Students: Test Your Design Skills to Win a $1,000 Scholarship!

Ready to rise to the challenge?

PMA has launched a scholarship program, “Surprisingly Versatile Design Competition,” for students enrolled in material sciences, design and engineering programs at technical schools and universities across the nation. The competition will offer three students a chance to win $1,000 based on their ability to exhibit the best use of cast polyurethane to replace a part traditionally made from plastic, rubber or metal. Parts will be judged on the utility of the part in its actual application. Winners will show their work during an expense-paid trip to the PMA Annual Meeting and Supplier Showcase in Las Vegas, Nev.

Some important deadlines:
Project papers must be submitted by January 15, 2010 via the PMA website or email.

Winners will be notified by March 11, 2010.

Scholarships will be given at the PMA’s 2010 Annual Meeting, May 8-11, at Harrah’s Casino, Las Vegas.

Want to learn more?

Find full contest rules and regulations at http://www.pmahome.org/Scholarship.aspx. Or join our Facebook Fan page for regular updates.

Let's Be Friends. PMA Joins Facebook

If you haven’t already heard, we’re on Facebook! We have created a Facebook page to share information and promote cast polyurethane.

Plus, Facebook is a great way for our members to connect with one another, as well as with other industry professional and prospective employees. In many ways, Facebook will become another outlet for information for our members and for people interested in cast polyurethane careers.

We will be posting PMA news, press releases, reminders and event information. You will also see pictures from our latest events. We welcome everyone to start discussions on our Facebook wall, friend each other and ask us questions.

If you’re on Facebook, we’d love to be friends. You can find our fan page by searching Polyurethane Manufacturers Association. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can sign up for a profile at http://www.facebook.com/.

We’re looking forward to connecting and hearing from you!

Cast Polyurethane Tells Its Story

The benefits of cast polyurethane—as well as the market’s lack of awareness of those benefits—took center stage in a recent Modern Plastics article titled “Polyurethane: Cast Urethane Makes Its Case.”

Mike Katz, VP of the PMA and president of custom urethane and rubber processor Molded Dimensions, emphasized the need for the industry to educate designers, engineers and the market in urethane’s versatile physical properties, including extreme wear and abrasion resistance.

More education would be a good thing—because the more people learn about this material, the more they like it.

As urethane technology becomes more advanced, traditional barriers to using the material are being lifted. Although polyurethane still can’t handle the high heat of automotive engine applications, it can now be used in warmer applications increasing the service life of products from fan belts to tires. Meanwhile, the FDA has even approved cast urethane to be a replacement for stainless steel. Urethane processors are looking ahead to more advances in the higher heat tolerances of the material.

On the machining side, current metering and mixing equipment represent a vast improvement. The new systems offer greater precision and a more consistent product from part to part for customers.

If you have a cast polyurethane success story that needs to be told, let us know! We’d love to hear from you. We are always looking for PMA member stories to share.

Have an idea? Shoot us an email at rjennings@insidesh.com.