Page 17 - Engineering Plastics Handbook

Preface

The Engineering Plastics Handbook is a one-of-a-kind book written by
experts with many years of experience with engineering thermoplastics.
They are the industry’s crème de la crème of engineering thermoplastics
science and technology. Engineering thermoplastics are used in every
industry worldwide, primarily in the automotive, electrical or elec-
tronic, aircraft and aerospace, and plumbing; and in appliances, building/
architecture and construction, lawn and garden, and other consumer
products. Savings are increasingly being realized with engineering ther-
moplastics, with thin wall design; faster cycling; foam (cellular) products;
the use of less material; and higher strength-to-weight ratios compared
with steel, brass, aluminum, other metals, and ceramics—and as an
alternative to glass. Long-term, load-bearing applications at elevated
temperatures, and excellent electrical properties are hallmarks of engi-
neering thermoplastics. Non-load-bearing applications, such as wire
enamels, and clear products such as windows, are gaining in use. New
grades based on blends and alloys, fiber and mineral-filled composites,
and application-specific formulations are continually being introduced.
Uses of engineering thermoplastics are increasing for new products, and
as the preferred material-of-choice over metals.
The Introduction to the Handbook is comprised of four chapters on the
four essential ingredients of engineering thermoplastics: 1) chemistry of
polymerization, 2) products and design, 3) properties, and 4) processes.
The four chapters, written by the Handbook Editor, are interrelated, and
the fate of an engineering resin begins with polymerization technology.
Finished product properties are largely allowable or disallowed according
to the polymerization conditions. Chapter 1, “Chemistry of Polymerization,”
points out the important differences between small molecules, such as
the styrene and propylene monomers, and polymeric macromolecules,
such as engineering thermoplastics: Small molecules have an exact
molecular weight (MW), while macromolecules have average MW. The
chapter describes significant differences between the two primary
polymerization methods for producing engineering thermoplastics:

xv
Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for terms of use.