|
Emphasis on CAE
Students who opt for the Technology Accreditation
Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
(TAC/ABET)-accredited plastics engineering technology (PLET) program
at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, get education and training
that make them "Impact Players" in the plastics industry, says John
P. Beaumont, their professor, department chair, and a former technical
manager at Moldflow. With the program's unique integration of computer-aided
engineering (CAE) programs into courses from the sophomore year
forward, Penn State Erie's PLET graduates are exceptionally well
prepared to compete in the plastics industry.
"I came to Penn State Erie with a mandate to develop
the newest technology in the plastics industry and teach our PLET
students how to use it," said Beaumont. "CAE is a continually evolving
technology, and since the program's inception we've made it part
of our students' daily classroom experience.
"CAE is an accelerated learning tool, sort of like
an X-ray that gives you insight into how a plastics mold should
be made to produce successful plastic parts," said Beaumont. "A
mold can cost a quarter-million dollars or more, so anything that
ensures it's properly made saves time and money. We want Penn State
Erie's PLET graduates to be able to use CAE for just those reasons."
However, according to Beaumont, just as an X-ray
needs a doctor to interpret results, CAE needs someone skilled to
interpret analysis results. Therefore, Beaumont and his colleagues
require all students to complete industry-like projects using mold
filling, cooling, shrinkage, and warpage analyses in both mold and
product design courses.
PLET majors begin their computer foundation in the
freshman year with solids modeling using Pro/ENGINEER®. In their
sophomore year they begin to use mold filling simulation in the
plastics processing courses to better understand what occurs during
molding. In the first semester of their junior year, students begin
a progression of design courses that deeply involve them in CAE
technologies. During the junior year, they work with Moldflow's
mold filling, cooling, shrinkage, and warpage programs as part of
mold and plastic part design classes. In addition to the details
of modeling, studies at this level emphasize interpretation and
practical application of CAE technologies. Further courses focus
on structural analysis using ANSYS® software and thin-shell modeling
and meshing using Pro/ENGINEER software for plastics applications.
During their senior year, students continue to learn and apply CAE
technologies in both required and elective courses. Throughout this
process, the faculty requires students to link their knowledge of
plastic materials, processing, mold design, and part design; CAE
technologies provide an efficient tool to connect all four of these
areas.
 |
|
Penn State Erie's PLET program has grown to
include four engineering computer labs with more than 100
networked computers running the latest releases of CAE software.
Over the years, instructors have evaluated a variety of CAE
programs, but they have always featured Moldflow software,
because of its quality and US-based support structure. As
a result, Moldflow employs a significant number of Penn State
Erie graduates because of their solid understanding of the
applications.
| Students utilizing
Moldflow software in the engineering computer lab as part
of their course work at Penn State Erie. |
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
In addition to the four PLET computer labs,
the R.J. Fasenmyer Building in the engineering complex houses
a plastics processing laboratory outfitted by industry with
the most up-to-date equipment. The lab, a 180-foot-long, two-story,
high-bay structure with a five-ton overhead bridge crane,
is equipped with conventional hydraulic, fully electric, and
hybrid processing machines. Adjacent to the processing laboratory
are three labs for water treatment, plastics quality control,
and rapid prototyping.
| Overhead shot
of plastics processing lab in the R.J. Fasenmyer Building
at Penn State Erie. |
|
| |
|
|
Student Opportunities
Since the beginning of the PLET program, Beaumont
and other faculty have taken their students to the Society of Plastics
Engineers Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC) each Spring. In 1989,
Penn State Erie presented three of the 11 student papers at ANTEC;
in 1996, they presented 20 of 28 papers. In 2001, faculty escorted
59 students to ANTEC, where 27 papers were presented and six won
Best Paper Award in their student divisions.
PLET majors traveled to China in 1997 to attend the Chinaplas
show in Shanghai. |
|
"The ANTEC opportunities provide unique
experiences for the students," said Beaumont. "They
learn to organize their thoughts and go before a professional
audience to defend their work. Once they do it, they've
taken a major step toward proficiency and maturity.
The experience helps build confidence and public speaking
skills."
One aspect of the PLET program that
helps to make Penn State Erie's students "Impact Players"
is the opportunity for international travel. Each year,
faculty and upper-class PLET majors attend an international
plastics show outside the US. "New technologies are
showcased every year at international trade shows,"
Beaumont said. "In addition to giving our students international
competency — how to travel, eat, and live outside the
American culture — we want them to see what's the latest
and greatest. We live in an international economy, and
there is no doubt we will continue to exchange technologies
and products around the globe."
Applied Research Centers
Make Industry Connection
One beneficial result of Penn State
Erie's PLET program has been the several outreach centers
that resulted from the industry orientation of the program.
The first, the Plastics Technology Center (PTC), originated
in 1989 when Beaumont and his colleagues responded as
consultants to the industry's request for help. The
PTC also provided a mechanism to get students involved
with real industry problems, and this remains a primary
objective of faculty outreach activities. In a very
short time, the demand outgrew faculty time to respond,
so they first hired a staff assistant, then hired their
graduates as engineers. One of the first to join the
PTC was Jon Meckley, a former student who, after working
for several years with the PTC and as a consultant,
returned to the PLET program as a faculty member. Today
a number of former students currently work for the PTC.
|
|
|
|
Six years ago, Jon began to experiment with CAE
applications in blow molding, the plastics technology used for
molding hollow parts. Out of his work grew the Blow Molding
Consortium, which serves the growing sector of the industry
that uses this technology. The college, with the support of
industry and grants from the National Science Foundation, the
PTC, and the Ben Franklin Partnership, was able to acquire three
blow-molding machines, several molds, and blow molding simulation
software. Today, several regional plastics companies are members
of the consortium and receive support in the areas of training,
product and process development, equipment selection, and process
optimization.
History
The concept of Penn State Erie's plastics
program originated in the early 1980s, when a group of local
plastics manufacturing CEOs, including Hoop Roche from Erie
Plastics, Joe Prischak from Plastek, and Bill Witkowski from
Port Erie Plastics, asked the School of Engineering and Engineering
Technology at Penn State Erie to consider developing a plastics
engineering technology program that would improve and advance
the skill base of their employees. The college agreed, and
by 1989 had a core group of three faculty, Robert Farrell,
Paul Koch, and Beaumont, to get the program under way. Before
coming to Erie, Farrell, a mechanical engineer, was vice-president
of engineering at Reed Machine, and Koch, a chemical engineer,
was program manager for Avery International, Fasson Division.
Beaumont was employed as the technical manager for Moldflow
in Kalamazoo, MI.
Today, the PLET program enrolls more than
250 students. New faculty-educators who average more than
10 years of industry experience-add practical knowledge to
their teaching and industry outreach. Together, the great
faculty and the engineering staff of the PTC give the PLET
program a total of more than 50 years' experience in the application
of CAE technologies. By hiring new faculty with expertise
in materials and processing, and by nurturing its strong ties
with the plastics industry, Penn State Erie has built one
of the strongest CAE educational centers in the world.
For more information about Penn State Erie's
PLET program, contact Loretta Brandon in the Office of University
Affairs (tel: +1 814 898 6063, email: lzb6@psu.edu)
or visit http://engr.bd.psu.edu/degrees/plet.html.
|
|
