Overview of polymer industries, including materials and processes. Topics include the many types of career opportunities in the industry, inviting individual interest-based exploration. Discussion also covers the nature of polymer product manufacturers, including size, work environment, and typical processes used. Fall Only.
2 Credits: 2 Lecture
Introduction to polymer processing techniques, including injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, rotational molding, and thermoforming. Fall Only.
3 Credits: 3 Lecture
Hands-on exposure to plastics processing equipment and procedures. Processes covered include injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, rotational molding, and thermoforming. Fall Only.
1 Credit: 0 Lecture, 3 Lab
Principles of the structure, properties, and applications of polymer materials. Topics include the nature of polymers, synthesis, formulation, and structure property relationships. Fall Only.
3 Credits: 3 Lecture
Application of polymer testing methods and procedures. Topics include mechanical testing, rheological testing, and material identification. ASTM test methods are used as the basis for test procedures. Fall Only.
1 Credit: 0 Lecture, 3 Lab
Introduction to sustainable materials. Emphasis on the interrelation between the material science, processing technology, and impact on society.
3 Credits: 3 Lecture
Introduction to thermoset and thermoplastic composite materials, polymers, reinforcements, processing techniques, tooling, properties, and emerging nanocomposite materials with applications in various markets such as sports, automotive, marine, construction, aircraft, medical, and electronics. Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Hands-on skill application, including performing maintenance on molds and dies used in plastics processing based on established procedures. Skills developed include proper techniques for mold maintenance, print reading, documentation of wear, and the proper use of measuring and metrology equipment. Spring Only.
1 Credit: 0 Lecture, 3 Lab
Theory and application of injection molding of consumer goods. Topics include development of part microstructure, the molecular level process from pellet to part, and the analysis of current trends in technology and consumer preference. Lab topics include set up and operation of injection molding machines and troubleshooting of part defects and dimensional problems. Spring Only.
4 Credits: 2 Lecture, 6 Lab
Detailed study of plastics extrusion processing, including the fundamentals of extruder hardware and operation. Additionally, different extrusion types such as profile, pipe/tubing, blown film, co-extrusion, and twin-screw extrusion are presented. Topics also include downstream equipment for take-off, cooling and calibration. Laboratories include work with extrusion equipment. Fall Only.
4 Credits: 3 Lecture, 3 Lab
Prerequisites:
PPT118
Detailed study of the plastics blow molding processes. Different molding methods such as extrusion, stretch blow, injection, and co-extrusion are detailed. Additional hands-on study includes process and parison control, mold design, automation controls, and auxiliary equipment. The majority of laboratory time is used to make quality plastic parts with extrusion and injection stretch blow molding equipment. Fall Only.
4 Credits: 3 Lecture, 3 Lab
Corequisites:
PPT248
Prerequisites:
PPT118
Theory and application of rotational molding technology. Topics include rotational molding equipment, materials, part design, molds and tooling, and processing. Applied skills developed include set-up and basic troubleshooting of rotational molding process equipment. Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Theory and application of thermoforming technology. Topics include thermoforming equipment, materials, part design, and processing. Applied skills developed by students in this course include set-up and basic troubleshooting of thermoforming process equipment. Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Industry-based, operator level or higher work experience that applies the knowledge and skills developed during the first year of polymer technology instruction. Provides a functional understanding of the work environment, develops interpersonal and technical communication skills, and enhances social and civic competencies. Requires a minimum of 225 work experience hours, but may include more hours depending on the individual needs of the internship experience. As needed.
3 Credits: 0 Lecture, 15 Internship
Prerequisites:
PPT118
Study of advanced concepts related to polymer extrusion. Emphasis on mathematical analysis of single and twin-screw systems, including models related to extruder output, energy consumption, and polymer rheology. Other topics include screw design, die design, and process/structure/property relationships. Laboratories include work with both extrusion equipment and computers. Fall Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Prerequisites:
PPT248
Overview of industry tests performed to characterize the properties and performance characteristics of polymeric materials. Coursework includes preparing and conditioning test specimens as well as conducting several physical, mechanical, rheological, electrical, thermal, flammability, optical, and environmental tests. Methods for determining the chemical composition of polymer materials and polymer molecular morphology are studied. Fall Only.
4 Credits: 3 Lecture, 3 Lab
Prerequisites:
PPT127
Study of extrusion, stretch, injection and co-extrusion blow molding processes and their variations in relation to product, process, and design innovations in the industrial and packaging markets. Special attention is given to multi-layer barrier materials and constructions for improved barrier properties, extruder head and die designs, laboratory experimentation with bio-derived and engineering grade polymers, nanotechnology, and blow molded product performance testing. Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Prerequisites:
PPT251
Design of injection-molded parts for consumer applications, including the use of additive manufacturing to develop product prototypes. Topics include proper design rules for polymer materials, the unique nature of injection molding part design, viscoelastic material considerations, and part development using rapid prototyping methods. Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Study of methods for mechanical and chemical recycling and their effects on polymer mechanical properties. Topics include material conveying methods, material drying, weigh blending, human machine interfaces (HMIs), data acquisition and signal processing equipment, and robotics Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Overview of the synthesis of polymeric materials. Study includes the monomers, prepolymers, polymerization reactions, and processes employed to produce many different polymers used in industry. Additionally, fillers and reinforcements, including nano and other types of additives, to improve material and part performance are studied. Fall Only.
3 Credits: 3 Lecture
Prerequisites:
PPT127
Hands-on examination of the preparation of polymers from starting monomer reactants using the appropriate chemical initiators and polymerization procedures. Course work includes preparing polymers using a variety of laboratory equipment and methods, as well as characterizing the key properties of those polymers. Fall Only.
1 Credit: 0 Lecture, 3 Lab
Corequisites:
PPT370
Hands-on study emphasizing the formulation and preparation of polymer materials using the appropriate fillers, colorants, reinforcements, and other functional additives. Coursework includes using twin-screw compounding operations to prepare polymer composite and nanocomposite molding and extrusion compounds using both traditional and bioderived polymers as well as employing various characterization techniques to assess whether formulation performance objectives were achieved. Fall Only.
1 Credit: 0 Lecture, 3 Lab
Corequisites:
PPT370
Theory and practice of defining, planning, and cost estimating engineering projects. Emphasis is placed on solving problems using the tools, techniques, and practices common to industry project management. Each student will use these project management tools to plan a capstone project under the guidance of a faculty member. Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Advanced study of injection molding as a manufacturing process for consumer goods. Topics include new product development, new process development, processing optimization, and troubleshooting. Fall Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Prerequisites:
PPT235
Study and application of the skills needed to develop and assess complete manufacturing processes for thermoforming and rotational molding applications. Topics include the development of new part applications and adapting new parts to industrial processes. Customer interfacing and teamwork in project management are emphasized. Applied skills include cycle development and advanced problem-solving techniques. Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Design of molds and dies for polymer processing applications. Topics include basic design principles; the mold die design sequence; design application software; optimization of melt flow; optimization of cooling, prediction, and control of dimensions; and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. Fall Only.
3 Credits: 3 Lecture
Prerequisites:
PPT341
Design application of molds and dies for plastic processing applications. Topics include use of design (CAD) software to produce engineering drawings for plastic processing molds and dies. Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) of these drawings is covered. Fall Only.
1 Credit: 0 Lecture, 3 Lab
Corequisites:
PPT450
Overview of building of molds and dies for plastic processing applications. Topics include construction of prototype tooling, production tooling components and assembly into full production tooling. Fall Only.
1 Credit: 0 Lecture, 3 Lab
Corequisites:
PPT450
In-depth study of injection molding design and filling processes. An overview of polymer rheology flow and thermal properties introduces the concepts associated with filling an injection mold with plastic materials. Significant time is devoted to application of mold filling simulation software, primarily Moldflow, which is used to perform detailed flow analyses and design. Spring Only.
3 Credits: 2 Lecture, 3 Lab
Prerequisites:
PPT450
Industry-based, engineering-level work experience that applies the knowledge and skills developed during the first three years of polymer technology instruction. Provides a functional understanding of the work environment, reinforces interpersonal and technical communication skills, and enhances social and civic competencies. Requires a minimum of 225 work experience hours, but may include more hours depending on the individual needs of the internship experience. As needed.
3 Credits: 0 Lecture, 15 Internship
Prerequisites:
PPT385
Application of the science, project management, business practices, and technology associated with polymer engineering technology to a single capstone project. Designed to showcase all the skills and knowledge accumulated during the Polymer Engineering Technology degree. Emphasis on successful completion of a capstone project with moderate oversight by a faculty mentor. Fall Only.
3 Credits: 0 Lecture, 9 Lab
Prerequisites:
PPT385