Developments In Plastics Technology 3

Because of the sheer size of the plastics industry, the title Developments in Plastics Technology now covers an incredibly wide range of subjects or topics. No single volume can survey the whole field in any depth and so what follows is therefore a series of chapters on selected topics. The topics were selected by us, the editors, because of their immediate relevance to the plastics industry. When one considers the materials produced and used by the modern plastics industry, there is a tendency to think of the commodity thermoplastics (such as poly(vinyl chloride) or polyethylene); the thermosetting materials are largely ignored. Because of this attitude we are very pleased to include in this volume a chapter which deals with the processing of a thermosetting material, i.e. the pultrusion of glass reinforced polyester. The extrusion of plastics is, of course, a very important subject but an aspect which is often overlooked is the need to remove volatile matter during processing: for this reason we have included a chapter on devolatilisation. Current industrial practice is towards materials modification and this attitude is reflected in the chapters on the transformation of ethylene vinyl acetate polymers and the use of wollastonite in two important thermoplastics. When assessing the performance of materials, there is a tendency to concentrate on short-term mechanical tests and ignore such topics as fatigue and longer-term testing. We are therefore very pleased to include a chapter on this subject.

In the field of plastics technology, the process of extrusion is widespread and important. It is employed in the compounding and pelletising of plastics materials, in their conversion into products (such as profiles, pipe, hose, sheet, film or bottles) and in the coating of wires, cables, paper, board or foil. A major reason for its use is the screw extruder's ability to melt efficiently and pump continuously large amounts of plastics materials. The understanding of the melting/pumping operation of the extruder and the development of larger and faster-running machines so as to give higher outputs have been given great attention and the results have been widely published. However, the whole manufacturing technology for extruded products has also developed, particularly in recent years. This has occurred not only by the use of modern screw extruders, but also by the incorporation of improved process control systems, the better design of dies and extrudate handling machinery and by the utilisation of improved plastics materials and additives. It is the purpose of this book to present selected topics which contribute to, or exemplify, these developments in extrusion-based processes.

The plastics industry is a major player for consumer items, notably for the automotive, consumer electronics and packaging industries, and is necessarily very active in innovation. As a result, moulded thermoplastics are achieving new heights in decorative appearance and quality. Many striking aesthetic effects are possible by employing new polymer blends coupled with a diverse range of decoration and surface treatment technologies. These can produce three-dimensional and tactile finishes, high definition images, flawless high gloss and metallic surfaces, as well as effects ranging from imitation materials, interferential colours, colour gradients, colour change and travel, gloss and matte combinations, and even acoustic or olfactory effects. Manufacturing processes to achieve these include several types of in-mould film, coating or decorating technique, relatively recent technologies to improve surface quality, as well as traditional separate decorating or coating processes such as dry offset; flexographic; inkjet; pad and screen printing; foil transfer; labelling; laser marking; plating; spray coating; and vacuum deposition. This unique book analyses and compares recent trends in each of over 20 types of mainstream manufacturing process and 10 classes of sensory effect they can produce. Supported by over 100 tables, a 3-year sampling of over 1,000 mentioned patent documents and hundreds of commercial developments helps to identify the main trends and their innovators, key innovative clusters and the most sought-after effects, as well as provide indications for the future.

Because of the sheer size and scope of the plastics industry, the title Developments in Plastics Technology now covers an incredibly wide range of subjects or topics. No single volume can survey the whole field in any depth and what follows is, therefore, a series of chapters on selected topics. The topics were selected by us, the editors, because of their immediate relevance to the plastics industry. When one considers the advancements of the plastics processing machinery (in terms of its speed of operation and conciseness of control), it was felt that several chapters should be included which related to the types of control systems used and the correct usage of hydraulics. The importance of using cellular, rubber-modified and engineering-type plastics has had a major impact on the plastics industry and therefore a chapter on each of these subjects has been included. The two remaining chapters are on the characterisation and behaviour of polymer structures, both subjects again being of current academic or industrial interest. Each of the contributions was written by a specialist in that field and to them all, we, the editors, extend our heartfelt thanks, as writing a contribution for a book such as this, while doing a full-time job, is no easy task.

This book gathers the proceedings of the International Symposium on Plastics Technology, which was held on March 10, 2020 in Aachen, Germany, and was organised by the Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) in Industry and Craft at RWTH Aachen University. Peer-reviewed by an international scientific committee, the conference proceedings comprise the papers presented by the international speakers. Topics covered include - circular economy- extrusion- lightweight technologies- simulation and digitisation - injection moulding- hybrid materials and additive manufacturing. In these fields, key themes for plastics technologies have been identified that will shape the face of research and industry for the next decade. In their contributions, the authors present the latest scientific findings, and discuss topical issues in plastics technologies. The symposium offered an inspiring forum for the exchange on research and innovation, for discussing urgent questions and providing impulses for the future of plastics technology.

This volume contains reviews on state-of-the-art Japanese research presented in the annual Spring and Autumn meetings of the Japanese Polymer Science Society. The aim of this section is to make information on the progress of Japanese Polymer Science, and on topics of current interest to polymer scientists in Japan, more easily available worldwide.