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The Department of Plastics Engineering at UMass Lowell has a long history as a leader in the area of Plastics Engineering Education. Today, plastics materials are being used extensively in the manufacture of new products. This four course "Plastics Processing Certificate" is intended for students who have attained a Bachelor’s degree and want more plastics processing background, but are not ready to commit to completion of a Master’s degree. This certificate program is designed for students
who have attained a Bachelor’s degree and want more plastics processing background, but are not ready to commit to completion of a Master’s degree. Admission to the program is open to candidates with a B.S. in Engineering or a related field. The graduate record exam (GRE) is not required for admission. Courses previously used for another Plastics Certificate may not be used for a second Plastics Certificate. However, certificate courses may be applied to appropriate graduate degrees if students want to continue their education. The Plastics Engineering Department makes every attempt to offer many of these courses during the evening so that students having full time jobs can complete the certificate program. Go to http://plastics.uml.edu for a listing of evening Plastics Engineering graduate courses. Graduate students who have already completed these course requirements can receive a retroactive certificate. To apply for this certificate program, go to www.uml.edu/grad.
Required Courses:
26.578 Advanced Plastics Process Engineering (3 credits) Fundamental principles of polymer processing, the conversion of polymeric materials into useful articles. Correlation between process variables, material characteristics and part design. See note below *
26.509 Plastics Processing Theory I (3 credits) Principles of rheology and continuum mechanics involved in the processing of plastics, and their applications in plastics process engineering including flows in standard geometrical and extrusion applications.
Elective Courses (choose two of the following):
26.506 Polymer Structure, Properties, and Applications (3 credits) Relationships between polymer structure (chemical composition, molecular weight and flexibility, inter-molecular order and bonding, supermolecular structure) and practical properties (mechanical, acoustic, thermal, electrical, optical and chemical) and applications.
25.510 Plastics Processing Theory II (3 credits) A continuation of Theory I using the transport phenomena approach to analyze and describe plastics conversion processes, including roll processing blown film extrusion, injection molding, and mixing.
26.518 Plastics Product Design (3 credits) Theoretical principles and sound engineering practice involved in the design of new end products made from polymers, applying the total systems approach to the balance between product design, choice of materials, and process technique, as they affect competitive choice for commercial success.
26.521 Lean Plastics Manufacturing (3 credits) Methods of analysis and operation of plastics manufacturing facilities. Topics include: performance measurement, inventory control, forecasting, production planning, scheduling, resource management, supply chains, various technologies for improved productivity.
26.523 Screw Design Principles (3 credits) Energy balances, energy efficiency for extrusion and injection molding, application of energy equation (conduction, convection, viscous dissipation), equations of state, melt conveying in simple and compound screws, screw scale up, plastication.
26.524 Process Analysis, Instrumentation and Control (3 credits) Industrial instruments for measurement and control of plastics processes. Design of experiments. Analysis of plastics forming operations. Dynamic testing techniques. Automatic plastics process control. Modeling and process simulation in extrusion and injection molding. Data acquisition systems.
26.526 Nanoscale Plastics Processing (3 credits) An examination of processing methods for nanoscale polymer products. This course will include discussions of particle functionalization, mixing and forming of polymer nanocomposites; formation of three-dimensional micro and nanoscale polymer structures by hot embossing, nanoimprint methods, injection molding, extrusion of multilayer films, electrospinning of nanofibers, and other pertinent topics as the field advances.
26.550 Processing with Elastomers (3 credits) This course covers the basics of elastomer processing. Topics include mixing, rheology, extrusion, injection molding, compression molding and cure as it applies to elastomers.
26.551 Computer Aided Extrusion Die Design (3 credits) This is a project oriented course that uses basic principles of fluid flow and CAE programs to design extruder dies. A review of the extrusion process, die technology and flow behavior of plastics is studied. Prerequisite: Students should be proficient with a computer aided design program. SolidWorks will be utilized.
26.552 Design of Polymer Processing Machinery (3 credits) Hydraulics, machine logic, drives, pumps, motors, heating barrel and screw combinations, mechanical design. Hydraulic and electrical control circuits development. A semester project is required.
26.585 Computer Aided Engineering and Design I (3 credits) Finite element programs to perform linear and nonlinear stress analysis. CAE programs for detailed simulation of various plastics engineering processes.
26.588 Injection Molding (3-0) 3 Process thermodynamics, energy balances, power requirements. Heat transfer, cooling equations for amorphous and crystalline materials. Equations of state, pvT applications, shrinkage and ejection forces. Isothermal cavity filling, non-isothermal effects. Coupled runner/gate/cavity flow, flow balancing. Shear heating, frozen layer development. Residual stress. Injection/compression flow. Reciprocation effects in screw plastication. Review of specialized injection molding processes. An individual research project, term paper and presentation are required.
TOTAL: 12 Credits Total
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Contact Information |
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Professor Stephen McCarthy Department of Plastics Engineering UMass Lowell Ball Hall Room 207 Tel: 978-934-3417 Fax: 978-934-3065 Email: stephen_mccarthy@uml.edu Department of Plastics Engineering Main Office Ball Hall Room 204 Tel: 978-934-3420 Fax: 978-458-4141 |
The Registrar’s Office UMass Lowell Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:30AM to 5PM
TEL 978-934-2550 800-656-GRAD FAX 978-934-4076 TTY 978-934-2367 Graduate Admissions Office: TEL 978-934-2373 FAX 978-934-4058 Email: graduate_school@uml.edu |
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To apply for this certificate program, go to UML Graduate Admissions.
For courses and descriptions, go to the UML Graduate Catalog.