Mon, 13 June, 2022
SK Plastics, a small, family-owned plastics fabrication company proud to champion its all-female welding team, joined forces with MITT’s plastics welding expert to support their professional development in this male-dominated field.
The company currently consists of owner, Ken Stephenson, alongside his wife and business partner, Carol, and two welders, Shelby Stephenson (Ken and Carol's daughter) and Emma Pocklington.
Ken reached out to the MITT project for support in developing a bespoke one-to-one knowledge transfer session to enhance the capabilities of the company’s welders, Shelby and Emma, in plastics welding and fabrication.
Shelby and Emma were both proficient in hot gas and extrusion welding of plastics, but needed assistance to move to the next level which would provide SK Plastics with greater flexibility when working with their clients.
Ken had passed much of his knowledge to Shelby and Emma but wanted to seek formal guidance for them to enhance both their knowledge and practical skills. This increased skill level would allow SK Plastics to undertake more complex plastic fabrication projects.
Objectives
The objectives of the MITT project support was specifically to enhance the plastic welding knowledge and capabilities of SK Plastics staff and also to investigate alternative joint designs for jigs and existing products.
In addition, with Ken preparing to step back from the welding operations, he was keen to ensure his two successors had the right knowledge and technical knowhow to continue to not only support but also improve their operations.
TWI plastics welding expert, Andy Knight visited SK Plastics to discuss how the knowledge transfer programme could best be delivered to achieve a successful outcome and determined the roles of both SK Plastics and TWI.
SK Plastics provided TWI with the necessary information, data, technical background and materials, as well as demonstrating their existing processes, equipment and materials.
These preliminary discussions allowed Andy to assess the requirements of SK Plastics, demonstrate some alternative welding equipment and adapt welding nozzles to help going forward with the knowledge transfer.
Support
The support was delivered as a series of knowledge transfer sessions covering the following topics:
- Background on welding processes and materials
- Correct set-up of hot gas welding equipment
- Nozzle design for specific applications and different joint configurations
- Importance of temperature settings, including demonstrations of weld strength
- Alternative joint designs to help simplify fabrication techniques
SK Plastics' Ken Stephenson with welders, Shelby and Emma
Conclusions and Outcomes
Emma and Shelby showed good welding ability after the programme, with noticeable improvements to the visual appearance of their welds.
Due to the talent shown by the two welders, Andy Knight suggested that they go forward to attain CSWIP Plastic Welder certification. This outcome was beyond the original scope of the support. Both Shelby and Emma passed the CSWIP Hot Gas Welding examination in accordance with the requirements of BS EN 13067 – Qualification Testing of Plastic Welders.
Speaking on the outcome of the support from the MITT project, Ken said, “The results have been fabulous; our standards of welding have never been better. Gaining certification has been a huge benefit, their confidence has soared, we’ve increased our credibility, and retained competitive advantage. I couldn’t be happier with the support.”
The benefits of the support were echoed by Emma and Shelby, who said, “The help from MITT has supported our career immensely. Without the scheme, we wouldn't have been able to become certified. Taking part in training and exams with TWI has increased our knowledge and practice of plastic welding. Furthermore, the quality of our work has improved and our clients are pleased with the results.”
They continued, “We also face prejudices of being inexperienced due to being young women, but gaining our TWI certificate removes any doubt that people may have when we are working on site,” adding, “We would like to thank TWI for making this possible and thank Ken Stephenson and Andy Knight for all the patience and knowledge."
This support is expected to not only help safeguard both positions at the company but also create an extra position in the future.
Support for SMEs in the Tees Valley Area
TWI manages the MITT (Materials Integrity Technology Transfer) project - a free support service for small and medium sized businesses in the Tees Valley area. The project aims to support business growth by delivering technical support to help address technology challenges in day-to-day operations as well as accelerating innovation and bringing new products, processes and services to market.
If you think that your business could benefit from support from the MITT Project, please contact us, below.
The MITT project is delivered on behalf of Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).