Unique Plastics Workshop Combines Expertise, Hands-On Training

Plastics manufacturers have the opportunity to participate in a unique event that will combine the expertise of renowned plastics consultant Dr. Chris Rauwendaal and the outstanding laboratory facilities of Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The "Plastics Extrusion Seminar & Hands-On Workshop" will be held Tuesday, Aug.10, through Thursday, Aug. 12, on the Penn College campus in Williamsport. An affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University, Penn College is Pennsylvania's premier technical college and home to a nationally respected plasticsand polymer technology department which offers associate and bachelor of science degrees in the field. The College also operates a Plastics Manufacturing Center dedicated to providing workforce development training and technology assistance to plastics manufacturers.

Seminar hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday; a one-hour lunch break is included. The course has been approved for recertification credits applied to Plastics Technologist Recertification by the Institute for Plastics Certification, an affiliate of the Society of Plastics Engineers; one credit will be awarded for each hour of attendance.

A wide range of topics focusing on extrusion will be covered by Dr. Rauwendaal; multimedia format will be supplemented by printed materials. Dr. Kirk Cantor, associate professor of plastics technology at Penn College, will lead participants in hands-on training including use of plastics extrusion industry equipment.

President of Rauwendaal Extrusion Engineering, Inc., Dr. Rauwendaal has 25 years experience in the plastics extrusion industry including work at American Enka Company and Raychem Corporation. He has received several awards and is a fellow of the SPE. He holds several patents and has written more than 90 articles on extrusion, five books, two video training courses, and one interaction CD-ROM course, called ITX (Interactive Training in Extrusion). Dr. Rauwendaal's new book, "Understanding Extrusion," will be part of the handout materials at the seminar.

Dr. Cantor has been a faculty member at Penn College for nine years. He has worked with and taught extrusion for over 13 years. Prior to joining the Penn College faculty, he worked as an engineer at NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center. He has been active in developing multimedia training tools for the plastics extrusion industry and was co-developer with Dr. Rauwendaal on the ITX CD-ROM course.

Registration for the workshop is limited. The seminar fee is $950, with a $50 savings for registrations received prior to July 10. To register, or for additional information, contact Penn College's Plastics Manufacturing Center, (570) 321-5533, or visit online.