About 20 students from Woodridge Middle School’s industrial arts 1 class recently took a field trip to a Fenton-area manufacturing company to learn more about injection molding.
Ryan Mueller, 25, of Fenton, who is in his second year teaching industrial arts at the Northwest R-1 School District’s Woodridge Middle School, said he is fascinated with plastic injection molding – the process of injecting molten plastic into a mold that is pressurized to create a desired shape – and wanted to find a way to incorporate the technique into his classroom. So, he reached out to the local business to get some direction.
“I initially reached out to Buckert Mold and Machine Co. to ask if they could create a golf tee mold for my class, as one of our projects involves making the ‘triangle game’ often found on tables at Cracker Barrel restaurants,” Mueller said. “In prior classes, once students made the wooden triangle base, I would simply give them golf tees to complete the game. However, this year, I wanted to incorporate injection molding into the project by having students mold plastic golf tees using an injection molding machine I had recently purchased.”
Mueller met with Don Urban, the owner of Buckert Mold and Machine Co., and the company’s mechanical and manufacturing engineer, Dave Urban, to discuss the golf tee mold.
“What I expected to be a brief 10-minute meeting turned into a full tour of the facility. Dave generously spent a couple of hours at the end of his workday guiding me through the plant, answering questions and educating me on the intricacies of the injection molding process,” Mueller said.
He said Dave Urban played a crucial role in the injection molding lessons for Mueller’s class.
“If you were to search for an injection molding curriculum for middle school, you wouldn’t find much. I created a draft of the unit (of study) and sat down with Dave, who provided invaluable input to ensure the information was accurate and complete. His expertise was essential in creating a unit that thoroughly covered the injection molding process,” Mueller said.
Mueller said Dave Urban also suggested the industrial arts class visit the plant for a field trip, which they took on Feb. 28.
“This visit allowed students to see all the concepts and topics we had learned over the month in a real-world, hands-on setting,” Mueller said. “Dave even went the extra mile to ensure that each student could take home a product fresh off the machine. He reached out to a local businessman who sells plastic card holders for playing cards and card games where it would be difficult to hold a lot of cards with your hands and gained permission to use their mold during the tour so students could take home two card holders.”
When it came to creating the mold for the golf tee pegs, Buckert Mold and Machine Co. designed and donated three molds to Mueller’s class, with Don Urban first crafting a prototype mold from aluminum and then producing two more from industrial-grade hardened steel.
“These molds are one of a kind and practically indestructible. They will likely outlast me and probably the next shop teacher, too. The mold-making process was documented on video and incorporated into the injection molding curriculum,” Mueller said.
“Seeing the process from concept to mold creation to the final product deepens their understanding of manufacturing and engineering in a way that traditional classroom instruction cannot.”
The students said they enjoyed the injection molding unit and field trip.
“The field trip was very fun, and I got to learn many new things. The machines were super cool, and seeing the process of them being made was amazing,” eighth grader Colton Sherrill said. “I love pretty much everything in Mr. Mueller’s class. He does everything very well. I have learned so much in my little time in his class. My favorite project, if I had to pick, would be the injection molding unit.”
Seventh grader Zoe Prewitt said she, too, was happy she got to go on the field trip.
“Buckert provides a lot of visuals on what they do on a daily basis and what the machines do. Dave was very helpful and amazing at explaining what the machines do and how they work,” Prewitt said.
She said her favorite part of Mueller’s class has been woodworking.
“To see a piece of wood and turn it into something, whether it’s a decoration or a family game, the process and the end product is an absolutely amazing adventure,” Prewitt said.
The students have already started the production of their “triangle games,” and once they finish making the wooden bases, they will create the pegs in class using the injection molding machine. Mueller said.
He said he us grateful for all the help Buckert Mold and Machine Co. offered during the project.
“[The experience with Buckert] has been invaluable, offering not only their expertise, but also their generosity in creating and donating custom molds for the class,” Mueller said. “My students simply would not have had this opportunity without their kindness and generosity. Their support has had a lasting impact on me, my classroom and my students.”