Location: 

Shawbury, Shropshire, UK

Course Dates:

Wed 27th - Thu 28th November 2013

Duration: 

2 days

Overview
This 2-day course assumes no prior knowledge and is suitable for those new to the subject. The course would also benefit those who wish to extend their existing knowledge of plastic product design or who are working in a polymer product design related area.

Participants will learn how to design a basic polymer product from first principals, construct a product design specification and undertake quality appraisal of new products.

Attendance on this course can also contribute credits towards an MSc in Polymer Engineering Design.

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course the delegate will be able to:

•  Construct a basic polymer product design specification •  Design a basic polymer product from first principles •  Understand the influence of polymer processing upon product design and final properties •  Understand the influence of specific polymer properties upon product design •  Undertake basic quality appraisal of new polymer products •  Differentiate between a polymer processing, tool design or product design defect

Course Content

Introduction to Polymers .. Comparison with Traditional Materials Basic Review of polymer property ranges comparing with traditional materials including metals, ceramics etc.

Influence of Polymeric materials on Product Design Specific polymer properties / product design solutions

Influence of Processing method on Product Design Review of processing methods and their influence on design including: Thermoforming Extrusion Blow Moulding (Extrusion and injection) Compression moulding and DST technologies Injection Moulding

Product Property based Design Required property and resultant design features

Rapid Manufacturing Techniques Covering prototyping, short run manufacture, and rapid tooling techniques. How to choose the right method.

Polymer Design Requirement Specification Covering developing specifications for mechanical, electrical, thermal use, environmental impact

Quality in Plastics Processing Inspection methods, time dependency of size, methods of measurement, use of statistics.

Fabrication and Assembly with Polymers Review of methods and uses, including welding, mechanical assembly, decoration methods.

Costing and Project Analysis Part cost based on material, process method and number of parts required. Product Development methodology and tools.

Other courses which may be of interest:

Plastics Materials and Products

Plastics Injection Mould Design

Who would benefit :

Designer makers, product designers, production engineers and those involved in:

•  Polymer product supply & sourcing,
•  QA assessment of polymer products,
•  Management of polymer product development projects,
•  Processors and manufacturers of polymer products, etc.

Course Presenter - Jon Rackley, Consultant, University of Wolverhampton