Plastic injection moulding manufacturer Pentagon Plastics has welcomed students from London South Bank University and separately, engineering students from the University of Brighton to its manufacturing facilities.
Paul Edwards, Pentagon Managing Director, started education days to give students hands-on experience, enhanced insight into design for manufacture and the opportunity to better understand the plastic injection moulding process.
Whilst visiting the Sussex-based company, students were shown a presentation on all aspects of the business and asked questions to further enhance their understanding.
A tour of the premises followed, including the newly acquired site of Phoenix Engineering. The final stage of the day involved visiting the post moulding department, which is an expanding element of the business.
Students at Pentagon Plastics
Steven Smith, University of Brighton tutor, said: “Visits to companies like Pentagon Plastics are crucial to students’ understanding of industrial processes like injection moulding and tool making. In university lectures, we can describe the theory, but witnessing the operation in practice is an experience that will stay with them all their professional lives. And the better they understand the constraints (and opportunities) of these materials and processes, the more likely it is that they, and their ideas, will succeed.
“We are really grateful to Paul for his expert insights and to Gabby for setting the visit up and opening the students’ eyes to what is possible.”
The team at Pentagon Plastics and Phoenix Engineering enjoy sharing their knowledge through these types of educational events and appreciate their role in shaping the product designers and engineers of the future, which is essential for growth within UK manufacturing, given the current skills gap that the industry faces.
The team says it is looking forward to welcoming more students in the future, not only those in higher education but also those of school age who have a keen interest in this highly skilled industry.