Few materials influence our daily lives more than plastic. As consumers, we don't often stop to think about how a huge percent of the objects we use are made from plastic. In my office alone I count 32 individual plastic objects - and that's not counting my pencils, pens and binders. Plastic manufacturers, however, must be acutely aware of the vast range of plastic materials and applications, as they are constantly designing and fine tuning new products with specific shape, strength, transparency and chemical properties.
With the countless number of products - from disposable packaging to critical automotive parts - that can be made from plastic, it's no wonder there are such a wide range of plastic materials, all with a very distinct set of properties. Understanding the difference between, say, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride is crucial for engineering products that will withstand their environments. Acrylic could never provide the strength and structural support of PVC, but polyvinyl chloride would be a clumsy and unattractive replacement to acrylic point of purchase displays.
Let's take a look at the most important polymer types and their properties.
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