Two-year anniversary of the “Certified Product Developers” training course at SKZ
The SKZ Plastics Center has been offering further training to become a certified product developer in additive manufacturing for two years. Participants gain an insight into manufacturing processes, materials, design and 3D modeling.
Two years of further training to become a certified product developer at the SKZ. (Photo: Luca Hoffmannbeck/SKZ)
The SKZ is celebrating the two-year anniversary of the “Certified Product Developer” course and is once again offering specialists the opportunity to get to grips with the technology.
Specialists for additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing has established itself as an essential technology in plastics processing. It enables the economical production of complex geometries and functionally integrated components that are difficult or impossible to realize using conventional manufacturing methods.
Among other things, this enables design optimization and lightweight construction concepts. At the same time, the technology requires specific knowledge in the fields of materials science, CAD modelling, DfAM (Design for Additive Manufacturing), process parameter optimization and quality assurance.
"The shortage of skilled workers also affects additive manufacturing and the demand for experts with in-depth knowledge is constantly growing. We are pleased to be able to offer a practice-oriented training course that conveys the current state of the art and is tailored to industrial requirements," says Robert Held, Head of Injection Molding and Additive Manufacturing Training at SKZ.
Comprehensive course content - practical and with direct application relevance
"Additive manufacturing offers constructive degrees of freedom that cannot be realized with conventional manufacturing processes, or only with immense effort. We are delighted that the course has been so well received over the last two years and shows the necessity of such further training," adds Irena Heuzeroth, Additive Manufacturing Trainer at SKZ.
The course covers all relevant aspects of additive manufacturing, from materials science to production-oriented design. Participants analyse real design and manufacturing processes in order to identify optimization potential and develop practical solutions. After completing the course, participants will be able to implement additive manufacturing techniques in their companies in a targeted manner and use them economically.
The course content includes:
- Market data, areas of application, technological trends and potential of additive manufacturing
- Polymer science: Material selection, properties, warpage and shrinkage
- 3D data preparation: CAD models, reverse engineering, 3D scanning
- Generative design, data processing and pre-processing
- Additive manufacturing technologies: process overview, typical error patterns, post-processing methods
- Mechanical properties and process parameter optimization
- Occupational safety and environmental aspects in additive manufacturing
- Cost-benefit analyses and profitability considerations
- Lightweight construction approaches and bionic design principles
- Joining technologies and quality assurance
- Practical case studies and industrial application examples
The next course will take place from July 28 - August 01, 2025.
Registration and further information on becoming a certified product developer.
