Plastics University

D-M-E Company - in partnership with Ferris State University - has introduced the D-M-E Plastics University, a computer-based training program that assists users at their own pace in learning about plastic injection mold technology and injection molding. Called the Mold Technology Series, the program includes eight modules: Mold Print Reading, Mold Base Technology, Mold and Cavity Materials, Runner and Gate Design, Mold Finishing and Polishing, Mold Heating and Cooling, Mold Action, and Basics of Injection Molding.

Once loaded onto a computer hard drive, the program requires only basic skills in Windows as students "point and click" their way through the modules. Complete with animated graphics, glossaries and "Help" screens, the modules are designed so that students are guaranteed to pass. With the interactive capabilities of computer-based training, students answer multiple choice quiz questions. If an answer is incorrect, the software explains why. Students cannot proceed through a module without answering quiz questions correctly.

The D-M-E Plastics University curriculum offers students Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The CEUs offered through the Mold Technology Series will help companies meet training requirements that are mandated for ISO certification. When each module is completed, the program software automatically assigns the student a coded number which Ferris State University uses to verify course completion. Four modules are equivalent to one CEU, and one CEU is equivalent to 10 hours of in-class instruction. Each module takes approximately two and one-half hours to complete. Once enrolled, students are registered as off-campus, noncredit students and assigned to an instructor who is available to answer questions about the program.

Course modules for the Mold Technology series cost $100 each, or the eight-module series can be purchased as a package for $699. Basic system requirements for the software include an i486 processor, Windows 3.1 or later version, 4MB RAM (8MB recommended), and a VGA or SVGA monitor. Local Area Network (LAN) capability and large multi-user site licenses will be available in the near future.

To Enroll in the D-M-E Plastics University, contact:

Ferris State University Technology Transfer Center
1020 Maple Street
Big Rapids, Michigan 49307
Phone: 616-592-5819
Fax: 616-796-1448
E-mail: dmeuniv@music.ferris.edu

D-M-E Co., 29111 Stephenson Highway. Tel: 248-398-6000; Fax: 248-544-5705.