Suggested GRCC Program:
Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences
Note: This program is articulated with the bachelor’s degree programs in Manufacturing Engineering Technology and in Plastics Engineering Technology at Ferris State University.**
The plastics forming industry continues to grow nationally and locally. An increasing variety of automotive parts, household goods, sports equipment, furniture, toys and machinery parts are formed from plastic.
The Plastics Manufacturing Technology program trains people for jobs as laboratory technicians, mold designers, production supervisors, mold technicians and plastics machinery maintenance technicians for the rapidly growing local plastics forming industry. There are over 150 plastics processing plants in Western Michigan that need trained people. These manufacturers and the Western Michigan Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers have indicated that excellent employment opportunities exist in plastics manufacturing and that trained workers are in short supply.
Injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, thermoforming and many secondary processes are studied in the program. Since injection molding is the most prevalent of these processes, it is emphasized. Some advanced-standing credit may be granted to entering graduates of high school machine tool and drafting programs that are members of the Kent Metropolitan Articulation Project.
The following sequence of classes is presented as a guide only. Courses may be taken in any order as long as all requirements (including prerequisites) are met.
Total Credits: 63
* These classes may not transfer into FSU’s Bachelor of Science in Plastics Engineering Technology degree program.
** Some colleges require EN 101 and EN 102 for a bachelor’s degree.
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