The word plastic derives from the Greek plastikos- fit for molding and plastos- molded. Plastic is a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the industrial or commercial products. Plastics are polymers of high molecular mass, that may contain other substances to reduce costs or improve performance. Modern manufacturing processes allow them to be pressed, cast, or extruded into different kinds of shapes—such as bottles, fibers, boxes, plates, films, and much more.

There are two types of plastics:

Thermosets, that can melt and take shape once, and stay solid after they have solidified,
Thermoplastics, that will soften and melt when enough heat is applied, for example: polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
Plastics can be classified by the chemical process used in their synthesis; for example, as cross-linking, condensation or polyaddition.

Plastics can also be classified by their chemical structure, for example, silicone, halogenated plastics, polyesters, polyurethanes or the acrylics.

They can also be ranked by various physical properties, such as tensile strength, resistance to various chemical products, density, glass transition temperature, etc.

Other classifications are based on qualities that are relevant for manufacturing or product design, for example, electrically conductive, elastomer, biodegradable, structural, the thermoplastic and thermoset, etc.

Plastics have already displaced many traditional materials, such as paper, wood, stone, leather, metal, glass, horn and bone; and ceramic.

They are used in a huge range of products because they can easily be manufactured, they are relatively low cost and imperviousness to water and versatility.

NPD Network

In many cases the inception of a new product idea begins with identifying the need for a product device or process that makes certain tasks easier. Some products are clearly more necessary than others for example, the scraper used to de-ice a car windshield is a very useful product, during the winter months and in parts of the world that experience freezing conditions. The point is that even great products can have only limited market potential. Before considering the development of a product for commercialization, the technology should be evaluated for its feasibility.



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Software used in Engineering

As with all modern scientific and technological endeavors, computers, software and internet tools play an increasingly important role. As well as the typical business application software there are a number of computer aided applications specifically for engineering. Computers can be used to generate models of fundamental physical processes, which can be solved using numerical methods.

2D versus 3D CAD

Summary

Since the 1940's, demand for high-volume, low-cost manufacturing has increased dramatically. One of the best ways to produce many parts that are dimensionally the same is through plastic injection-molding. And as advances in materials and mold making technology continue, injection molding will increasingly become the manufacturing choice. This article will discuss the application of injection molding for prototype validation and manufacturing.

Stereolithography, or STL, is an additive technology which uses a UV laser to create parts from a UV curable liquid within an SLA, or Stereolithography Apparatus, system.

For a part to be created using STL, a 3D model of the desired part must first be created, after which the 3D data is seperated into a group of 2d layers of the entire part. These layers typically range from 0.10mm to 0.050mm in thickness (although a resolution of 0.050mm in thickness is usually used) and this group layers is called called "slice data." The slice data is then fed into the SLA system and the actual fabrication process begins. The platform is first lowered into the vat of clear, liquid plastic photopolymer. The polymer used is sensitive to ultraviolet light, allowing the polymer to solidify when it is exposed to the light provided by the UV laser and the materials used in this process range from soft durable plastic to hard plastics. The ultraviolet laser traces and selectively solidifies the first layer within the resin onto the platform, which is currently submerged one layer under the resin.

After the first layer has been created, the following layers are added to the first layer while adhering to the previous layer. A resin-filled "re-coater" blade is swept across the top the previous layer removing the uncured polymer while re-coating it with fresh material. The platform is then lowered gradually submerging the platform along with the base of the part (and the part itself, or rather the section of the part, which has been already created layer by layer) deeper under the resin. This process repeats itself until the last layer has been created and the part is completed. This is a relatively quick process. Up to about two minutes is needed for each layer to be created whereas an entire run might take six to 12 hours.