Curbell Aids in Creation of “Weather Machine”
Curbell Plastics, Inc. is pleased to be part of the “Weather Machine”, Western New York Meteorologist Andy Parker’s popular invention and teaching tool for students.

“The Weather Machine demonstrations are meant to inspire the scientist and inventor in each student,” said Parker, with the purpose of getting the next generation interested in weather and science.

The Weather Machine is built using a large polycarbonate sheet, donated by Curbell Plastics, that’s bent and fits into a frame creating a clear tube inside allowing actual weather simulations to be created from tornadoes and lightning to snowstorms. Students can reach in and touch a tornado, for example, to feel the air and the vortex, without fear. Parker designed the Weather Machine for children in grades K-6, but it creates a sense of wonder and awe at any age.

Parker began this project by creating “desktop” sized weather experiments for single classroom presentations, but realized their popularity with the students and teachers meant he needed to create one larger demonstration piece that could be used to engage hundreds of students in an auditorium at one time.

Among the requirements, the demonstration piece had to be clear from all angles, with no obstructed views; lightweight, so it could be moved quickly and easily for set up and take down, and durable enough to last for numerous presentations.

Having to take time off during COVID gave Parker a chance to re-engineer the Weather Machine, and think about how he could improve it. Version 2.0 of the Weather Machine, is created using a thinner sheet of polycarbonate, making it lighter in weight with greater optical clarity. Curbell worked with Parker to select a polycarbonate sheet that would still perform under the conditions it was exposed to yet would be easier to bend for the curved machine wall shape.

For more information, contact Beth Summers, Curbell Plastics, Inc., 7 Cobham Dr., Orchard Park, NY 14127, 888-287-2355/716-667-3377, Fax: 716-667-3432, E-mail: bsummers@curbellplastics.com, Web: www.curbellplastics.com.