Applied Plastics Engineering Handbook: Processing, Sustainability, Materials, and Applications

Applied Plastics Engineering Handbook: Processing, Sustainability, Materials, and Applications, Third Edition presents the fundamentals of plastics engineering, helping bring readers up-to-speed on new plastics, materials, processing and technology. This revised and expanded edition includes the latest developments in plastics, including areas such as biodegradable and biobased plastics, plastic waste, smart polymers, and 3D printing. Sections cover traditional plastics, elastomeric materials, bio-based materials, additives, colorants, fillers and plastics processing, including various key technologies, plastic recycling and waste. The final part of the book examines design and applications, with substantial updates made to reflect advancements in technology, regulations, and commercialization.

Throughout the handbook, the focus is on engineering aspects of producing and using plastics. Properties of plastics are explained, along with techniques for testing, measuring, enhancing, and analyzing them. Practical introductions to both core topics and new developments make this work equally valuable for newly qualified plastics engineers seeking the practical rules-of-thumb they don't teach you in school and experienced practitioners evaluating new technologies or getting up-to-speed in a new field.

• Offers an ideal reference for new engineers, experienced practitioners and researchers entering a new field or evaluating a new technology
• Provides an authoritative source of practical advice, presenting guidance that will lead to cost savings and process improvements
• Includes the latest technology, covering 3D printing, smart polymers and thorough coverage of biobased and biodegradable plastics

Myer Kutz has been heading his own firm, Myer Kutz Associates, Inc., since 1990. For the past two decades, he has focused on writing and developing engineering handbooks on a wide range of technical topics, such as mechanical, materials, biomedical, transportation, and environmentally conscious engineering. Earlier, his firm supplied consulting services to a large client roster, including Fortune 500 companies, scientific societies, and large and small publishers. He has been a trustee of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) and chaired committees of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Association of American Publishers (AAP). He is a long-time judge for the AAP's annual PROSE Awards, and holds engineering degrees from MIT and RPI, served as an officer in the US Army Ordnance Corp, and worked in the aerospace industry on the Apollo project. He is the author of nine books. He writes “The Scholarly Publishing Scene”, a column for the magazine Against the Grain. He lives in Delmar, New York, with his wife, Arlene.