Welcome to the APTC courses page. We currently offer courses in the following areas: Plastics, Rubber, Corrosion, Innovative Solutions, Medical Technology, Color Technology, and Adhesives and Coatings.

Courses are arranged by date, and can be sorted according to category type using the dropdown menu below.

Validating Medical Molding Processes and Parts

Date: 06/05/2013 - 06/07/2013
Course Number: AP5228
CEU's: 2.25
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

This course will provide the details for you to develop, validate and document an optimized injection molding process for medical parts. This procedure will pass the most stringent medical or electronic requirements. An FDA case history will be shown. At-the-press training. Learn plastic variables, not set points. Applies to all high-performance, critical tolerance injection molded parts. See plastic flow through glass window molds to visualize and prove the important "Plastic" variables you need to control. Learn More

Rubber and Plastics Failure Analysis – Physical and Chemical Analysis Techniques

Date: 06/13/2013 - 06/13/2013
Course Number: AP5226
CEU's: 0.4
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

The course is intended for chemical technologists, engineers, and quality personnel who, in the course of their work, encounter non-conformances related to rubber and plastic materials or rubber and plastic end products. The course begins with a series of case studies involving failures of rubber and plastic products the instructor has encountered. The discussion includes physical and chemical techniques, the rationale for the techniques selected, and the ultimate outcomes. The cases studies include ozone failures in elastomers, stress cracking and impact failures in plastics, fatigue failures, chemical degradation, errors in materials used, and more. Next, ASTM and related testing methods are reviewed including tensile tensile testing, abrasion testing, compression set and stress relaxation tests, impact tests, and the like. Predictive methods such as Arrhenius and SN methods are discussed. Analytical and instrumental methods covered includes: polymer identification by simple wet chemistry methods as well as more advanced methods such as FT-IR, NMR, state of cure analysis, microbeam analysis methods, and chromatographic methods. Finally, a series of additional case studies related to a broad range of actual failure analyses including tires, cast polyurethane parts, medical devices, automotive parts, hose and tubing, sporting goods, and the like. Learn More

Complete Injection Molding

Date: 06/26/2013 - 06/28/2013
Course Number: AP5224
CEU's: 1.9
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

This 2 1/2 day course covers injection molding processes from machine and tooling to the production of high quality parts. Advanced injection molding principles that will be presented include tooling/design, plastic material behavior and avoiding molding defects. The instructor will discuss scientific molding including pressure and thermal transducers for maximizing control. The course focuses on the development of troubleshooting skills and the specific needs of each individual class member. All students are welcome to bring samples for discussion to formulate possible solutions. Concepts discussed in the classroom will be reinforced with "hands-on" activities in the Akron Polymer Training Center's laboratory. Learn More

Making Properties and Profits: Twin Screw Extrusion Seminar

Date: 09/10/2013 - 09/11/2013
CEU's: 1.5
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

Instructor: Adam Dreiblatt. This two-day seminar focuses on the application of intermeshing co-rotating extruders in compounding applications. Training is directed towards machine operators, process engineers and supervisors as well as product development scientists in both research and manufacturing environments. Participants are reminded that the goal of compounding is to produce properties, not pellets. The goal of this seminar is to explain how twin-screw extruders create properties. Learn More

Plastic Material Selection and Testing

Date: 10/07/2013 - 10/09/2013
Course Number: AP4201
CEU's: 2.25
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

This course defines the fundamentals that determine plastic properties; short-term and long-term property evaluations, property modifications, establishing the cost/performance profile and selecting a material supplier. Learn More

Plastic Part Failure Analysis

Date: 10/10/2013 - 10/11/2013
Course Number: AP4202
CEU's: 1.5
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

This course covers elements of a successful plastic product; principles of plastic part design, mold design considerations, material selection, processing, failure analysis tools and failure analysis process. Learn More

Chemistry and Technology of Polymeric Materials used in Medical Devices

Returning Spring 2014!
CEU's: 0.75
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

Intended for newcomers to the medical device industry, this course provides an introduction to FDA and EU regulations as related to medical devices including definition of key terminology, overview of GMP, device classification, listing and approval processes and how to navigate the FDA website to access key resources provided. A broad range of materials are discussed. This includes conventional elastomers such as silicones, natural and synthetic polyisoprene, and polyisobutlyene; thermoplastic elastomers such as TPEs, TPVs, POEs, Copolyamides and TPUs. Engineering plastics such as polyesters, nylons, acetals, polycarbonates, conventional polyolefins and cyclic polyolefins are discussed. Applications identified include orthopedic devices, ophthamolics, viscoelastic gels, catheters, tubing, stoppers, drapes, syringes, transdermal drug, medical machinery parts and the like. Learn More

Polymer Compounding, Formulating and Testing of Plastics, Rubber, Adhesives and Coatings Materials

Returning Spring 2014!
CEU's: 2.25
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

This three-day overview course is designed to help chemists and nonchemists alike become familiar with the compounding and formulating of materials used in the polymer industries: i.e. plastics, rubber, adhesives, and coating industries. Compounding materials are studied and compared by general class and function. Also, comparisons are made among similar materials used in different polymer industries. Technology transference from one industrial use to another is encouraged. The following are included in this course: Introduction and Discussion of Polymer Chemistry; Overview of Plastics Compounding; Overview of Rubber Compounding: Review of Adhesives Compounding; Overview of Coatings Formulating. Learn More

Understanding Plastic Material Properties in Analyzing and Preventing Product Failures

Returning Spring 2014!

CEU's: 2.25
Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

This course will combine an in-depth understanding of plastic material behavior at the fundamental level with the techniques and tools that are used to diagnose, correct, and prevent product failures. It will illustrate the shortcomings in the industry’s current methods of evaluating plastic material properties and provide alternatives that give the in-depth understanding needed to design and produce parts that perform to requirements. Learn More