For twenty years, students from the Milwaukee Institute of Design have been visiting Matt Bushman, President of Plasticraft Corp in Darien, Wisc. every fall to learn about the rotational molding process. And every spring Bushman visits the Materials and Methods III class taught by Senior Professor Pascal Malassigné to review students’ designs for their rotational molding assignment.
On April 26, Bushman reviewed the rotomolded product design projects of 20 juniors. Projects included designs for children’s toys, outdoor furniture, gardening equipment, pet structures, and more. Most of the projects will be submitted to ARM’s Student Design Scholarship (due May 31, 2016).
Bushman gave advice to students on the challenges they would face if their designs were brought to reality and how to modify their designs to reduce cost. He also gave them estimated tooling and part costs to help with their entries in the scholarship competition.
“The design process is a collaborative event that occurs over a long period of time,” Bushman explained to a student during their design review.
Pascal Malassigné teaches students in his Materials and Methods III class about many manufacturing processes in addition to rotational molding. They tour extrusion, injections, and thermoforming plants. He and the Milwaukke Institute of Art and Design create opportunities for students to collaborate with GM, Delta Faucet, and other companies in a variety of design contests.
Bushman and Malassigné have been raising awareness of rotational molding among young designers for decades. We hope this inspires you to reach out to your local design school to offer tours, share information about the scholarship, and push in to design classrooms. If you choose to get involved, be sure to let ARM know so we can help.
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