Since modern synthetic plastics were introduced in the early part of the 20th century, their use has grown exponentially. Since 1976, plastics have been the most widely used material in the United States, surpassing steel, copper and aluminum. Plastics are everywhere, surrounding us from the moment we get up in the morning until we close our eyes at night. There are literally thousands of plastics in existence, and more being created every day.

Plastics and plastic composites are replacing metal components in processes ranging from food production to medical device manufacturing to nuclear reprocessing. They have revolutionized the electronics, home appliance and sporting goods industries, and their potential still seems limitless.

But surprisingly, few engineers working in industry today have expertise in the properties of this ubiquitous material, posing a problem for manufacturers that rely on the integrity of plastic materials to maintain the quality of their products. A degree and certificate program in polymers engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is addressing that need.

The UW-Madison Polymer Engineering Center (PEC), led by professors Tim Osswald and Lih-Sheng (Tom) Turng, was created in 2001 to bring the latest in plastics engineering knowledge to businesses across Wisconsin and around the world. The center works with businesses to help them stay ahead of new customer demands and to address fundamental issues such as global competition, rising oil prices and environmental concerns.

In 2002, the PEC joined the Center for Applied Polymer and Composites Engineering (CAPCE), an industry-government-university consortium funded by the National Science Foundation that includes Ohio State University, Florida State University and Florida A&M, as well as the UW-Madison. The purpose of CAPCE is to foster innovation, productivity and profitability of its members and to facilitate technology transfer. Together, the centers are filling the need for plastics knowledge for manufacturers here in Wisconsin and throughout the United States.

“Our work addresses current industry needs,” says Turng. “We’re looking at the performance of materials, as well as economics and life-cycle times.”

One aspect of Turng’s research delves into various means of creating high-quality plastic products, inexpensively, within compressed time frames. His work is invaluable to manufacturers in a variety of industries around the world.

Just one word: Plastics

“I have just one word for you, Benjamin. Are you listening? One word: plastics.”

The words of Mr. McGuire to Benjamin in the movie “The Graduate” proved to be prophetic. When the film was released in 1967, plastics had surpassed metals in terms of volume produced and were just beginning to seep into every aspect of American life.

Today, plastics is the fourth largest manufacturing industry in the United States, according to the Society of the Plastics Industry, accounting for more than $330 billion in annual shipments and directly employing more than 1.5 million people. (For more about the plastics industry in Wisconsin, see sidebar.)

Although plastics already are pervasive, their use is still growing. The airline industry is in the vanguard. Boeing recently launched the Dreamliner 787, whose fuselage is made almost entirely from plastic polymers. The plane is set to begin flying in 2008. The Dreamliner is lighter and faster than other planes and uses 20 percent less fuel. It offers more comfort to passengers because it is able to maintain higher humidity than current models, and it may be even safer because the materials used in the fuselage will be able to bend and give rather than break under stress. In short, the Dreamliner represents the state of the art in plastics engineering, and it is just the tip of the iceberg.

UW-Madison was the first university in the world to offer a course in polymers as part of its mechanical engineering curriculum. That class, first offered in 1946, was taught by professor Ron Daggett, whose students today are leading some of the top plastics companies in Wisconsin, including Placon and Phillips.

“These companies are considered tops in their field and they have a major impact on the plastics industry,” says Paul Grammann, president of The Madison Group, a plastics industry consulting group based at University Research Park. “A lot of their success has to do with the education they (executives) received at the UW-Madison.”

UW-Madison continues to be at the forefront. It is one of the only universities in the country that offers a degree in polymers engineering, as well as a certificate program and ongoing professional development options. The courses are available online through the Office of Engineering Outreach, making them accessible to practicing engineers the world over.

“I selected the UW-Madison because of the well-known faculty in polymers and chemical engineering,” says Maria del Pilar Noriega, technical director of the Research Institute for Plastics and Rubber in Colombia, South America. Noriega received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 2001. “The other unique feature was the opportunity to take some courses through Engineering Outreach, making it possible for me to do my Ph.D. part of the time in the US and part of the time in Colombia, allowing me to keep my position here.”

Modern era demands new materials

With ever-increasing energy costs and rapidly depleting fossil fuel reserves, Turng and Osswald believe the time is ripe to develop quality alternatives to fossil fuel-based polymers.

“We cannot rely on petroleum much longer,” Turng says. “The oil reserves in the U.S. may be depleted in as few as 10 years. We need to start looking at renewable resources, so we can be sustainable.”

Osswald agrees and is quick to emphasize that to develop new materials, there first has to be a market for them. Widespread use of biobased polymers can only be achieved through research and education at the university level.

One area that is becoming popular is the use of protein-based products, such as soy, corn and milk. “Casein products were gaining in popularity before World War II, and then synthetics were developed, which were cheaper to make at the time, so all the big chemical companies started to use them,” Osswald explains. “Now, there is renewed interest in developing the protein-based materials, so the early science has to be modernized.”

Osswald believes all of the big petrol-chemical companies have a vested interest in developing alternatives to fossil-fuel-based polymers. The development of new materials requires new knowledge, not only of the materials themselves, but also of the processes used in their development and of machines that will be used to create them, says Osswald. The training and education in polymers that students receive at UW-Madison gives them a competitive advantage in the job market.

Another new area of interest is the development of bioresorbable polymers, which can be reabsorbed by the human body, for use in medical device manufacturing and drug delivery, according to LeeAnn English, supplier quality engineer for Boston Scientific and current student in the master’s degree program in polymers engineering.

“The program will allow me to make an easier transition to new job opportunities because I will have an understanding of new materials coming forward as well as new processes, enabling me to troubleshoot problems,” English says. “The program is very applicable to industry needs.”

There is a continuing desire to make materials cheaper, more flexible, able to withstand extreme temperatures, and to create them with a host of other properties that address very specific industry needs. Turng is a world renowned expert in the use of nanocomposites in microcellular foam processing, for example, which could soon be used in the development of materials in the automotive and construction industries.

“We need a more in-depth understanding of the processes and the science involved in warping, failure and predicting the life of a product,” Osswald says.

Jan Acker, president and chief executive of Placon, a thermoformed plastics company based in Madison, Wis., agrees. He sees UW-Madison as integral to his company’s ongoing success.

“Up till recently, our questions have been answered by trial and error, and of course we want to be as efficient as possible. We have to do the research, but that type of work can’t be funded by a single company, so the university is a logical choice. The UW-Madison is dedicated to the plastics industry and it’s right in our backyard.”

Acker adds that UW-Madison makes it possible to achieve breakthroughs in record time. “It can take two years or more just to characterize basic materials. We wouldn’t have time to do that without the UW programs.”

Global competition and the quest for knowledge

Placon, which produces a range of packaging products, recently opened a plant in China to serve U.S. companies, such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot, which are manufacturing, packaging and shipping at the same overseas location.

“We opened the plant to service our U.S. customers that source in China and to be a beginning participant in the burgeoning market there,” Acker says.

Playing a role in the global economy by growing an educated workforce is a key motivator behind the work of the engineering outreach program. The Polymer Engineering Center may help put other Wisconsin companies on the world stage.

“The UW-Madison is known all over the world,” says Gramman, of The Madison Group. “There aren’t many universities that train people in plastics. Metals is the primary area of study. Most students get just one course in plastics.”

The Madison Group helps pick up the slack, helping manufacturing companies convert from metals to plastics, as well as consulting with companies that are using plastics to better understand the properties of the materials. His company serves hundreds of clients, including companies that supply parts for the automotive, airline and construction industries. Gramman sees this as important to the future of the Wisconsin economy, as well as that of the nation.

Michael McCurren, a recent recipient of the master’s degree in polymers engineering, is a design engineer with John Deere, based in Charlotte, N.C. His job is to offer technical support in plastics in the production division of the company.

“My courses at the UW helped me take it to a new level,” he says. John Deere is now using plastics in tractor hoods and other major parts. “This is a large, structural composite plastics application. My education at the UW gave me an understanding of the processes, material and design for this specific type of application.”

Many other companies are developing this knowledge to make their products less expensively and to make them more quickly and in a more cost-effective manner.

“It’s extremely important for companies to be able to do this in order to be competitive on a global level,” Gramman says. “Wisconsin companies are progressive. They have the combination of education, know-how and innovation that you have to have in order to compete with China and Mexico.”

Because the polymers field is so dynamic, changing literally every day, ongoing professional education is critical.

Gramman says companies such as Boeing are increasingly on the lookout for young talent with an understanding of the behavior of plastics. “It used to be all about metal, but now, everyone wants plastics engineers. It’s the wave of the future.”

Wisconsin companies and UW-Madison have carved a unique niche in the world’s plastics industry, and thus made themselves invaluable to manufacturers in all industries.

Visit our archives to read articles from previous issues of the UW Business Wire.

Plastics in Wisconsin: Deep Ties to UW

The plastics industry has a long history in Wisconsin, thanks in large part to the influence of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering. When Professor Ronald L. Daggett introduced a polymers course into the mechanical engineering curriculum in 1946, UW-Madison became the first university in the world to offer study in the area.

The Society of the Plastics Industry ranks Wisconsin 10th among all states in terms of the number of people the industry employs. According to state labor market economist Eric Grasso, the state’s 480 plastics-related companies employed more than 30,000 people in 2004, with average annual wages of more than $36,000.

“Plastics represents a significant portion of manufacturing, which is the hallmark industry in Wisconsin,” Grasso says. “It’s very important to our state economy because it’s a supplier to all the manufacturing industries in our state.”

Grasso also said these numbers are likely to increase, calling plastics the fastest growing industry within the state’s manufacturing sector. The industry is projected to grow by up to 21 percent between 2002 and 2012, while adding more than 7,000 jobs. That’s compared to the entire manufacturing sector, which is projected to grow by just 1.6 percent.

Wisconsin currently ranks 12th in the United States, in terms of annual plastics shipments, which were valued at almost $10 billion in 2004.

—Jill Ladwig