TOPCON 2004 

Sponsored by the Rotational Molding Division (RMD) and the Product, Design & Development Division (PD³) of the Society of Plastics Engineers

Number of attendees - 170, 28 booth spaces

Ed Probst of Profile Plastics, Inc. and I co-chaired this event on behalf of our respective divisions. We had a great turnout for this event with very good feedback about the quality and content of the presentations. Some of the interesting aspects of SPE events such as this is that they are open to individuals to attend and the audience is able to ask questions of the speakers directly after their talks - this makes for some interesting debates! Also, by combining with the Product Design & Development Division of SPE, the Rotational Molding Division targeted designers and molders interested in exploring the process further. The result was a healthy turnout of people who would not typically participate in rotomolding events - hopefully with the result of future rotomolding designs appearing.

It was standing room only for most of the presentations - attendees even took advantage of the displays for seating!

Our speakers did a great job with their presentations, maintaining the audience right to the very end. The prize for Best Paper went to Dr. James Throne with his analysis of part cooling - entertaining and informative as always, well done Jim!

Dr. Throne fielding questions after his presentation with session moderator Jim Brauenig.

The event also had a charity theme with toys and furniture generously donated by Step2^® for the local Ronald McDonald House.

The donated parts formed part of a display of parts for attendees to review.  

Promotion Chair, Julie Stout of Blue-Reed, Inc. accepting the donation of parts on behalf of Ronald McDonald House from Andy Hauptner of Step2^®

House Chair, Terry Gillian, delivered the parts to the delighted recipients.

Awards & Fundraising

Jacob Hixson of Bonar Plastics, Inc. accepting the President's Award for their submission of a PVC C-2 Cup Surround from Competition Organizer Ranganathan Shastri (with event Co-Chairman Ed Probst of PD³ presiding).

Step2^® won the People's Choice Award for their Naturally Playful Picnic Table (which incidentally had a blow-molded top!).

Current RMD Chairman Larry Schneider (the one For Sale on the right) and immediate Past Chairman Ken Pawlak promoting the raffle for the RMD student scholarship fund.

Presentations

"Rotomolding for the Designer" Warren Ginn (IDS)

Warren gave an excellent overview of what is entailed in rotomolding a part from mold construction through to finished parts, looking at the options and constraints that designers face when choosing to use rotomolding.

Rotational Molding - Process Discovery thru Step2^® Toys. Andy Hauptner (Step2^®)

Andy gave us an insight into the design principles developed by Step 2 for their award winning range of products from parting line consideration to avoiding warp and undercuts. 

"Rotational Molding Design Considerations" Kenneth Bather (Diamond Plastics, Inc.)

In true Bather form, Ken gave us a molders perspective on what should and should not be done from a design point of view. Always interesting to hear but let's have a little more sunshine next time Ken!

"Part Cooling - The Influence of Part Design and Other Factors" Dr. James Throne (Sherwood Technologies, Inc.)

Even with the introduction of Fourier and Biot numbers, Jim made this an interesting and insightful assessment of what happens during the cooling cycle and how it influences the distortion of parts. The 8% volumetric shrinkage for polyethylene threw a few people but proved entertaining in the follow up question session.

"New Materials and Multi-layer Rotomolding Technology for Higher Barrier Performance Rotomolded Tanks" Gregory S. O'Brien, Bruce Clay & Ron Partridge (ATOFINA)

Greg introduced Atofina's nylon and PVDF materials and also the concept of dual-layer products with nylon on the inside for permeation resistance. This is a theme that will be heard more often as new environmental regulations take effect for fuel tanks.

"An Additive Approach to Cycle Time Reduction in Rotational Molding" James Botkin, Ernst Minder, Francis Olajide & Andreas Thuermer (CIBA)

This is still fascinating. James presented work on how additives can be used to improve cycle times by speeding up the consolidation phase of the cycle (removing bubbles faster) and thus reduce cycle times. Another incremental improvement in the right direction.

"Microcellular Structure Development with Microspheres in Rotational Molding" David D'Agostino, E. Takács, and J. Vlachopoulos (McMaster University)

David continues his work in rotational molding with an insight into how expanding microspheres can be used to improve stiffness and provide density reduction though a foaming effect. 

"Polyethylene: Process Sensitivity of Running Multiple Designs Simultaneously" Jon Ratzlaff (Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP.)

Jon reviewed an in-depth study of the behavior of new materials developed by Chevron Phillips for rotational molding. Polyethylene exhibits changes during molding that can only be determined by establishing a processing curve for each grade and thickness that molders use.

"Designing the Process - An Introduction of Multivariate Statistic Methods for Rotational Molding" Andrew Weaver, Elizabeth S. Takacs & John MacGregor (McMaster University)

Andrew tackled this difficult subject very well. His understanding of the subject matter was clear but it was a challenging topic for the average molder - one final step of relating it to real world examples would be an excellent addition for future presentations.

"Design for Dollars" Steve Osborn (Trilogy Plastics, Inc.) 

Steve gave us a real-world insight from a molder's point-of-view on design do's and don'ts. Learning why some things work and what doesn't can save designers (and ultimately the molder) can save people a lot of dollars.

"Demonstration of Design Principles in a Commercial Product" Paul Arato (Arato Designs) 

Paul analyzed a recent design for good rotational molding design guidelines.

"Balance in Design: Achieving Customer Required Features & Moldability for the Rotational Molder" Gregory Stout: (Blue-Reed, Inc.) 

Greg 'Who'da thunk he was a comedian' Stout gave us an entertaining review of several designs that he has worked on recently highlighting the design process and steps that went in to making them successful. I think the 'crappy' dog-poop collector might have won a design award....

"Predicting Strength of Rotomolded Parts Using Computer-Aided Engineering” Chuck Milton (Tennant Corporation) 

Chuck's work on computer aided analysis has wide-ranging implications for the industry. The models developed so far have shown good correlation to a point but they understand the direction that they need to pursue and the material data required to support this. I look forward to seeing a future update on Phases 2 ½ and 3 ¼.

"Changing Face of Manufacturing in America" Promod Vohra (College of Engineering and Engineering Technology Northern Illinois University)

Promod is Dean of his college and has a very dramatic and entertaining style. He certainly caught the attention of the audience with his analysis and views on outsourcing (offshoring) and how America must respond immediately with investment in technology. His message had that unique feeling of being reassuring and cautionary at the same time....

"Cryogenic Grinding - Expanding the Range of Materials for the Rotomolding Industry" William Jacobs & Louis Heckmann (Midwest Elastomers Incorporated)

Cryogenic grinding offers the potential for preparation of non-standard materials for rotational molding. Louis reviewed the methods involved and how it can be used for a range of soft, flexible materials - particularly for use in the automotive industry.

"Rapid Prototyping of Design - Low Cost Composite Molds for Rotational Molding" Yogesh M. Vakharia (Iowa City)

Yogesh has been working on producing molds for rapid prototyping for several years. Using high-temperature resins and specially developed coatings he has been able to make molds that can be produced in a short time-period (1-2 weeks) and that are able to operate for a number of cycles in standard production ovens.

"Tractor Cab Roof Analysis and Interior Component Review" Dean Boyce (John Deere)

John Deere works at a level that most rotomolders would start to have nose-bleeds at. They have complex demands for their parts and the engineering resources to solve them. Dean presented a review of the design of a tractor cab roof with all the features built-in for part consolidation and cost saving. Great story.

"Pushing the Envelope - Balancing Product Design with Rotomolding Process Capabilities - A Case Study" Ken Pawlak (Pawlak Plastics Engineering)

Taking up the last spot on the second day is always a challenge for any speaker but Ken Pawlak managed to maintain the attention of the audience and teach a few things about the process of prototype development. He also introduced the interesting concept of an 'external insert' with the steel shelf extension for the fiber-wound tanks shown below. Good job Ken.

Suppliers Booths

The suppliers booths for the event were sold out and made an excellent backdrop to the lunch and dining area for the conference. The suppliers generally reported good traffic and were happy with the enquiries and leads that were made - some people would have liked to see more designers but were happy with the number of molders present.

Sounds like we won't have Phil Dodge much longer in the rotomolding world - he's heading for retirement to pursue his lifelong passion for rodeo style bull-riding. Enjoy him while you can.

Larry Cole playing host to part of the organizing committee, Ed, Terry and yours truly..

Look at the balance of this shot - Dirk Yerian in the foreground, Jim Hummel in the background, dynamic movement of light, the equipment captured in a flowing sweep of cinemagraphic beauty - I should take up photography.

Charlie Busceme providing a warm southern welcome at the ICO booth.

Steve Copeland and Michelle Lightner of Jerico Plastics. 

Clark Boyce and Tom Kirtley of Wheeler Boyce welcoming Jim Lyon of The Plastics Professionals. Clark won top prize at the evening raffle but generously donated it to.... 

...Thomas Venator of Borealis, photographed here telling Nathan King and Gary Engen of Solar Plastics and Tom Kirtley what a wonderful guy Clark Boyce is. 

House Chair Terry Gillian manning the Ferry booth with Joel Martin of Jerico Plastics.

What's that guy from Wheeler doing over at the Norstar booth? Why is Erik Adams falling asleep? And why does Bob Mueller look so serious? Questions, questions..

Jerry and Darlene Niday entertaining Erich Boersch from Germany at their booth.

Reduction Engineering with their super-duper high-res ultra-plasma display - and Doug Cunningham.

Mike Juppe from Cytec playing host to another international visitor Nick Henwood of Matrix Polymers in the UK.

Tracy Bartow and Jeff Brown from Brunk Corporation.

 Bruce Muller and Harry Howard at the Plastics Consulting booth. Old partnerships never die....

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