Plastics industry future

Spheres. HoUow spherical fillers have become extremely useflil for the plastics industry and others. A wide range of hoUow spherical fillers are currently available, including inorganic hoUow spheres made from glass, carbon, fly ash, alumina, and 2h conia and organic hoUow spheres made from epoxy, polystyrene, urea—formaldehyde, and phenol—formaldehyde. Although phenol—formaldehyde hoUow spheres are not the largest-volume product, they serve in some important appHcations and show potential for future use. 

The problem with use of polymeric membranes in this application is plasticization, leading to much lower selectivities with gas mixtures than the simple ratio of pure-gas permeabilities would suggest. For this type of separation, a Robeson plot based on the ratio of pure-gas permeabilities has no predictive value. Although membranes with pure-gas propylene/propane selectivities of 20 or more have been reported [43, 44], only a handful of membranes have been able to achieve selectivities of 5 to 10 under realistic operating conditions, and these membranes have low permeances of 10 gpu or less for the fast component (propylene). This may be one of the few gas-separation applications where ceramic or carbon membranes have an industrial future. 

The origins of the plastics industry go back well over a century to the early exploitation of nitrocellulose but the manufacture and use of plastics in a large way came later with the development of petro-chemicals and the resulting ready availability of the many precursors required. Most of the polymers that are of commercial importance now were introduced in the period between the two world wars, or in the years immediately following. It seems reasonable to anticipate that the polymers sold in quantity at present are likely to remain significant for some time in the future newer materials may be added but changes perhaps will be linked mainly to the modification of existing types for more specific purposes and techniques of manufacture. 

As reviewed, millions of different plastic products are produced and used worldwide. Plastics are used in all markets to meet many different requirements. There are endless newly designed products to meet new requirements. Continued research and new technology will extend the future of the plastics industry. Proliferation of new polymers/ plastics manufactured with specific new end use requirements will continue to be developed along with new processing developments.248 413 116 458... 

The plastics industry was in its infancy in the years just following independence. A few small-scale industries existed, which mainly converted molding powders into finished products by compression oj injection molding. The production of plastic goods has rapidly increased to a point where it furnishes considerable employment in small-scale industrial units. This will increase rapidly in the future as the capability for producing plastics increases. 

The properties and application potential of aromatic PCs are still far from exhausted. By control of molecular weight, modification of the polymer chain, optimization of purity, and development of new formulations, it will be possible to achieve variable use in existing markets or in newly developed segments of the market. Thus, PC is one of the most important polymeric construction materials in the plastics industry, with solid growth potential for the long future. 

With the fast developments in the plastic industry, some of the lesser known plastics will either find future usage or already be used for devices, general medical instruments and apparatus or as implant aids. Certain plastics now involve alloys, i.e. mixtures of thermoplastics, and thermoplastic and thermoset resins. Improvements in what were the economic five plastics, i.e. polyethylenes, polypropylenes, polyvinylchlorides, polystyrenes and polyesters, are constantly occurring. Use of metallocene catalysts is likely to produce plastics of a controlled chain length. 

These are good signs for the plastic industry in its restructured mode, and they have influenced the future growth forecasts for the individual plastics ... 

The styrene plastics industry has emerged over the past 30 years to become a major worldwide business. The industry has grown because the excellent balance of mechanical properties and processability of styrene plastics allow it to fill diverse market needs. The advent of workable industrial processes for both monomer and polymer and the fact that styrene plastics were made from once inexpensive raw materials have likewise contributed to the growth of the industry. In spite of the relative maturity of the science and the industry, styrene plastics remain a fruitful area for research. For example, the development of new materials having unique properties, such as fire and heat resistance, and the development of efficient energy and material-saving fabrication processes are expected to be the subject of extensive study in the future. 

In this chapter, industrial and technological future trends and present and future needs are briefly discussed. Fluoropolymers Division of the Society of Plastics Industry is an excellent source of additional information. 

Once plastics olgects are registered in collections, the ovmer institution has a responsibility to preserve them for the future, until the end of their useful lifetime, when the object ceases to have either a recognizable physical form or loses its intended meaning (Bradley, 1994). Museums and other cultural institutions aim to preserve oljects for the enjoyment and education of the next generation, sometimes defined as a minimum of either 50 or 100 years. The definition of a useful lifetime as applied to cultural materiak is different to that traditionally used by the plastics industry, where a predetermined reduction in one or two physical or chemical properties associated with the material s performance is the sole deciding factor. Industrial plastics are designed and formulated to function for a predefined period (Table 1.2). 

APC is ready and willing to help the plastics industry worldwide become effective advocates, and we encourage you to visit our website at www.plastics.org and utilize our communications arsenal. Just about every piece of information APC has is available through our website. Please take advantage of it in your daily activism while encouraging others to visit. It s an easy way to refer people to a comprehensive source of facts on a wealth of subjects. APC is a resource and a partner in helping our industry to shape a future that creates a marketplace valuing plastics for their performance, versatility, and environmental profile. 

In 1975, a study conducted by the plastic industry predicted that the future of plastic industry was hidden in special types of high-performance plastic materials with enhanced properties (such materials should occupy about 50 % of market share of polymer industry). The continuous development in polyolefins science revealed that time unimaginable secrets and potential for polyolefins to meet the high-performance needs expected from technical and speciality plastics. Thus, the latest trend in plastic goods processing is pronouncedly controlled by polyolefin producers (while high-performance plastics accounted in 1997 was about 0.25 % of polymer market) [1]. 

The traditional chemical industries (pulp paper, rubber plastics, and polymer fiber) will hopefully apply then knowledge and chemical know-how to eliminate most of their contribution to pollution. In the future this will become an increasingly important requirement in competing by decreasing the social cost of applied technology. Perhaps more plastics could replace metals if the polymer, rubber, and plastics industries could demonstrate that their cost of pollution per dollar of output is much smaller than that of the metal industry. 

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