Engineering thermoplastics trends

R.J. Kumpf, J.S. Wiggins, and H. Pielartzik, Reactive processing of engineering thermoplastics, Trends Polym. Sci., 3(4) 132-138, April 1995. 

An interesting trend that appears to presage the wave of the future in engineering thermoplastics is the current focus on polymer blending and alloying. Metals and their alloys have been coeval with the spread of civilization. Early man used available metals in their naturally occurring state. The progress of civilization was literally determined by man s ability to modify natural metals... 

Housing Materials, Engineering Thermoplastics 2001...Trends in Portable Electronics and Business Equipment Conference, Principia Partners, San Diego,... 

The versatility of engineering thermoplastics has been greatly enhanced by the development of blends and alloys. Naturally, this trend complicates the selection process, and makes simplistic judgements of material capability even less reliable. The properties and processing characteristics of alloys tend to be intermediate between those of the constituents, but good coupling technology can achieve a more useful profile than either constituent alone. Numerous examples are quoted in the application sections, but the most important varieties are these ... 

There has been a considerable amount of work conducted on thermoset resin/clay nanocomposites. The overall trends seen in thermoplastics concerning engineering, flammability, and barrier properties are also seen in thermosets. Table 33.6... 

This section presents an overview of the main types of engineering and high performance thermoplastics, their key properties and applications. A more detailed analysis of applications and market trends are presented in subsequent chapters. 

The world demands for thermoplastic elastomers are forecast to expand by 7.5% per year to 2.6 million metric tons in 2006. TPEs will continue to find the majority of their applications as replacements for natural and synthetic rubbers, as well as rigid thermoplastics and metals. The global TPE industry will remain heavily concentrated in the USA, Western Europe and Japan, particularly for specialty materials, such as polyester elastomers. Prom the two trends of application of polyester elastomers as engineering plastics and functional materials, the second one is prioritized. In terms of engineering applications, the PEE production will remain closely related to the motor vehicle industry, sporting goods, hoses, and small household goods. 

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