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.

This book offers a timely yet comprehensive snapshot of innovative research and developments at the interface between manufacturing, materials and mechanical engineering, and quality assurance. It covers a wide range of manufacturing processes, such as cutting, grinding, assembly, and coatings, including ultrasonic treatment, molding, radial-isostatic compression, ionic-plasma deposition, volumetric vibration treatment, and wear resistance. It also highlights the advantages of augmented reality, RFID technology, reverse engineering, optimization, heat and mass transfer, energy management, quality inspection, and environmental impact. Based on selected papers presented at the Grabchenko’s International Conference on Advanced Manufacturing Processes (InterPartner-2020), held in Odessa, Ukraine, on September 8–11, 2020, this book offers a timely overview and extensive information on trends and technologies in production planning, design engineering, advanced materials, machining processes, process engineering, and quality assurance. It is also intended to facilitate communication and collaboration between different groups working on similar topics and offer a bridge between academic and industrial researchers.

This book introduces the reader to the latest innovations in fields such as artificial intelligence, systems biology or surgery, and gives advice on what new technologies to consider for becoming a market leader of tomorrow. Companies generally acquire information on these fields from various sources such as market reports, scientific literature or conference events, but find it difficult to distinguish between mere hype and truly valuable innovations. This book offers essential guidance in the form of structured and authoritative contributions by experts in innovative technologies spanning from biology and medicine to augmented reality and smart power grids. The authors identify high-potential fields and demonstrate the impact of their technologies to create economic value in real-world applications. They also offer business leaders advice on whether and how to implement these new technologies and innovations in their companies or businesses. Chapter 13 Analytic Philosophy for Biomedical Research: The Imperative of Applying Yesterday’s Timeless Messages to Today’s Impasses by Sepehr Ehsani is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This first international conference on The Art of Plastics Design brought together designers, manufacturers, plastics engineers and end-users, together with producers of innovative plastics materials.

This book presents select proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Sustainable Technologies (ICAST 2020), organized by Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India. The topics covered include computer aided design (CAD), computer assisted manufacturing (CAM), computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), computer aided engineering (CAE) and product design, dynamics of control structures and systems, solid mechanics: differential and dynamical systems, modelling and simulation. The book also discusses various modern age design tools including finite element analysis, modelling, analysis and simulation of manufacturing processes, process design, automation, mechatronics, robotics and assembly, etc. The book will be useful for beginners, researchers, and professionals interested in the field of sustainable design practices.

A comprehensive review of the many new developments in the growing food processing and packaging field Revised and updated for the first time in a decade, this book discusses packaging implications for recent nonthermal processing technologies and mild food preservation such as high pressure processing, irradiation, pulsed electric fields, microwave sterilization, and other hurdle technologies. It reviews typical nonthermal processes, the characteristics of food products after nonthermal treatments, and packaging parameters to preserve the quality and enhance the safety of the products. In addition, the critical role played by packaging materials during the development of a new nonthermal processed product, and how the package is used to make the product attractive to consumers, is discussed. Packaging for Nonthermal Processing of Food, Second Edition provides up to date assessments of consumer attitudes to nonthermal processes and novel packaging (both in the U.S. and Europe). It offers a brand new chapter covering smart packaging, including thermal, microbial, chemical, and light sensing biosensors, radio frequency identification systems, and self-heating and cooling packaging. There is also a new chapter providing an overview of packaging laws and regulations in the United States and Europe. Covers the packaging types required for all major nonthermal technologies, including high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, irradiation, ohmic heating, and others Features a brand new chapter on smart packaging, including biosensors (thermal-, microbial-, chemical- and light-sensing), radio frequency identification systems, and self-heating and cooling packaging Additional chapters look at the current regulatory scene in the U.S. and Europe, as well as consumer attitudes to these novel technologies Editors and contributors bring a valuable mix of industry and research experience Packaging for Nonthermal Processing of Food, Second Edition offers many benefits to the food industry by providing practical information on the relationship between new processes and packaging materials, to academia as a source of fundamental knowledge about packaging science, and to regulatory agencies as an avenue for acquiring a deeper understanding of the packaging requirements for new processes.

This book is focused on the use of plastics in automobiles for traditional applications, as well as for more advanced uses such as under-the-hood components. Engineering thermoplastics offer the ability to tailor-make components from polymers, and to design parts for enhanced performance, new functionality, part integration, and elimination of secondary operations. Parts made from engineering thermoplastics can be manufactured within specified cost constraints, and using manufacturing methods that offer a wide range of production flexibility. A decade of research and real-world applications is presented by the authors on application technology development for various aspects of automotive design – concept design, CAD modeling, predictive engineering methods through CAE, manufacturing method simulation, and prototype and tool making. Additional advantages of plastics are covered and include greater styling, improved energy absorption, and enhanced performance over traditional materials, all while fostering environmental sustainability and reducing overall vehicle weight for next generation automobiles.