,” said Jonathan King, of AKRO Plastics in Ohio. “Knowing what to look for when problems arise is the best thing.”

To learn more about the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Penn College and its Rotational Molding Center of Excellence, call 570-321-5533.

Penn College is one of only five colleges in the nation offering plastics and polymer degree programs accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET. Of the five, it is the only program that offers hands-on rotational molding in its curriculum. For more information on degree programs, call 570-327-4520 or visit the School of Industrial and Engineering Technologies.

For more about the college, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.