Core Standards of the Course
Strand 1
Students will follow safety practices.
Standard 1
Identify potential safety hazards and follow general laboratory safety practices.
Standard 2
Use safe work practices.
Standard 3
Complete a basic safety test without errors (100%) before using any tools or shop equipment.
Strand 2
Students will demonstrate knowledge of a basic plastic injection molding process and injection molding machine operations.
Standard 1
Describe the press operation.
Standard 2
Describe the role of automated manufacturing in the plastics industry.
Standard 3
Describe the need for material preparation.
Standard 4
Outline the melting/mixing process.
Standard 5
Describe the forming/packing process.
Standard 6
Describe the importance of cooling the product.
Strand 3
Students will employ a basic design process to develop a solution to a design problem using plastic injection molding.
Standard 1
Identify the design problem and decide how to address it.
Standard 2
As a team, brainstorm possible solutions.
Standard 3
Using available facilities and materials, create a prototype of the proposed design.
Standard 4
Test the prototype, record the results, and evaluate the performance of the design.
Standard 5
Redesign the prototype by repeating the design process in order to further optimize the design.
Strand 4
Students will demonstrate the basic steps of product/process development and validation.
Standard 1
Establish a repeatable process.
Standard 2
Identify the common quality defects.
Standard 3
Ensure that the product meets quality specifications.
Standard 4 (Optional)
Explore FDA requirements.
Strand 5
Students will investigate future training opportunities and careers in engineering.
Standard 1
Investigate the USBE's CTE engineering pathway.
Standard 2
Identify what positions exist in the plastics molding industry. For example:
Standard 3
Investigate different types of occupational training. For example:
Standard 4
Recognize the importance of both "hard" and "soft" skills in the workplace.