Reprint-PN24021Uddeholm | Plastics News

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July 22, 2024

Special Report by Jordan Vitick

Patricia Miller

Director of Technical Services | Uddeholm

Patricia Miller supports the metallurgical and associated technical needs of toolmakers, their customers and ultimately the end users of a vast number of applications using tools and custom components for the United States and Canada. As the director of technical services for Elgin, Ill.-based tool steel supplier Uddeholm, Miller also assists in developing the technical expertise of the salesforce and supports technical industry associations and trade groups.

Before joining Uddeholm, Miller was a metallurgical engineer at aerospace company Sundstrand Aviation. She started at Uddeholm as a technical manager that supported tooling for the plastics molding industry.

“Tooling is an intricate part of materials development, and I already had knowledge of steel, copper, aluminum, production methods and coatings from previous activities,” she said.

Miller earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in metallurgical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as well as an MBA with an operations management concentration from the University of Chicago.

“We have a number of new developments in materials that should be made available to the market once the materials have been properly trialed. It is a challenge to get results to our product managers and R&D teams rapidly so that clear decisions can be made to launch,” Miller said of her current work challenges.

One thing that surprises Miller about the plastics industry is how far it has come over the years since she began supporting the customer base.

“The combination of simulation and analytical computer tools with new machining techniques and complexity of molds is amazing. And the part generation from those tools — from much-needed medical components, automotive parts, home appliances and infant care — it has simplified and enhanced our lives in so many ways,” she said.

Miller said she admires the engineers, toolmakers and entrepreneurs she has worked with who are experts in their area; her female colleagues, daughter, daughters-in-law and nieces who manage to work and raise a family in a difficult work environment; and the women at the 100 Women Who Care who get together to support charities in the area.

“It was difficult to appear on the scene when the aerospace/mold making/tooling industry had few women metallurgists,” she said, “but we worked together to get past that concern.”

Miller is also involved with the American Society for Materials, Society of Plastics Engineers, North American Die Casting Association, Forging Industry Association, Auto/Steel Partnership and Precision Metalforming Association.