Hurricane Potential Reminds Us to Prepare

The US has had a few quiet years in terms of hurricanes, but now that we have Erika causing damage and we look back at the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina it’s time to review. Are we ready for a hurricane, or even a tropical storm? Lots of resources are available and we wanted to share a few to help.

Of course, The Weather Channel is a great place, either on TV, their app, or weatherchanel.com. They have a special section just for hurricane information.

If you have not visited lately. Ready.gov provides a whole series of great things from checklists to things like, how to talk to your children, how to plan and more like How to build a disaster preparedness kit. Even if a big hurricane does not hit this year, the peace of mind and the little time it takes up front is well worth it.

The Red Cross also has an easy to search library that is full of great tools to help you prepare for natural events such as hurricanes, snow storms (yes winter is on its way too), and much more. Plus, you can join in and help those affected by disasters by finding locations to donate blood or volunteer. We all want to help, but sometimes the best way is to join up with a long-time organization like The Red Cross who’s organized efforts have helped millions. Find out more by visiting their site.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) also has great information and an important reminder. In a disaster you may not have access to a computer, cell phone, tablet – all those things we’ve come to rely on heavily for fast access to information and storing information may not be availab le to you, so keep some old fashioned paper stuff on hand too.

Most importantly, start now. We’ve all seen the news reports of empty store shelves and people lining up to get gas, water, and plywood to board up windows and doors. Starting well ahead of time can save you time and reduce your stress level, knowing you won’t need to make that mad dash for supplies, or – what did you forget.

Lastly, take a look at your home and what you can do there to improve. Many residential homes and businesses use plywood to secure windows and doors, but AIN Plastics Florida has researched and found a better way that lets you put up hurricane protection on windows and doors ahead of time because it’s easy, reusable and it lets in the light! We call this material HurriGuard®

HurriGuard Panel

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HurriGuard® has passed missile testing and is Miami Dade County approved for hurricane protection. (MIAMI DADE APPROVAL: 13-1126.21 FLORIDA APPROVAL: 16699) What is HurriGuard®? It’s actually a triple wall polycarbonate which makes it very strong and very lightweight. In fact, individuals can often install their own because it weighs about 1/4 what an average sheet of plywood weighs. The polycarbonate sheets come in sizes up to 4×8 and they can be cut to size. A channel system installed around the window allows for the panels to be installed within a short time and, unlike plywood they can be reused. Plywood soaks up water leaving it damaged and only good for a one-time use but HurriGuard® has a 10 year warranty against UV degredation. As a Florida business AIN Plastics Florida is happy to provide such a quality product. We have it in stock and ready to ship within Florida. If you have more questions please feel free to call us at 813-242-9162 or visit the HurriGuard® website.

In addition to windows and doors here are a few other things to check for:
Are rain/storm gutter clean and clear of debris?
If you currently have hurricane shutters are they in working order?
Be sure any loose objects are put away or secured
Remove any damaged or dead trees or shrubs
Check your roof and make sure shingles, tiles etc. are in good repair

 

 

Scott Moore

Branch Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division

TKMNA Talent Program Team Takes on New Challenges

As the Song Goes…Guess Who’s Back, Back Again…

What an incredible experience! As of May 28th, I have completed ThyssenKrupp Materials
NA Sales Talent Development Program. Woohoo! I’m very thankful for this opportunity to gain experience in not only sales, but other departments such as operations, purchasing, and finance. My journey through the program was from AIN Plastics, to Copper and Brass, Class II of the Sales Talent Development Program included Left to right Louis Szilagyi, Chris Porritt, Jon Lown, and Front Becca Reidythen onto ThyssenKrupp Industrial Services, next up was ThyssenKrupp Aerospace and I also spent a week at KenMac Metals. Through the rotations, I had the opportunity to go on sales calls and see the applications of our materials for TKMNA. I saw everything from cranial baby helmets being produced to seeing the F-150 stamping plant and touring the Boeing facility that could fit 75 NFL football fields inside it to riding along on the BMW test track!

Pictured to the right is Class II of the Sales Talent Development Program which included (left to right) Louis Szilagyi, Chris Porritt, Jon Lown, (and front) Becca Reidy

New Image

Pictured Above: Jon Lown Chris Porritt, Louis Szilagyi, Becca Reidy, and Talent Program Director Heather Clark of TKMNA, NA.

 

image002-1I am happy to say, since completing the program, I began my Inside Sales position at AIN Plastics on July 1st. First, I’m heading down to our Kennesaw Branch to learn as much as I can from our team about the machine shop at Kennesaw, GA and all the value-added services. February 1st, I will be off to Dallas to join our team and settle in. I’m looking forward to applying all my skills that I have developed over this past year and seeing the results. I know it’s not going to be easy. Sales can be tough; you win some and lose some. It’s a lot like sports. You dedicate a lot of time and effort toward an account and sometimes you come out with a loss. Sometimes you get in ruts, but with the support of your team and a good sense of work ethic you break the bad streak. And all that hard work will be worth the results.

I want to send out a big thank you for everyone who has made my journey along the way a great experience and I’m excited to start working with my AIN team. If anyone has any questions on my journey or the other divisions I visited feel free to contact me. I would love to discuss my journey in more detail.

 

Becca Reidy

Inside Sales
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

rebecca.reidy@thyssenkrupp.com

To read more about Becca and the journey of the Sales Talent Development Team Visit these other posts.

Chris Porritt Talks AIN Plastics and Talent Development Program

AIN Acquires New Talent Through TKMNA Program

What’s That Plastic?

Have you ever come across a plastic material, a sheet, rod, or tube, in your shop or warehouse with no label and no way to determine exactly what it is? This can be a difficult challenge due to incredible number of variations that include all the machinable engineering plastics plus all the fillers and additives used to enhance or improve aspects of an engineering plastic’s performance under specific conditions.
However, there are some things you can do to get off to a good start on narrowing down the options.
We’ve put together a handy infographic on some simple do it yourself tests and how the most popular engineering plastics will react to them.

In addition to these methods take a look at our blog post on using the Burn / Flame Test to Identify Plastic Materials

 

DuPont Vespel for Aerospace, There Is No Substitute

There Simply Is No Substitute

Every time there is an accident in the air, the tragedy flashes across the news wires in a matter of minutes.  Most recently, a Blackhawk Helicopter exploded and we lost 11 of our Marine and Army troops. Most certainly we can all list a number of other incidents in the past year where many more lives have been lost. The cause of each and every incident is studied to the greatest possible lengths in order to improve safety and overall, air travel is extremely safe. I personally fly thousands of miles each year to visit customers and my wife is a former flight attendant who recently retired after a long career. But, no matter how safe flying is, it never lessens the loss when tragedy occurs.

Knowing the aerospace industry as I do I cannot help but think just how many people today are full of worry over every detail of a downed aircraft like the Blackhawk Helicopter, or the plane that slide off the runway in New York. What was the cause, was it a part failure, weather? Teams will do their absolute best to find out.

My work with engineering plastic materials at AIN Plastics, and DuPont™ Vespel® in particular, takes me to many aerospace facilities. Recently I was visiting a facility that makes the transmission and drive train components that are used in many of today’s military helicopters.  Every time I visit one of these facilities I must say I am amazed and impressed at the amount of testing and technology that goes into each and every one of these components.

For good reason, plastics like DuPont™ Vespel® have become a common component in many aerospace applications.  They help with weight reduction, reduce the need for lubrication, and increase the efficiency of the systems.  In some cases engineering plastics outperform traditional metals.

Make Sure It’s the Real Deal
Every time I hear a news report about an incident with an aircraft I truly hope that the failure was not caused by somebody taking a specification from an aircraft or aerospace customer and deciding to substitute a less expensive material that seems to be equivalent in place of the OEM specified material.  Throughout my years in the plastics industry I have seen this happen. Sometimes it may be done innocently enough with the thought they are getting something equivalent but saving a few dollars. However substitutions occur if an OEM specification is not met it can become a huge issue for the machine shop that made the part if or when part failure occurs.

Even recently there have been reported instances of DuPont™ Vespel® shapes being machined into smaller diameter counterfeit rod from larger diameter rod by unauthorized resellers.  In these instances, the unauthorized resellers attempt to sell the product as Authentic DuPont™ Vespel® shapes to unsuspecting machine shops.  They even go as far as altering the original Certificate of Conformance (CoC) to reference the smaller diameter.  These altered CoCs do not contain the correct lot number information intended to match product size and composition for traceability purposes. The bad news in all of this is that these ground rods don’t meet the ASTM D 6456-99, MIL-R-46198 or the OEM specifications. It may not seem like a big difference, but the fact is the characteristics of these ground rods do differ from rod made by DuPont’s proprietary isostatic molding process.

Please, make sure that when DuPont™ Vespel® is specified on a print by an OEM that you validate that your supplier is selling you Authentic DuPont™ Vespel® material.  Time and again places have found it is worth working with an authorized distributor like AIN Plastics to ensure they get the real deal.  I am very proud to say that AIN Plastics has a long history of being an Authorized Distributor and we stock only authentic DuPont™ Vespel®.

Photo---Paul-Hanson---ThumbnailPaul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager
DuPont Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

email: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

A Plastics Guy in the Glass Industry

One of the most fascinating things about the Engineering Plastics Industry is that these materials are used in every industry, at least every industry I’ve come across so far, and that’s a lot! So when I recently visited a glass manufacturing plant I wasn’t entirely surprised to find they had a need for plastics.

As Old as Humans 
Glass was discovered by stone-age hunters in the form of obsidian long before it was first manufactured in any form. The first manufactured glass that we know of dates to Mesopotamia in the 16th century BC. In this day and age it’s hard to imagine a world without our automated glass manufacturing techniques. All you have to do is look at skyscrapers in any city. The beautiful glass that you see on the outside is engineered and produced to some amazing standards.  The same is true of the safety glass in every automobile on the road.  Without automated lines that take the sand, sodium carbonate, and calcium carbonate (soda ash and lime) through the process, cars would not be the same. Modern glass has improved safety, part life, and given designers a freedom to create a virtually endless array of shapes.

Modern-Day Glass Factories
Where do plastics enter into the modern-day glass factory? Inside glass plants, technology has led to many innovations that keep prices down and the design capabilities endless.  Automation allows glass to be consistently formed, tinted, laminated, and packaged, and all at high speeds compared to earlier methods. In this process the conveyors rather than humans handle the glass from furnace to delivery on the factory floor.  To keep the lines moving, glass is sent across conveyor lines while it is still at extremely high temperatures. This has created some challenges on the manufacturing side to be able to move the glass in a way that is gentle enough that the fresh material is not scratched, marred or broken. This is where Engineering Plastics offer benefits to the glass manufacturer as it can minimize these issues.

Glass Stops
Illustrations---Glass-HandlingOver the years glass plants have made stops, a small piece that acts as a ‘bumper’ of sorts. Glass hits the stop which helps to cushion and redirect hot glass as it moves along conveyor lines. Some plants have used phenolics or other plastics to make glass stops. Although these materials work, customers tell us they need to be replaced often as the high temperature of the glass degrades the plastic stops. DuPont™ Vespel® is a unique family of polyimide materials that many glass manufactures have moved to  because of their ability to withstand the high temperatures and impact of hot glass.  As one of the highest performing materials for high temperature environments, engineers have designed rollers, stops, fingers, and wear strips out of DuPont™ Vespel®.  In addition to performing well under extreme heat DuPont™ Vespel® has been noted for its ability to handle the constant impact of glass without deformation or causing marring, scratching, or breakage of the glass. While this material is not inexpensive, customers continue to specify DuPont™ Vespel® due to benefits that include  –

  • Reduced downtime of lines to replace stops
  • Reduced furnace downtime to cool and reheat while production lines are down
  • Minimize product loss due to scratches or other damage
  • Decrease downtime to clean up after product breakage occurs

In a recent application in an auto glass factory, we replaced a graphite based material used to make glass stops with DuPont™ Vespel® SCP-5050.  The customer reported the service life of the stops improved over 5000%! It’s a great reminder to me as we look at engineering plastics that it’s not all about the initial cost of the material, it’s about the savings and improvements to your manufacturing process that can happen when you choose the right engineering plastic for the job. So, feel free to call up your local plastics professional when you are looking for improvements. We may or may not be the right fit, but if we are, you’ll be glad you made the call.

Photo---Paul-Hanson---ThumbnailPaul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager
DuPont Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

email: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

For more information about Engineering Plastics for Glass Stops download a pdf here Flyer – Glass Handling w Vespel 01-15

For more information about AIN Plastics please visit our website at ainplastics.com

Chris Porritt Talks AIN Plastics and TKMNA Talent Program

As a participant in the ThyssenKrupp Materials NA Sales Talent Development Program I am in my third rotation of working at different TKMNA Divisions. My current home is at Copper and Brass sales. I was hired by ThyssenKrupp out of Central Michigan University, where I majored in Law and Economics (Econ. Degree). I learned about ThyssenKrupp through my professional sales and marketing fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon. Representatives from ThyssenKrupp Materials NA came to one of our networking nights and I got to speak face to face with Heather Clark, Director of the talent program and Evan Van Buhler about the STDP and the different MBU’s of TKMNA. I was interested in ThyssenKrupp because I knew that it was a huge company where I could grow and develop in-depth knowledge of different industries and have a wide variety of experiences.

The TMX Aerospace Division of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA hired me straight out of CMU and I spent almost three months in Seattle this summer learning about their business. I really enjoyed my time with TMX this summer, and I look forward to heading back to Seattle, once my time in the Talent Program is done, to start my new role with them. For the past two months I have been with the AIN Plastics Division which is based in Madison Heights, Michigan. My experiences with AIN Plastics have been wide-ranging and I have really enjoyed my time working with the team at AIN. During my three months my I spent time with the Inside Sales team, Outside Sales teams at several branches, the Business Development team in Kennesaw, as well as time in the warehouse in Madison Heights and the machine shop in Kennesaw, Georgia. During my rotation with AIN, I have also had various projects that were assigned to me. These include reports on: productivity, consignment, CRM tools, and long-term projects involving the other members of the STDP and our mentor projects. These projects have been invaluable to me, in terms of working on my time-management skills and increasing my knowledge of AIN’s business processes. They have helped me to build skills that I will carry into my new position once I return to TMX Aerospace. Additionally my rotations are giving me a better understanding of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA as a whole company.

Lastly, during my AIN rotation I was fortunate to be invited to take part in their National Sales Meetings and President’s club Awards Banquet where AIN team members are honored for achievements over the past year. It was an amazing experience. I attended Branch Manager meetings where I got to see some of the metrics that are used to gauge AIN Plastics performance each year. From there we all attended breakout sessions where we brainstormed idea’s to save money and increase revenue. I learned a lot from spending time with people who have been with AIN Plastics and in the plastics industry in general for many years. The rest of the time at the National Sales Meeting was spent with representatives from some of our suppliers and then we had the presentations for The President’s Club Awards. I really enjoyed my time at the National Sales Meetings. It was a time where I formed some great relationships with various AIN employees that I know will last into my future years with ThyssenKrupp. (See more about the AIN Plastics NSM and President’s Club Awards)

My time with AIN Plastics has been a wonderfully positivel experience and I can’t say enough about the AIN Plastics team. I could really feel the family atmosphere at the different branches I visited and that is something that you do not see often at companies the size of AIN Plastics. It has been an honor to work with the AIN Plastics team and I look forward to continuing working with AIN and the rest of TKMNA.

 

Photo---Chris-PorrittChris Porritt
Sales Trainee
TKMNA Sales Talent Program

www.tkmna.com

AIN Plastics Culture of Safety Is Something to Be Thankful For

As AIN Plastics begins a new year for their business, yes October is our New Year, we find ourselves doing what many people and businesses do this time of year. We take a look back and reflect on our successes and our challenges, be thankful for all of our teammates, suppliers, and last but not least, our customers. It is also a time when we celebrate our achievements.

Part of that celebration for AIN Plastics is the annual President’s Club Awards Banquet where various achievements by branches and individuals are recognized. Each year the very first awards given are the Gold Safety Awards.  It’s another way in which AIN Plastics puts safety first in all ways. These awards are given to branches who have gone one year or more with no safety incidents. As Operation Manager, I am honored to preside over these awards and this year I was happy to be handing out a large number of plaques. Out of 12 branches 11 received the Gold Safety Award.

AIN Plastics and ThyssenKrupp as a whole are highly dedicated to providing the safest possible work environment for everyone. People from each Division make up a team that has dedicated themselves to building not just procedures and processes, but rather a culture of safety, and this year’s awards for AIN Plastics are showing that our Culture of Safety is going strong.

Our newest AIN Plastics locations in St. Louis and Dallas are on the list with two years each and others are climbing, but one location stands out above all others. The AIN Plastics Madison Heights Branch now has 16 years with no incidents. Jeff Garden, Branch Manager says he could not do it without having a great team in place. That includes everyone at their branch as well as the ThyssenKrupp Divisional members involved in making safety a number one priority for everyone throughout ThyssenKrupp. “It’s something we live each and every day,” says Jeff Garden.

1 Year – Tampa, FL Branch Manager, Scott Moore
2 Years – St. Louis, MS Branch Manager, Chris Urban
2 Years – Dallas, TX Branch Manager, DJ Jantz
2 Years – Machine Shop, Kennesaw, GA, Manager, Stephan Hochheiser
3 Years – Yonkers, NY Branch Manager, John Colleluori
5 Years – Columbus, OH Branch Manager, Scott Gibler
6 Years – Lancaster, PA Branch Manager, Terry Tewell
7 Years – Canton, MA Branch Manager, Scott Lane
7 Years – Bensenville, IL Branch Manager,, Todd Ziedonis
9 Years – Virginia Beach, VA Branch Manager, Dan Shields
16 Years – Madison Heights, MI, Branch, Manager, Jeff Garden
Jeff Garden, Madison Heights Branch Manager

You might also notice a round circle on one of the plaques on the Madison Heights wall. That plaque is from 2010 and in that year the entire AIN Plastics Division had 0 incidents! So, as we mark these milestones it’s a great time to be thankful for a lot of things here at AIN Plastics. As William Rogers, Warehouse Supervisor for AIN Plastics Virginia Beach put it, “We sell plastics, but we give service.” That includes service to each other in the form of building a culture of safety.

Theresa Gestewitz

Operations Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division

Photo---Theresa-Gestewitz

 

About Theresa Gestewitz –
Ms. Gestewitz began her career with ThyssenKrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division 20 years ago. Her first role was Buyer at AIN Plastics Lancaster, PA facility. She has also held additional positions as Office Manager, Corporate Buyer, and Plant Manager. She assumed her Safety Leadership role in 2010.

The Many Uses of UHMW PE

As an Engineering Plastic material UHMW PE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) has many uses in industries as varied as food processing, waste water treatment, heavy equipment, and conveyor lines, just to name a few. To help illustrate UHMW PE’s broad usefulness in manufacturing we have compiled a photo album of UHMW PE in action. In these photos you can see how UHMW has been immersed in wet environments like waste water clarification tanks for up to a year at a time as well as conveyor lines where it is used in numerous applications and exposed to harsh cleaning chemicals and frequent wash downs.

The Many Uses of UHMW PE

UHMW is noted for having a very low coefficient of friction. In other words, UHMW sheet, rod, and tube are all very slippery and that slipperiness has turned out to be very useful in a number of applications. In addition, unlike nylon, another common Engineering Plastic material, UHMW PE has a very low moisture absorption and a good ability to withstand a wide variety of chemicals making it a good option for wet environments and applications that need regular harsh cleaning, like food processing facilities. Also on that point is that UHMW PE is both FDA and USDA compliant which adds to it’s popularity in the food processing industry.

What Customers Are Saying About UHMW PE

The results are in and time and time again we are hearing UHMW PE has gone above and beyond customer expectations. Customers who have shifted to using UHMW PE from other materials where appropriate, have enjoyed good results that include

Increasing the speed of their conveyor lines.
Less breakage of glass containers on bottling lines, even with increased speeds.
Chute liners improve the movement of dry items, like crackers and cereals to flow without the buildi-up of static electricity.
Chute liners in wet environments help to keep material moving and keep augers from binding up which reduces downtime
Quality and Workplace Safety Engineers are turning to UHMW PE parts to reduce noise
Reduction in energy costs! Less friction means less energy is needed

Just a few of the most common uses are

  • Food Processing (bearings and gears, chute liners, wear strips)
  • Material Handling and Packaging (anti-static chute liners, wear strips, bearings and gears)
  • Conveyor Systems (wear strips, gears, chain guides)
  • Marine (covers, doors, fixtures, handles)
  • Waste Water Treatment Facilities (wear strips, paddles, bearings, scraper blades, chute liners)

 

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

_N1C1196-Edit-cropAbout Lisa Anderson
Ms. Anderson has been ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division for over 2 years. She brings 20+ years of advertising, award winning graphic design, social media and marketing. She has worked in book publishing, advertising agencies, printing, manufacturing, and the apartment industry. Ms. Anderson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.

For more on UHMW visit our website.

AIN Plastics Acquires New Talent Through TKMNA Program

Like many companies ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, parent company to the AIN Plastics Division has started to look to internal programs to help existing talent grow within the company and to help new talent find their way to TKMNA and their Divisions.

In 2012 Heather Clark, SPHR, Employee Development Manager for ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, was approached by TKMNA’s president Hans Joseph Hoss about starting a program to help TKMNA attract and develop talent both inside and outside the company. The objective was to increase tools and programs to  support and develop employees, thereby strengthening the TKMNA workforce all around. Heather embraced the task and set out to

  • Develop Programs to attract entry level talent
  • Develop Current Employees especially in the areas of leadership development
  • Attract New Talent through establishing internship programs with universities

One program that is currently benefitting AIN Plastics is TKMNA Sales Talent Development Program and just two years after it’s November 2012 launch, Ms. Clark is happy to announce TKMNA has had their first graduates from the talent program, meanwhile the second class of recent college graduates began the program in June of 2014. This year AIN Plastics jumped in whole heartedly with President John Shepherd taking on the role of Senior Executive to the program. John took a hands on approach and attended career events at several universities across the U.S. including his own Alma Mater, University of Toledo. (Read more…) John worked with ThyssenKrupp Aerospace NA’s Talent Acquisition Manager, Scott Haas who also travels to events around the U.S. to spread the word about TKMNA and to search for talent.  (http://twitter.com/sghaas) Business Development Director, Richard Winter also took on a large part in the selection process for AIN Plastics Division. As a result of the TKMNA Talent Program, AIN Plastics Division brought in Rebecca (Becca) Reidy. Rebecca is a recent graduate of the University of Toledo, and like the others in the program, her interests lay in a sales based career.

Program Director, Heather Clark, noted we have many TKMNA employees move within the company throughout their careers. Two examples of current employees who have found success in growing within the TKMNA company are Shawn Lynam who began in sales, then took on the Business Development Director job for AIN Plastics. Shawn recently became the President of onlinemetals.com. Richard Winter, who has held numerous roles in the AIN Plastics Division, including Branch Manager, is now Business Development Director for AIN. Additionally, TKIS current President, Brian Diephus began in 1985 at Copper and Brass Sales. (Read More…) and the list continues. The TKMNA Talent Program is unique in that it targets people who are interested in sales oriented careers and developing their sales and leadership abilities in TKMNA.  One unique feature of the program is that participants  need to be able to relocate up to four times in their first year before settling in at their full time location which is  determined at the conclusion of the 12 month program.

For example, AIN Plastics Talent Program employee Becca Reidy, is starting her first three months with AIN Plastics in Madison Heights, MI. From there she will spend two months at Copper and Brass Sales, Southfield, MI, two months with TKIS, then it’s onto TK Aerospace in Seattle, WA for two months. Once those are completed Becca will be placed at one of AIN Plastics thirteen locations. During her travels Becca will also complete a one year project for AIN Plastics to further her learning.

DSC_0002Becca said she found the program in a search at her college, University of Toledo. She applied and completed the process this spring. Richard Winter said Becca was chosen out of five finalists who came to Detroit for the TKMNA Talent Program selection process. When asked about why she wanted to work for AIN Plastics, Becca said there were several things that came down to the atmosphere at AIN Plastics and the people as well as how she feels AIN Plastics shares her personal values. She enjoyed how friendly and professional the team is. She also noted that AIN Plastics is a company that tries to always do the right thing, and they really put an emphasis on providing good solid customer service. The program also fit her interest in a sales, or sales related career path. Since her first days with AIN Plastics Becca has enjoyed the work as well as a couple of events and one of AIN Plastics favorite Programs – AINFit. Becca, along with Trevor Drake, John Shepherd, Katie Juneau and their families took part in the recent Mt. Hope Michigan Warrior Run. See more photos on AIN Plastics Facebook. She has also been able to spend time visiting AIN Plastics Suppliers and getting to know the business of plastics distribution.

Congratulations to Becca as she takes off on her first year journey to TKMNA Divisions across the country. For more information on ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, the talent programs offered, and all the Divisions please see the links below or contact Heather Clark at heather.clark@thyssenkrupp.com

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

_N1C1196-Edit-cropAbout Lisa Anderson
Ms. Anderson has been ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division for over 2 years. She brings 20+ years of advertising, award winning graphic design, social media and marketing. She has worked in book publishing, advertising agencies, printing, manufacturing, and the apartment industry. Ms. Anderson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.

TKMNA Talent Program Overview

TKMNA.com website offers information about all TKMNA Divisions and more.

To learn more about AIN Plastics visit us at tkmna.com

Keep up with AIN Plastics on your favorite social media

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Plastic Materials In Robotic Assisted Surgery

Over the course of the past fifteen years I have concentrated heavily on plastics for the medical device industry and I have been fortunate to have witnessed the incredible advancements that have been, and are still being made in this industry. Robotic assisted surgery is surly one of those advancements.

Advancements in Hip and Knee replacement technologies have grown by leaps and bounds from where they were when I began working with device OEM’s and likewise, polymers have advanced quite rapidly too.  Applications utilizing acetals were slowly surpassed by Polyetherimides and Polyphenylsulfones.  Fifteen years ago PEEK was barely known unless you were involved with the Oil and Gas or Aerospace industries.  Now, PEEK is used as a permanent implant in spinal, shoulder, and other applications.  The rapid advancements of plastics has been side by side with as the technology of surgical procedures has progressed.  Another area of growth for plastics in medical uses is that of certain polymers for both non-implant and implantable surgical procedures and these will continue to evolve as the technology moves ahead at warp speed.

Plastic Materials in Robotic Assisted Surgery

This brings me to Robotic Assisted Surgery.  Fifteen years ago as this type of surgery was being developed with funding from both DARPA and NASA (see below for links to information about these agencies),  little was really known about it. I’m sure many of the device manufacturers were aware that one day it would be a reality but I’m not sure how many truly believed that by 2014 it would become as prevalent as it is in todays surgical theater and how much it more it will transcend over the coming years.  Today Robot assisted surgeries have been used in many procedures across many surgical disciplines including joint replacement, open heart surgery, oral surgery and a variety of others. These robot assisted surgeries are more precise than any human can perform and although there is still a surgeon at the controls,  he or she is performing the surgery from a platform that allows the robot to actually make the movements that were once performed by the surgeons hands. The benefits to the patient are numerous and include less bleeding, greater accuracy, and less invasive,  just to name a few.  The future of this technology is virtually unlimited.

This image shows a traditional incision (left) vs. a robotic assisted approach (right).

So why am I writing about robotic assisted surgeries in a blog devoted to Engineering Plastics?  Good question.  Because as we move into the next decade I believe we will see more and more polymers used in these robotic platforms.  Maybe the applications of yesterday will be replaced with applications for the polymers of tomorrow.  If a robot can determine that the UHMW implant for a knee arthroplasty is between  25 mm and 35 mm will there be a need to have eight knee provisional trials for that procedure?  Maybe there will only be a need for four or maybe two or maybe none at all. In this day and age of less being more, as in less material waste and less time to production,  robots could be the best new tool in the medical industry. One thing is certain and that is robotic arms will undoubtedly be using high performance plastics to ensure they can withstand the speed and precision ensure they can be deemed reliable for the long-term.  This leads to the issue of preventative maintenance which will also be imperative in maintaining the effectiveness of these units.  As we move forward, it looks as though robotic assisted platforms are here to stay as well as the plastic that is used in these platforms today and on into the future.

Dave Piperi
ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division
Sales and Marketing Manager
Life Sciences

About Dave Piperi 
Dave is the Sales and Marketing Manager for ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division Life Sciences product offering. His focus is on Medical Device, BioPharma and Analytical Equipment markets. Dave has been with AIN Plastics for 15 years and during his time has held several positions including Sales Manager of AIN Plastics New York and Territory Manager.

Related Articles:

http://www.medgadget.com/2012/04/robot-assisted-prostate-surgery-fares-well-in-study.html

Article looks at the difference in incision between robot assisted and traditional surgery methods.

Keep up on all the latest DARPA news on Twitter DARPA on Twitter

See how DARPA is part of developments in medical as well as advanced prosthetics DARPA on YouTube

Read more about DARPA the Robotics Challenge

Visit the NASA website to get the latest news, connect with their blog, and more