PIRC Articles

With assistance from the Association of Rotational Molders, the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology attracted a record number of participants for its sixth annual Hands-On Rotational Molding Workshop.

Through grants from the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corp., Plastics SourceNet, of the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology, is administering $37,750 in subsidized training to benefit central Pennsylvania plastics manufacturers and their employees.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Plastics Innovation & Resource Center hosted its annual Extrusion Seminar & Hands-On Workshop in June, attracting 45 participants from 29 companies in the United States and Canada. The workshop, led by extrusion experts Chris Rauwendaal and Penn College plastics technology professor Kirk M.

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.

Mark Strachan, of uVu Technologies, discusses the use of lightweight materials in plastic products. Fifty-two participants from across the nation listen to experts during the 2013 Plastics Symposium.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Plastics Innovation & Resource Center has entered a three-point partnership to become the sole North American distributor of the Global Standards for Plastics Certification. The Global Standards for Plastics Certification is the only recognized method of apprenticeship certification in the world for the plastics industry.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Plastics Innovation & Resource Center is working with Highwood USA, of Tamaqua, to develop a stronger, more heat-resistant synthetic wood resin material. Highwood USA manufactures and markets a line of extruded synthetic wood products.

McClarin Plastics Inc., a company that has partnered with Pennsylvania College of Technology through its plastics and polymer technology majors and the college’s Plastics Innovation & Resource Center, was honored with a Mentorship Award at Saturday’s Summer Commencement ceremony.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Plastics Innovation & Resource Center offered three national seminars and hands-on workshops in June. The PIRC, formerly the Plastics Manufacturing Center, provided seminars in rotational molding, thermoforming and extrusion, all led by world-class instructors. Christopher J.

Plastics SourceNet, administered through the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology, received grant funding to provide a series of training courses for central Pennsylvania plastics manufacturers and their employees.