Applied Polymer Technologies Gateway

APT

The APT Gateway is based at the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest. APT is providing polymer technology solutions for companies in the medical, composite, recycling and pharmaceutical sectors.

Expertise

Pilot and Production scale Injection Moulding, Blow Moulding, Thermoforming, Extrusion and Compounding equipment and knowledge.

Advanced Analytical Facilities for materials research, testing and troubleshooting.

Design, Rapid Prototyping, Insert Tooling and Micro-Moulding Capabilities

Unrivalled Polymer Materials Formulation and Development Expertise

The APT Gateway applies polymer technologies for Ireland-based companies who use polymer materials – ranging in size from startups and SMEs to multinational companies. The plastics industry in Ireland is worth €2 billion, and comprises of 200 companies with an accumulated 12,000 employees. APT has a core focus on three applied technology areas it aims to transfer to industry: biomedical polymers, polymer recycling and composites. APT is a dedicated resource for the Irish polymer manufacturing industry and regularly provides training and information dissemination, as well as production demonstration days for companies. The polymer technology industry is the backbone of Irish manufacturing with world-class processors, suppliers and service providers employing nearly 7,000 people across 230 businesses with exports of €1.7 billion.

APT provides access to all of the facilities and expertise available at the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest through the Materials Research Institute MRI and the greater Gateway network to all industrial collaborators. APT provides polymer solutions, product development support and troubleshooting skills for companies using plastics materials.

The Key Objectives of the APT gateway are to:

Offer companies access to world-class R&D infrastructure, expertise and resources.
Use technological expertise to generate solutions for the close-to-market needs of Irish industry, as identified by our broad polymer and plastics industry client base, which will underpin sustainability, support exports and drive job creation.
Form partnerships with industry to work on challenging problems, provide R&D support and facilitate technology transfer to companies.
Provide an open access point to industry for the provision of applied research and technical expertise, not just within TUS but within the wider technology gateway network and greater Irish research infrastructure framework.
Engage our industry support base strongly in our ongoing strategic development to ensure the continued relevance of the Gateway to evolving polymer and plastics industry requirements.

APT at Athlone

“The expertise, knowledge and facilities available to Wellman International through the Applied Polymer Technologies gateway, and in particular through this recent IPP, has allowed us to optimise and refine our research concepts and has enabled Wellman to pursue and produce new innovative products.”

James Campbell, Head of Product Development, Wellman International Ltd.