This practical guide begins with general background to the polyethylene family, with price, production and market share information. It describes the basic types of polyethylene including virgin and filled polyethylene, copolymers, block and graft polymers and composites, and reviews the types of additives used in polyethylene. It gives the low down on the properties, including, amongst others, rheological, mechanical, chemical, thermal, and electrical properties. It goes on to describe the processing issues and conditions for the wide range of techniques used for polyethylene, and also considers post-processing and assembly issues. It offers guidance on product design and development issues, including materials selection. It is an indispensable resource for everyone working with this material.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been around since the late part of the 19th century, although it was not produced commercially until the 1920s; it is the second largest consumed plastic material after polyethylene. PVC products can be rigid or flexible, opaque or transparent, coloured, and insulating or conducting. There is not just one PVC but a whole family of products tailor-made to suit the needs of each application. PVC is extremely cost effective in comparison to other plastics with a high degree of versatility in end-use and processing possibilities, as the reader will note from this book. It is durable, easily maintained, and can be produced in a large range of colours. As a result PVC finds use in an extensive range of applications in virtually all areas of human activity, including medical equipment, construction applications such as flexible roof membranes, pipes and window profiles, toys, automotive parts and electrical cabling. The PVC industry has also started to tackle some of its end-of-life issues. This practical guide provides comprehensive background on the resins and additives, their properties and processing characteristics, as well as discussion of product design and development issues. There have been, and still are, issues and perceptions over environmental and health acceptance covering vinyl chloride monomer, dioxins, phthalate plasticisers, and lead (and cadmium) based heat stabilisers and these are discussed in depth in this book. This book will be of interest to raw materials suppliers and processors or end-users of PVC, as well as anyone with a general interest in this versatile material: resins and additives properties and testing design issues processing, including post processing and assembly property enhancement sustainable development

A Practical Guide to Plastics Sustainability: Concept, Solutions, and Implementation is a groundbreaking reference work offering a broad, detailed and highly practical vision of the complex concept of sustainability in plastics. The book's aim is to present a range of potential pathways towards more sustainable plastics parts and products, enabling the reader to further integrate the idea of sustainability into their design process. It begins by introducing the context and concept of sustainability, discussing perceptions, drivers of change, key factors, and environmental issues, before presenting a detailed outline of the current situation with types of plastics, processing, and opportunities for improved sustainability. Subsequent chapters focus on the different possibilities for improved sustainability, offering a step-by-step technical approach to areas including design, properties, renewable plastics, and recycling and re-use. Each of these pillars are supported by data, examples, analysis and best practice guidance. Finally, the latest developments and future possibilities are considered. - Approaches the idea of sustainability from numerous angles, offering practical solutions to improve sustainability in the development of plastic components and products - Explains how sustainability can be applied across plastics design, materials selection, processing, and end of life, all set alongside socioeconomic factors - Considers key areas of innovation, such as eco-design, novel opportunities for recycling or re-use, bio-based polymers and new technologies

Polypropylene is now the third largest consumed plastic material after polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride. This book discusses the advantages and disadvantages of working with polypropylene, offering practical comment on the available types of polypropylene, its mechanical properties and in-service performance, and processing. Comparisons with other common plastics are also provided, which highlight the advantages of this polyolefin.

Additives for Polyolefins is a unique quick-reference resource for those who create or use polyethylene and polypropylene compounds—the most commercially important family of plastic materials, making up close to half of the volume all plastics produced and used. These polymers would be useless without various additives. The book focuses on polyolefin additives that are currently important in the plastics industry, alongside new additives of increasing interest, such as nanofillers and environmentally sustainable materials. As much as possible, each chapter emphasises the performance of the additives in the polymer, and the value each relevant additive brings to polypropylene or polyethylene. Where possible, similar additives are compared by capability and relative cost. In this new edition, product tables have been updated with the most current product and company names, new case studies have been added, the role of nanofillers is discussed in greater detail, and the book concludes with a discussion on blending and handling additives, along with an entirely new chapter on how engineers can approach the issue of sustainability when choosing an additive. - Assesses capabilities and costs of a range of additives to enable engineers and scientists to make the correct selection for their property requirements - Provides concise, practical information about the purpose and use of specific additives, fillers, and reinforcements – demystifying the world of additives by providing clear, engineering explanations, and including real-world application case stories - Updated to include additional material on nanofillers, blending and handling, and sustainability

Polylactic Acid: A Practical Guide for the Processing, Manufacturing, and Applications of PLA, Second Edition, provides a practical guide for engineers and scientists working in PLA and on the development of emerging new products. The current market situation for PLA and biodegradable polymers is described, along with applications across a range of market sectors. In addition, the mechanical, chemical, thermal, rheology and degradation properties are included. Updates include new chapters covering various processing methods, as well as recycling methods, and additives and processing aids. New applications cover a range of products (including 3D Printing), and an environmental assessment, including regulatory aspects. The book is not only a useful introduction to this topic, but also a practical, readily applicable reference book that will support decision-making in the plastics industry. - Presents an essential reference for engineers, scientists and product designers considering switching to a sustainable plastic - Covers the properties, synthesis and polymerization of PLA, along with processing techniques involved in fabricating parts from this polymer - Includes critical new chapters on processing, additives, recycling and environmental considerations relating to PLA

Handbook of Polymers, Third Edition represents an update on available data, including new values for many commercially available products, verification of existing data, and removal of older data where it is no longer useful. Polymers selected for this edition include all primary polymeric materials used by the plastics and chemical industries and specialty polymers used in the electronics, pharmaceutical, medical and aerospace fields, with extensive information also provided on biopolymers. The book includes data on all polymeric materials used by the plastics industry and branches of the chemical industry, as well as specialty polymers in the electronics, pharmaceutical, medical and space fields. The entire scope of the data is divided into sections to make data comparison and search easy, including synthesis, physical, mechanical, and rheological properties, chemical resistance, toxicity, environmental impact, and more. - Provides key data on all primary polymeric materials used in a wide range of industries and applications - Presents easy-to-access data divided into sections, making comparisons and search simple and intuitive - Includes data on general properties, history, synthesis, structure, physical properties, mechanical properties, chemical resistance, flammability, weather stability, toxicity, and more