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PLLS 0004 - Plastic Part Failure: Analysis, Design & Prevention

1031590
Instruction Methods In-Person and Live Online
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Course Description

Dive into a broad range of topics essential to understanding and preventing plastic failure.

The most efficient and effective approach to plastic component failure is performing a systematic failure analysis following scientific method. Someone once said, “If you don’t know how something broke, you can’t fix it,” highlighting the importance of a thorough understanding of how and why a product has failed.

Course Outline/Topics

  • Introduction to Plastics
    • Overview of Plastics
    • Composition
    • Properties
    • Plastic Part Failure
    • Failure Correction and Prevention
      • Part Design
      • Mold Design
      • Material Selection
      • Processing
      • Validation Testing
    • Failure of Plastics Overview
    • Failure Mechanisms
    • The Roles of Multiple Factor Concurrency and Statistical Distribution in Plastic Part Failure
  • Failure Analysis
    • Problem Solving / Investigation Techniques – FA and RCA
    • Failure Analysis Test Methods
    • Case Studies

Benefits and Learning Outcomes

  • Name the essentials of why plastic components fail
  • Describe the five factors affecting plastic part performance
  • Identify the process of conducting a failure investigation
  • Recognize the importance of ductile-to-brittle transitions and their role in plastic component failure
  • Assess how and why a product has failed
  • Evaluate approaches to more quickly respond to and resolve plastic component failure
  • Demonstrate methods and techniques to avoid future failures

Who Should Attend

Engineers, scientists, technicians and managers who design, fabricate and manufacture plastic components.

Testimonials

"All the instructors are very knowledgeable and experienced in the Plastics industry. Couse material is very comprehensive and gave a good overview of materials, testing & and analysis, injection molding tooling, process & trouble shooting, and Product Design, Failure Analysis and Prevention. Instructors encouraged participants to ask questions and answered all the questions."
- October 2024 Participant

"All instructors were very knowledgeable and captivating speakers. I also thought the course was organized well."
- October 2023 Participant

Instructors

  • Javier Cruz
  • Erik Foltz
  • Jeffery Jansen
  • Antoine Rios

Partners & Professional Credits

  • Professional Development Hours 22.0 PDHs

Applies Towards the Following Credentials

  • Plastics Technology Certificate : Core
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PLLS 0004 - 261020V

Expand or collapse PLLS 0004 - 261020V
Oct 20, 2026
In-Person, Live Online
Available
$1,645.00
Section Title
Plastic Part Failure: Analysis, Design & Prevention
Type
In-Person or Live Online
Days
T, W, Th
Time
8:00AM to 4:30PM
Dates
Oct 20, 2026 to Oct 22, 2026
Schedule and Location
View Details
Contact Hours
22.0
Location
  • UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education
Instruction Method Options
In-Person  
Live Online  
Course Fee(s)
Registration $1,645.00
Potential Discount(s)
  • Early Bird
CEUs
2.2 CEUs
Cancel Request Deadline
Oct 06, 2026
Transfer Request Deadline
Sep 20, 2026
Instructors
  • Javier Cruz
  • Erik Foltz
  • Jeffery Jansen
  • Antoine Rios

Section Note

Students must choose either in-person or live online as their instruction method at checkout. This choice will apply to the entire course and cannot be changed for individual class meetings. 
Partners & Professional Credits
  • Professional Development Hours
Required fields are indicated by .
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, School of Continuing Education

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sceinfo@uwm.edu

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Erik Foltz

Erik Foltz is a certified professional Moldflow® consultant at The Madison Group. Foltz received his MS from the Polymer Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Foltz’s work concentrates on assisting industrial clients accelerate the product design process through the use of CAE Tools. His specialties include plastic part design verification, process optimization and troubleshooting for injection and compression molding, and plastics failure. He has experience with thermoplastic, thermoset, elastomeric and composite materials. In addition to being a certified Moldflow consultant, he is also a beta user for the Moldflow Plastic Insight product line, which allows him to provide input on the newest solver technologies in the market. Foltz is an active member of the Society of Plastic Engineers where he serves as a board member of the Injection Molding Division.

Professional Development Hours

PLLS 0004 - 261020V - Plastic Part Failure: Analysis, Design & Prevention

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In-Person

Description
Instruction at a physical location.

Live Online

Description
Synchronous instruction delivered virtually, requiring students to participate at specific dates and times. This can involve an entirely online group or students joining a live, in-person class remotely.

Registration

Early Bird

Description
Early bird available until 14 days before start date (discount rounded to nearest $).
Discount Amount
10.00%

CEUs

The continuing education unit (CEU) is a nationally recognized means to document participation in organized non-credit continuing education. One CEU is defined as 10 contact hours of participation in organized continuing education under qualified instruction. The CEU provides a vehicle for employers, professional groups, and licensing agencies to account for participation in non-credit seminars, workshops, and courses.

Erik Foltz

Erik Foltz is a certified professional Moldflow® consultant at The Madison Group. Foltz received his MS from the Polymer Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Foltz’s work concentrates on assisting industrial clients accelerate the product design process through the use of CAE Tools. His specialties include plastic part design verification, process optimization and troubleshooting for injection and compression molding, and plastics failure. He has experience with thermoplastic, thermoset, elastomeric and composite materials. In addition to being a certified Moldflow consultant, he is also a beta user for the Moldflow Plastic Insight product line, which allows him to provide input on the newest solver technologies in the market. Foltz is an active member of the Society of Plastic Engineers where he serves as a board member of the Injection Molding Division.

Professional Development Hours

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