This introductory book covers the entire spectrum of the plastics technology/engineering, from raw material to finished plastic products. It is intended not just for university/college students in plastics technology and other engineering disciplines but also for beginners to the field in general.

The interconnectivity between the different relevant knowledge areas of plastics technology, such as materials engineering, processing technology, and product development, is emphasized. A chapter “Plastics and the Environment” is also included, covering a topic (rightly) often of great concern to students and newcomers to the field.

Also includes numerous videos, conveniently linked via QR codes, to better demonstrate key processes visually.

The entire field of plastics engineering is presented in a coherent manner:

• An introductory chapter provides insight into the history of plastics, points out the many possible applications, and explains the high affinity of many designers for this material.
• The chapter on fundamentals offers the reader a brief but necessary introduction to polymer chemistry and general materials mechanics.
• The three main chapters on materials engineering, processing technology, and product development form the core of the book.
• Materials engineering: Behavior in the melt, behavior of the solid, influence of additives, “from polymer to plastic” through processing, process-structure properties, influence of aging, overview of important plastics
• Processing technology: extrusion, injection molding, processing of cross-linking molding compounds, fiber-reinforced composites, thermoforming, welding, bonding, coating
• Product development: unique selling points of plastics, geometric subdivision of components, designing with plastics, use of prototypes
• Finally, the chapter “Plastics and the Environment” provides insight into the topics of plastic waste, critical substances in plastics, bioplastics, and resource conservation. Commonly held views are contrasted with publicly available facts. Plastics are given a new image.

This 2nd edition has been updated throughout, particularly in the chapter “Plastics and the Environment.”