Get With It in Plastics Technology

By John Skull

This book is one of the six books in our Literacy series.
It offers groundwork material on the vast and complex subject of plastics.

Plastics have impacted substantially on all our lives during the past hundred years or so. For instance, they have developed into the third-largest manufactory industry in the U.S.A. There would be few, if any , homes and businesses that do not use plastics.

The outputs produced from polymers have so many admirable qualities. They are relatively easy to process and mass-produce, often using a range of molding machines that have been invented and developed since the nineteenth century. The products manufactured usually cost relatively little and are strong, light, (making them inexpensive to transport), heat-resistant, flexible, usually smooth-surfaced and attractive and can be used as parts of electrical insulation.

But plastics are not perfect. Often additives are worked into them to give them color, texture, flexibility or hardness. The added chemicals can be toxic (e.g. bisphenol, B.P.A) and potentially dangerous, as all plastics are porous and any toxic chemicals in them can leach out into containers holding food.

Plastics have created the problem of how to cope with the vast amount of plastics waste (e.g. plastic bags) that is dumped on land and sea - which is frequently lethal to wildlife.

However, it is the sheer volume of plastics produced (millions of tons each year throughout the world) that is the main problem. Some waste is buried, some incinerated but most ends up in eye-sore mountains of landfill.

It is heartening to know that research is being undertaken in universities to find answers to the problems of plastic waste, .such as the recycling of plastic products, producing ‘harmable plastics’, converting plastics back to oil and producing plastics with electrical conductivity,etc.

The book emphasises the language used in plastics to express concepts and processes.
Become plastics literate and truly understand a significant characteristic of our contemporary world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Skull
• Release date: May 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476294063

John Skull

I was brought up in a home that had no books. My hard-working parents were so involved in keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table that there was no money for books and little time for reading. Sounds a bit like a sketch from "Monty Python", doesn't it? Fortunately for me , they saw the benefits that a good education can produce and, over the years, I attended four tertiary institutions to gain academic qualifications, the final one being a Ph.D. I had a period in the British Army ( Intelligence Corps), serving mainly in Europe. I ran a marathon once – and once was enough! I taught in 2 Primary schools and specialised in English in three High schools and three uni's. Publishers in The U.K. , Australia and the U.S.A have been brave enough to publish 14 of my books- all educational - mostly non-fiction, factual stuff. I've also written children's stories, and recently quite a few e-books. I’ve enjoyed it and it's kept me out of mischief!

Book preview

GET WITH IT IN PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY

by

John Skull

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2014 by John Skull

Table of Contents

CROSSLINKING

ACCELERATOR

MOLDING

CALENDER

SOLVENT

Plastics have impacted substantially on all our lives during the past hundred years or so. For instance, they have developed into the third-largest manufactory industry in the U.S.A. There would be few, if any , homes and businesses that do not use plastics.

The outputs produced from polymers have so many admirable qualities. They are relatively easy to process and mass-produce, often using a range of molding machines that have been invented and developed. since the nineteenth century. The products manufactured usually cost relatively little and are strong, light, (making them inexpensive to transport), heat-resistant, flexible, usually smooth-surfaced and attractive and can be used as parts of electrical insulation.

But plastics are not perfect. Often additives are worked into them to give them color, texture, flexibility or hardness. The added chemicals can be toxic (e.g. B.P.A) and potentially dangerous, as all plastics are porous and any toxic chemicals in them can leach out into containers holding food.

Plastics have created the problems of how do  we cope with the vast amount of plastics waste (e.g. plastic bags) that is dumped on land and sea - which is frequently lethal to wildlife.

However, it is the sheer volume of plastics produced (millions of tons each year throughout the world) that is the main problem. Some waste is buried, some incinerated but most ends up in eye-sore mountains of landfill.

It is heartening to know that research is being undertaken in universities to find answers to the problems of plastic waste, .such as the recycling of plastic products, producing ‘harmable plastics’, converting plastics