About Plastics Engineering
Polymer materials and the processes that turn them into products. Courses carry the PLE subject code and are offered through the College of Engineering & Technology. Numbers below 300 are introductory, 300–499 advanced undergraduate, and 500 and above graduate. Prerequisites are enforced at registration.
How the sequence works
Of the 9 PLE courses listed, 2 are introductory (numbers under 300), 1 is advanced undergraduate (300–499). 1 course has no prerequisite and is a reasonable first step. Later courses assume the earlier ones, so read prerequisites before you plan a term — they are enforced at registration and an override from the Plastics Engineering department is the only way around them.
PLE 1500 — Introduction to Plastics 3 cr
Polymer families, properties, and the major processes — extrusion, injection molding, thermoforming, blow molding — with lab exposure to each.
Prerequisite: none.
PLE 2500 — Polymer Materials 3 cr
Polymer structure, molecular weight, crystallinity, thermal transitions, additives, and how each drives properties.
Prerequisite: CHEM 1050.
PLE 3100 — Injection Molding 4 cr
Machine and mold, the molding cycle, process windows, defects and their causes, and scientific molding practice in the lab.
Prerequisite: PLE 1500.
PLE 3300 — Extrusion and Compounding 3 cr
Single- and twin-screw extrusion, die design, downstream equipment, and compounding to a target formulation.
Prerequisite: PLE 1500.
PLE 3500 — Plastics Product and Mold Design 3 cr
Designing parts for moldability — wall sections, ribs, draft, gating — and the basics of mold layout.
Prerequisite: PLE 3100.
PLE 3700 — Polymer Testing and Characterization 3 cr
Mechanical, thermal, rheological, and failure testing, and reading a data sheet critically.
Prerequisite: PLE 2500.
PLE 3900 — Composites 3 cr
Reinforcements, matrices, layup and molding methods, and basic laminate analysis.
Prerequisite: PLE 2500.
PLE 4100 — Sustainable Polymers 3 cr
Recycling streams and limits, bio-based polymers, design for circularity, and life-cycle assessment.
Prerequisite: PLE 2500.
PLE 4900 — Senior Design 3 cr
A team develops a plastics product or process for a sponsor, from material selection through a validated prototype.
Prerequisite: senior standing.
Planning and advising
Your degree audit shows exactly how PLE courses apply to your requirements; this list only shows what is offered. If you are choosing between two courses, deciding when to take a heavy one, or wondering whether a course will run next term, your academic adviser or the Plastics Engineering program office can tell you. Course availability by term is set close to registration and is not guaranteed by anything on this page.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every course, prerequisite, credit value, and department on this page is invented; nothing here describes a real curriculum or a course you can enroll in.