MAY
1995
Volume
1 • Number 1
A
One-Stop Resource:
PTDC Designed To Help Plastics Manufacturers in Pennsylvania and
Ohio
Material selection. Rapid prototyping. Product development. Software
selection. Employee training. As the business of plastics manufacturing
becomes increasingly complicated, increasingly dependent on advanced
technology, and increasingly regulated, you may find yourself
and your staff increasingly wishing for an outside source of technical
information, advice and support.
The
Plastics Technology Deployment Center offers those services and
more--without increasing the cost of doing business.
The
Plastics Technology Deployment Center (PTDC) is a new, one-stop
resource for the plastics-related industries in primarily--but
not limited to--northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.
The Center was begun in March 1994 with a $2.82 million federal
Technology Reinvestment Project grant to help enhance the region's
manufacturing base by improving productivity, sales, exports,
and jobs.
The
PTDC is a partnership operated by Penn State Erie and the Cleveland
Advanced Manufacturing Program's (CAMP) Great Lakes Manufacturing
Technology Center, and receives partial funding from the National
Institute of Standards and Technology and the Ben Franklin Technology
Center of Central and Northern Pennsylvania, Inc. The
Center is located on the 700-acre campus of Penn State Erie.
The
Center's director, five research assistants, and two field engineers
work with plastics processors (SIC Code 308X), the tool and die
companies that make molds for plastics processors (SIC Code 354425),
and non-plastics manufactures that incorporate plastics components
into their products. Our services include: facilities and software
demonstrations; technology surveillance; part and product optimization;
rapid prototyping and tooling; the formation of equipment consortia;
injection molding process simulation and analysis; education;
training, and manufacturing and business support. If the Center's
staff can't answer your questions, they can call upon the resources
of industry-support organizations, including federal laboratories
and research facilities.
We'll
also put our eligible Pennsylvania clients in touch with the Pennsylvania
Technical Assistance Program (PENNTAP), a partnership between
Penn State and the Ben Franklin Technology Centers that offers
free technical assistance.
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Gas-Assisted
Molding Unit Online Soon
Gas-assisted
injection molding is the introduction of nitrogen into an injection
molded part during the packing phase of the molding cycle. Gas
can be injected into the part through the molding machine's injection
nozzle, or directly into the cavity.
The
advantages of gas-assist include: reduced material consumption,
improved strength-to-weight ratio, balance, and feel, elimination
of sink marks and complex cores, reduced molding cycles and warpage,
and stress-free surfaces. It's also possible to create light parts
with thick wall sections.
Gas-assisted
injection molding uses a portable auxiliary unit that connects
to the press control system to regulate the gas charge as it enters
the mold. Processors must obtain a license from the patent holder
before implementing gas-assisted molding. The PTDC has obtained
a gas-assist unit that will be activated this year; for more information,
contact Bill Roche, PTDC manager, at (814) 898-6132.
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Emerging
Technologies RETEC August 9 & 10
Penn
State Erie will host the Northwestern Pennsylvania Society of
Plastics Engineers' Regional Technical Conference (RETEC) to be
held Aug. 9 and 10. This RETEC will showcase the latest technologies
in tooling, thermoplastics, thermosets, rotational molding, powder
metal molding, shear controlled orientation injection molding,
and computer-aided engineering.
Hands-on
workshops will be offered in CAE technologies and gas-assisted
injection molding. Exhibitor's booths are also available.
In
addition to Penn State Erie and the NWPSPE, RETEC is sponsored
by the National Tooling and Machining Association and the PTDC.
For more information, call Mike McDavid, Penn State Erie continuing
and distance education representative, at (814) 898-6103.
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Memo
To Manufacturers: Building Bridges
I
recently spoke with a tool maker who had an interesting analysis
of the PTDC's purpose.
He
said that for him, the PTDC is a bridge between himself and the
molders for whom he makes tools. He spoke of communications gaps--he
knows how to make things out of steel, and processors know how
to make plastics run, but still some things get lost in between.
This
gentlemen has used the PTDC's finite analysis capabilities to
better tell the toolmaker's story, and better understand the wants
and needs of a processor. The result: his customers are happy.
He's happy. We're happy too--a satisfied customer is a repeat
customer, and will keep my toolmaker friend and his employees
in business for years to come.
Ultimately,
the PTDC is about jobs. Our stated mission is to help small plastics-related
companies with activities that will make them more competitive.
We'll do this by helping you to increase your sales, your productivity,
the capabilities of your employees, or the number of markets you
serve or products you manufacture. But our secondary mission is
to protect our region's workforce. A solid manufacturing base
creates good jobs and a decent standard of living. These things
in turn improve our communities by creating a skilled workforce
that will support its primary schools, institutions of higher
education, symphonies, theaters, museums, parks, sports teams,
and all the other entities that make a community a desirable place
to live. Jobs--and an enticing lifestyle--will keep our skilled
and professionally-trained sons and daughters at home, and help
us shore up our region's foundation for the future.
This
newsletter is our first attempt to build a bridge to your company.
You'll receive another every three months, but in the meantime,
think about crossing it via a phone call, note, or e-mail. You'll
like what you find waiting for you on this side.
- William Roche
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