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Avient Corp. (Avon, Ohio, U.S.) shares a successful collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Industrial Design’s (Georgia Tech, Atlanta, U.S.) undergraduate industrial design students on a design studio project. The initiative, sponsored by Avient Design — a specialized group of industrial designers and project engineers at Avient Corp. — began in September 2024, focusing on mentoring students in designing with Avient’s Polystrand thermoplastic composite (TPC) materials, leading to the development of a range of innovative and practical product concepts.

The 6-week project is aimed to harness the distinctive properties of Avient’s Polystrand TPC, including their strength, durability and lightweight characteristics, to create cutting-edge designs for the sporting goods industry. Students were tasked with developing a variety of products, from bike accessories and camping equipment to protective braces and training gear. The collaboration not only challenged the students to think creatively but also provided them with real-world experience in materials science and industrial design.

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“Working with Avient Design on this project gave me a good sense of what working in the industry is like. With the critiques, feedback and presentations, my teammate and I felt supported to really push ourselves in our work,” says Anastacia Delvin, a junior industrial design student at Georgia Tech. “Overall, the project was a great experience to learn about the limitations of different materials and how to consider them in the application of products.”

Throughout the project, Avient Design provided extensive mentorship and guidance to the students. This included regular critiques and feedback sessions, which helped the students refine their designs and push their work to a higher level. Avient’s experts also delivered a guest lecture on design best practices and injection molding, offering insights into the manufacturing process. Additionally, the program included portfolio reviews and a career advice presentation, equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in their future careers.

The final presentations showcased a diverse array of innovative product concepts that effectively leveraged the properties of Polystrand continuous glass-fiber reinforced TPC. The designs demonstrated the material's potential in the sporting goods sector, highlighting its ability to enhance performance and user experience. The collaboration was a resounding success, with both Avient Design and Georgia Tech expressing enthusiasm about the outcomes and the students’ growth.

“The collaboration with Avient Design has been a valuable addition to our curriculum,” says Kevin Shankwiler, course instructor and undergraduate program coordinator, Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design. “The mentorship and real-world material insights provided by Avient’s experts significantly enhanced our students’ educational studio experience. The design team’s time giving material education, feedback and critique, and team coaching helped prepare the students for the challenges of the professional world.”