Polymer Processing

It can be stated with some justification that polymers, because of their mainly synthetic origins, are important because of their applications, perhaps more than in the case of more familiar and conventional materials such as metals and wood, which would exist apart from their use in human activities. The majority of polymers have been synthesized under the impetus of requirements for new and improved properties. The preparative routes to new polymers and blends, and the exploration of their structures and properties constitute absorbing subjects for study, but it is the final application of these materials in real, commercial products that provides the driving force for such developments. In recent years a number of excellent books have appeared which deal with the chemistry, structure, properties and engineering aspects of polymers. The processing of polymers, as products of the chemical industry, into engineering and consumer goods has received much less attention. There are some valuable texts for individual processes, especially the extrusion and injection moulding of thermoplastics, but others are less well served. This book provided a review of all the important processing routes for transforming polymers into products.