NAPLES, Fla., December 13, 2021 – Kruse Training Inc., a leading developer of interactive online training programs for part/mold designers and processing engineers, will launch the first virtual reality training program for the injection molding industry at the Plastics Technology Expo 2022 (PTXPO) March 29-31, in Chicago. Show attendees can try out the new virtual reality product and Kruse will offer giveaways and hold a raffle for three Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets.
“Our goal is to create virtual reality classes for injection molding processors and teach users how to become “VR Molding Experts” so they can prepare for work on an actual shop floor,” said Torsten Kruse, president of Kruse Training. “These VR molding classes are being developed to support, not replace, a molding company’s hands-on process training initiatives.”
The new virtual reality program, which is a component of Kruse’s Molding Process Development training section, will allow process engineers to walk and work through individual molding set-ups and processing tasks, giving them the skills and confidence to advance to the next level of molding challenges.
Plastic injection molding is a complex scientific manufacturing process that requires a methodology for setting up, according to Kruse. Kruse’s new Molding Process Development section, scheduled for launch in early February 2022, trains process engineers how to prepare and set up a molding cell, make necessary pre-process development preparations, and develop a new molding process. It provides a step-by-step guide that can be adapted to any new molding process development project. The Molding Process Development section of Kruse Training (10 lessons) will be available at www.krusetraining.com in the standard online format.
Building on the Molding Process Development online lessons, the new VR training will teach users how to install and set up the sequencing from mold open to close, part ejection, and other optional mold functionalities. After preparing the molding machine and peripheral devices, and setting up the initial mold and ejector movements, users can develop and execute a process development strategy.
Kruse VR technology provides “access” to a molding shop floor, allowing users to take a mold from storage by overhead crane to the machine and install it, hook up water, install other peripheral devices, prepare the polymer material, and finally start the mold set-up and process development.
As part of the program, Kruse is also developing VR Training and Certification initiative whereby users will train within a molding shop floor consisting of 8-10 molding machines, each with a different mold. As a student develops new skills, they will progress from machine to machine, learning new and more complex process development sequences for each mold. A student will earn credits when they follow the set-up procedures correctly. Upon mastering the first process development task, they progress to the next one on the floor. Each new machine, peripheral devices, and mold will become more complex to set up. Kruse Training will offer VR Molding Expert certification for successful completion of the VR training levels.
The goal of Kruse Training is to help companies create a “Circle of Knowledge” to make knowledge flow freely between part designers, mold designers, and process engineers, so each role can benefit from each other’s expertise and fill knowledge gaps. “As the product development cycle becomes shorter, it’s crucial for companies to improve collaboration and communication between different teams in the early development stage,” says Kruse. The online training program permits companies to cross-train professionals from different roles, enabling them to collaborate better and develop synergistic solutions to move design forward with better manufacturability.
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About Kruse Training
Kruse Training is an online knowledge and training solution for part designers, mold designers, and senior process engineers. Subscription-based and future-oriented, this interactive online program imparts both foundational and expert knowledge. The Kruse Training platform is designed to present information in a logical sequence. The unique “focused-learning” system combines animations, simulations, videos, quizzes, and multimedia presentations that build skills and increase confidence.
The goal of Kruse Training is to develop synergistic teams of cross-trained professionals who can successfully design and mold plastic components.
When knowledge flows from the part designer to the mold designer to the process engineer, and back again, a “Circle of Knowledge” is created within the team. For more information, visit www.krusetraining.com.
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J. Grande communications Inc.
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