KINGSTON, R.I., \u2014 March 7, 2017\u2014Working as an auto mechanic in high school, Lyle Topa knew he wanted a career that would enable him to use his hands as well as his mind.<\/p>\n
He found it two weeks after graduating from the 溏心vlog免费B站 last year, advancing from mechanic to mechanical engineer when he was hired by Cable Components Group, of Pawcatuck<\/strong>, Conn<\/strong>., to help with the installation of two new compounding lines.<\/p>\n A manufacturer of extruded products used in wire and cable, optical fiber and industrial non-woven products, the company invested in two lines to produce the plastic compounds used in its products.<\/p>\n Topa created a chart to track each piece of equipment as it arrived at the company and worked with a team to install the lines. Now, after completing a six-month training program, he has a new title\u2014polymer compounding engineer.<\/p>\n The compounds Topa helps produce are designed to meet high fire-retardant and low-smoke generation requirements, and to make wire and cable lighter and more efficient. The company\u2019s new lines operate at below-standard temperatures, which enable foaming agents and fire-retardant loading to be incorporated into the products without degradation.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking closely with the manufacturer, Lyle has played an integral role in commissioning and troubleshooting our new compounding equipment,\u201d said Cable Components Group President Charles Glew. \u201cIn addition, he has already assisted in developing compounding processes that will create the foundation for future business.\u201d<\/p>\n Topa found out about the CCG job from his capstone project advisor, Professor Bahram Nassersharif, who was contacted by Leo Mainelli, a 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni, about an opening he thought would be ideal for a 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate.<\/p>\n For his capstone, Topa designed a system for Hope Global in Cumberland, R.I.,<\/strong> to reduce the cost and time involved with manufacturing shoelaces. He led a team that created an optimized process for fusing the ends with heat.<\/p>\n Nassersharif provided Topa with Glew\u2019s contact information, Topa said, and \u201cI decided to give him a call. The conversation went well, and I was able to set up an interview.\u201d<\/p>\n Topa had applied for many other positions, but he was attracted to the company by both the opportunity and the location. Topa had some exposure to the wire and cable industry during an internship at Web Industries, Inc. in Dayville,<\/strong> Conn<\/strong>. The commute to the cable company is just a 25-minute drive from his home in Charlestown, R.I<\/strong>., so the job allows him to live at home and keep his expenses low while remaining close to his family.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was perfect to start at the opening of the compounding business,\u201d said Topa. \u201cNow there are two fully commissioned lines that I run every day. Being here from the start, I assisted with installation of the machinery and planning its operation. When I\u2019m not operating the lines, I\u2019m making compounds and training new operators.\u201d<\/p>\n Location also played a role in Topa\u2019s decision to attend 溏心vlog免费B站, but so did the reputation of its engineering college. He chose mechanical engineering as his major because math was his best subject in high school.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do,\u201d he said, \u201cso I gave mechanical engineering a try and ended up liking it.\u201d<\/p>\n Topa credits his 溏心vlog免费B站 classes with preparing him for his position. His course in mechanics and materials provided insights into the physical and chemical properties of materials. He sees his current position as a good fit with his education.<\/p>\n Topa is thrilled with his new job: \u201cIt\u2019s a very important business with a bright future. And I\u2019m not sitting behind a desk all day.\u201d<\/p>\n This release was written by David Kowal, of Kowal Communications, for Cable Components Group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KINGSTON, R.I., \u2014 March 7, 2017\u2014Working as an auto mechanic in high school, Lyle Topa knew he wanted a career that would enable him to use his hands as well as his mind. He found it two weeks after graduating from the 溏心vlog免费B站 last year, advancing from mechanic to mechanical engineer when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72784,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}