ARPM to host seals product design and manufacturing training

Noblesville, IN — The Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM) will host its Seals Product Design and Manufacturing Training program October 26–30, 2026, at The Training Center at Metro Plastics Technologies, LLC, in Noblesville, Indiana. The intensive, five-day course is designed for design engineers, quality engineers, sales engineers, product engineers, and process engineers who work with rubber seals throughout the product development cycle.

The program delivers comprehensive, hands-on instruction in rubber science, seal design, and producibility, combining classroom learning with practical insight from instructors who have spent their careers on the manufacturing floor. Sessions run daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and cover:
Monday: Rubber Material Science
Tuesday–Wednesday: Static Sealing
Thursday: Dynamic Sealing
Friday: Design for Manufacturability

The course will be led by instructors Greg Vassmer, Dr. Robert Keller, and Van Walworth, who bring a combined 140-plus years of rubber processing experience to the training.

“Seal failures are rarely a materials problem alone, they’re usually a design and producibility problem that shows up too late,” said Letha Keslar, Executive Director of ARPM. “This training gives rubber producers the time and expert guidance to catch those issues at the design stage, before they become costly problems on the production floor.”

Registration includes course materials, a copy of each ARPM Product Standard reviewed during the training, and lunch and refreshments each day. For more information about the ARPM Training Academy and upcoming programs, visit www.arpm.com.