Curriculum and Majors: The Department of Polymer Materials Engineering
Plastics engineering and polymers is a multi-disciplinary profession. In order to perform this intricate and multi-disciplinary
position, graduates in plastics engineering must be trained and qualified in basic studies like: mathematics, physics, general and organic chemistry, polymer chemistry and computer science. On the basis of the general studies, engineering is taught, including: process and manufacture engineering, heat transfer principles, fluid flow, trenngth of materials, material science (including ceramics and metals) and product design. The studies include work in labs and workshops.
The department offers the following majors:
- Packaging and Green Plastics: Packaging is one of the most important and significant sectors of the plastics market and constitutes over 25% of the total market. The main reason for that is the need to preserve food products and medicine, as well as many other consumer goods.
This implies that efficient ways for the recycling and disposal of the packaging materials have to be used, such as biological or chemical degradation, and finding replacement raw materials instead of the ever dwindling oil resources, which will be naturally degradable.
This objective of this major is to provide the students with a wide knowledge base and tools for a more complete understanding of the following aspects: the engineering and technology of various packaging types, polymers and green plastics, implementation of innovative processes and environmental considerations while planning and designing products as well as material selection, taking into account functional engineering aspects and environmental concerns. - Design with plastic materials, products, 3D printing and molds: Product design, as well as tool design, materials selection and manufacture processes are all integral parts of the specialization of the plastics engineer. The success of a product rests a lot on the geometric functional design, esthetic/design appeal and total costs of the manufacturing. Moving from the idea phase into production requires intelligent planning, which incorporates all these components.
The objective of this major is to teach the students the integrated design tools that comprise: basic knowledge and skill of computers, teaching and use of designated software for interactive design and simulation (3D prototyping, mechanical design, mold and tools design, structure analysis, and more), the principles of visual and functional product design, product design from an engineering point of view, the principles of molds and tools design, design and materials selection from an engineering point of view, as well as design, analysis and selection of processes.
The curriculum of this major provides training for systematic design in a wide variety of design objectives, especially mechanically or physically complex. The program also includes implementation of strategies for optimal material and processes selection using designated modular software. - Bio-Medical Materials Engineering: Bio-Medical engineering is growing in Israel and worldwide at a fast pace. The development of communication infrastructure, computer technology and data treatment also contribute to the development of bio-medical engineering.
These developments increase the market’s demand for innovative medical devices, diagnostic appliances, tissue renewal products and the manufacture of body parts using compatible polymers.
The objective of this major is to qualify researchers and engineers for plastics and chemical engineering and provide them with the tools enabling them to deal with complex problems requiring multi-disciplinary knowledge and understanding of the various biological systems, as well as of the recent developments of the various engineering fields.
The curriculum is designed to meet the scientific, engineering and technological challenges introduced by this innovative field. The graduates of this major will be engineers qualified to work in the bio-medical industry, as well as in other engineering industries.