Dr. Earnest C. Bernhardt
DuPont Chemical Company
Inducted 2014
Dr. Bernhardt’s (1923 – 2013) work spanned many different disciplines within the plastics industry, from injection molding to extrusion, CAE, polymer science, quality, and more. His stated “Driving Professional Mission” was: “To facilitate using scientific principles to grow the plastics industry profitably.”
While this statement does not seem remarkable in today’s context, consider that Dr. Bernhardt started his work in the 1940s when plastic production was in its infancy. He was one of the first individuals to bring engineering and science to the field. While developing several new resins, he was most passionate about the commercialization of plastics, expanding applications, improving part quality, and reducing production costs.
Dr. Bernhardt had a large number of patents and publications to his credit. His textbook entitled “Processing of Thermoplastic Materials,” first published in 1959 was a seminal work on plastics processing, which included the first published information on resin rheology, flow behavior, and heat transfer.
Dr. Bernhardt would continue to lead the industry through teaching and writing for the next forty years. His Computer-Aided Engineering for Polymer Processing series was the industry’s first practical instruction for the use of computer modeling, melt flow analysis, and CAE.
Dr. Bernhardt was a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers and was recognized with a Distinguished Service Award from the Extrusion Division of SPE. He was also a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. His portrait is prominently displayed at the Institut fur Kunstofftechnologie at the University of Stuttgart in honor of his contributions to the science of polymer processing.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastics processing, Plastics materials, Plastics education