Plastic Technology
A plastic is a type of synthetic or man-made polymer; similar in many ways to natural resins found in trees and other plants. Webster’s Dictionary defines polymers as: any of various complex organic compounds produced by polymerization, capable of being molded, extruded, cast into various shapes and films, or drawn into filaments and then used as textile fibers. Plastics are being used since 100 years and they are relatively new if we compare them with other materials. Since the 1970s, we have witnessed the advent of ‘high-tech’ plastics used in fields such as health and technology. New types and forms of plastics with new or improved performance characteristics continue to be developed. Plastics are used in such a wide range of applications because they are uniquely capable of offering many different properties that offer consumer benefits unsurpassed by other materials. They are also unique in properties and can be used for packaging, to plastic plants, to domestic items, containers, pipes and automobile parts and what not.
Plastics engineering encompasses the processing, design, development, and manufacture of plastics products. Chemical engineering is the father of polymer engineering, which involves designing of processes and equipment for producing new and different types of synthetic material.
Plastics engineering encompasses the processing, design, development, and manufacture of plastics products. A plastic is a polymeric material that is in a semi-liquid state, having the property of plasticity and exhibiting flow. Plastics engineering encompasses plastics material and plastic machinery. Plastic Machinery is the general term for all types of machinery and devices used in the plastics processing industry.[1] The nature of plastic materials poses unique challenges to an engineer. Mechanical properties of plastics are often difficult to quantify, and the plastics engineer has to design a product that meets certain specifications while keeping costs to a minimum. Other properties that the plastics engineer has to address include: outdoor weatherability, thermal properties such as upper use temperature, electrical properties, barrier properties, and resistance to chemical attack.
