What can Silly Putty teach engineers about problem solving?

Are you feeling lucky, er, medtech engineer? Then, head to booth 1911 at the co-located Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) and PLASTEC event in Minneapolis on Nov. 8 and 9. Exhibitor MMD Medical (Brooklyn Park, MN) has a challenge for you.

The supplier of moldmaking, injection molding and precision machining services to medical device OEMs invites attendees to test their engineering and problem-solving skills in a race against the clock and fellow show attendees. Using a glob of Silly Putty, three shapes and a three-minute timer, you will be tasked with solving a problem. The fastest times will be tracked on a leaderboard, and the individual with the fastest time will win a package that includes two front-row tickets to a Minnesota Wild or Minnesota Timberwolves game. Frankly, I'm an NHL guy, so it would be a slam dunk for me—apologies for the mixed metaphor—but no worries if you're a Timberwolves fan, because the winner gets to pick the game. 

“At MMD Medical, we know that creative problem solving and speed-to-commercialization is critical,” said Darren Bjork, Vice President. “We accomplish that by bringing a team of professionals with diverse backgrounds and expertise across functional areas under one roof. While the mission-critical parts we manufacture every day are more imperative than Silly Putty shapes, we want to use this challenge to bring out the engineer or creative problem solver in all of us.”

Specializing in producing components for Class II and III medical devices, MMD Medical has its roots in moldmaking and has been designing single and multi-cavity molds since 1973. It also provides injection molding services, including insert, over and two-shot injection molding, an array of machining capabilities and assembly and finishing operations.

MD&M and PLASTEC Minneapolis are part of the Midwest’s largest advanced manufacturing event. Six co-located shows and conferences will welcome more than 600 suppliers and thousands of attendees to the Minneapolis Convention Center on Nov. 8 and 9. Go to the event website for more information and to register to attend.