Thermoplastic Material Selection : A Practical Guide

Thermoplastic Material Selection: A Practical Guide presents current information on how proper material selection is a critical component of any manufactured product. The text is a practical guide to a difficult process, giving the reader a fundamental grounding in thermoplastic materials and providing the tools they need to save time, money, and frustration.

The book provides an overview of the most commonly used thermoplastic materials, including discussions of the different chemical families, plastics categories, and material grades - and the implications of these differences on the material selection process. It provides fresh insights on the traditional methods of material selection based on performance and cost, and also discusses the use of non-traditional methods based on subjective evaluation.

Subsequent sections include references on tools that can be used to conduct further exploration, how to accurately select the most suitable material, writing an effective material specification, and working with material suppliers and distributors.

• Presents current information on how proper thermoplastics material selection is a critical component of any manufactured product
• A practical guide to a difficult process, giving the reader a fundamental grounding in thermoplastics material selection and providing the tools they need to save time, money, and frustration
• Delivers insights on the traditional methods of material selection based on performance and cost, and introduces nontraditional methods based on size, form, appearance, and feel

Eric R. Larson is a mechanical engineer with over thirty years experience in plastics design. He has helped developed products ranging from boogie boards, water basketball games, and SCUBA diving equipment to disposable lighters, cell phones, and hand-held medical devices. A graduate of The University of Michigan, Eric spent his early career in the sporting goods industry before spending 10 years working for DuPont Engineering Plastics, where he provided expertise on material selection and plastic part design to a select group of major manufacturers.

For the past twenty years he has worked as a consulting engineer, helping companies bridge the gap between development and production. Some of the products he has helped bring to market include washing machines for Whirlpool, power tools for Skil®, cell phones for Motorola and Nokia, and the Humalog® / Humulin® insulin pen for Eli Lilly.

In 2006 he founded Art of Mass Production, an engineering consulting company based in San Diego, California. AMP provides services to manufacturing companies in the consumer electronics, wireless, and medical device industries. Eric is also moderator of the blog site plasticsguy.com, where he writes about plastics technology, and its effect on people and the planet. His newest book Thermoplastic Materials Selection: A Practical Guide is scheduled for release in 2015.