ANAHEIM, Calif.—The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee took its silicone elastomer course on the road again to Anaheim, letting newbies in the plastics industry earn credits toward certification and others collaborate with experts about their molding challenges.
The unique four-day program ran Feb. 12-15, right after the Medical Design and Manufacturing West trade show, so attendees of North America's largest annual medical technology event can stay for professional development or insight into a work problem.
With business leaders as instructors and a day of hands-on training in a nearby model facility, the $1,490 course attracted a wide audience of rubber chemists, process engineers, lab managers, technicians, quality control managers and sales personnel. There's often a waiting list to learn the latest about processing, dispensing systems, injection equipment, molding parameters, automation, flow analysis, venting, gating, cavitation, adhesion and surface modification.
"I don't know of another university that offers a course like this. People come from every state and all over the world—Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico," Marcia Gabriel, program director for the Center for Sustainability and Continuing Engineering Education at the UW-Milwaukee, said in a phone interview.
"Of all my courses, and we believe we have 100, this is the crown jewel of my program area for UWM because it appeals to people from all over the world and it's more like a conference," she added.
