Positive feedback follows Penn College extrusion workshop

Scores of participants from across the country, some traveling from as far as California and Texas, were drawn to Pennsylvania College of Technology by the caliber of instruction at a three-day Plastics Innovation & Resource Center event.

Nearly 50 employees from 22 companies in a dozen states gained beneficial insight during the Extrusion Seminar & Hands-On Workshop – headlined by Chris Rauwendaal, from Rauwendaal Extrusion Engineering in Auburn, California, and Kirk M. Cantor, professor of plastics technology – from June 6-8.

The seminar and workshop, sponsored by West Pharmaceutical Services, is among the lineup of professional development activities for plastics and polymer employees scheduled throughout the season in the PIRC.

Through a combination of classroom lecture and follow-up lab exercises, attendees were exposed to such industry-standard equipment as single- and twin-screw extruders, a blown film line, an injection molder, a melt indexer, and a tensile tester.

Rounding out the well-regarded team of presenters were Christopher J. Gagliano, PIRC project manager; Nathan A. Rader-Edkin, PIRC program manager; and Penn College instructors Adam C. Barilla, Jose M. Perez Jr., Vii J. Rice and Mark A. Sneidman.

“It was a great overview, led by knowledgeable professionals, that provided deep-dive responses when presented with real-world applications questions,” said Bill Dructor, employed in the quality lab at Simona America in Archbald.

“Provided a good balance of hands-on training, as well as background information to support it,” added Daniel Giffen, a research and development process engineer at Carlisle Construction Materials. “Information was varied to help people in many different roles (engineer, operators, manager, etc.), which I believe was helpful to gain a broader perspective.”

“My background is in injection molding, so this workshop has given me a better understanding of extrusion … plus a huge networking system to help if needed,” Sean Estock Sr. noted in another testimonial. An engineering technician at Terumo Medical in Elkton, Maryland, he also gained “the knowledge of what Penn College has to offer to me and my company in the future.”

To learn more about the PIRC, call 570-321-5533.

Penn College offers two plastics degrees – a bachelor’s in plastics & polymer engineering technology and an associate degree in plastics & polymer technology – and is one seven institutions accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET.

For more about the college, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.