Helping to Feed the Industry

Erie, Pennsylvania-based Plastikos and Micro Mold help to feed the industry with future qualified skilled worker by supporting local high school manufacturing educational programs with necessary equipment.  

Of note is their work with Central Tech High School to revitalize its Tool & Die Program. Central Tech offers one of the few remaining programs in the Erie region that focuses on mold manufacturing and plastic processing for high school students.  

Plastikos and Micro Mold donated a 60-ton DeMag injection molding machine to Central Tech, which will give the students hands-on training to complement their technical education, preparing them for future career opportunities in manufacturing, moldmaking and plastics. 

“We strategically replace a couple of Plastikos’ molding machines each year as we pursue the new technology. We maintain all of our presses, so whenever we replace a press, it is highly sought after on the used equipment market.  In this case, the timing with Central Tech was perfect. The press ran very well in production and was well maintained throughout its life at Plastikos, so it should serve as a great hands-on training resource for the Central Tech students for many years to come,” says Micro Mold General Manager Ryan Katen.

Mark Mikolajczak, Instructor for Central Tech’s manufacturing program commented, “This is a growing industry. More and more jobs are opening up without enough people to supply jobs for tool and die makers. We are trying to feed the industry with more qualified students."

At Central Tech students gain experience in tool and die fabrication, precision machining and plastic injection molding through courses such as Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), Laser Engraving, Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), as well as mold troubleshooting and debug skills.