The Future of Plastics…

Many of my friends have been asking me about the future of training as the plastics processing becomes more technical…

Plastic Processing
Plastics processing will continue to advance towards more technical and capable equipment. As with all technical advances in the industry, the need for fundamental training does not diminish… it actually increases.
For example, when molding machines went from open loop control to closed loop control, the machine did not eliminate the need for training, it increased the need. Open loop machines only had a few adjustments which could be made, and were very simple to control… closed loop machines are actually more complex and have dozens of parameters which can be changed. Now that hydraulic molding machines are giving way to all-electric molding machines, the need for training is even more critical since the possible adjustments increase even more… and these machines have a greater potential to become damaged as their power, speed, and response increase with each generation.
Likewise, blow molding and extrusion equipment are becoming more advanced with closed-loop controls with more integrated downstream equipment. As these systems advance… the need for a better understanding of both the equipment and how it processes the plastics increases as well.
Some of our customers get into employee training because the equipment is so advanced, that they become completely dependent on engineers to coordinate the technology, yet they lose the less technical employees who had the fundamental understanding of plastics processing with turnover and retirement. The best approach is to train all your employees about the fundamentals as well as advanced training for technicians. 
-Andy 



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