In Nylon: The Story of a Fashion Revolution, Handley folds together an array of topics: the role of technology in modern life, the changing nature of popular taste, the fortunes of the late-twentieth-century garment industry, and the design innovations and artistry that synthetics permit, even encourage. Handley tells behind-the-scenes stories about companies like DuPont (inventors of Nylon, the first pure synthetic fabric) and its competitors and imitators. She introduces readers to the world of clothing design and manufacture, tracing the development of fabrics from the semisynthetic "Art Silk" early in the century to polyester, Lycra, and the newest technological fibers and desirable weaves. She examines the advertising strategies that played on and built up consumer expectations. And she describes a not-too-distant future of interactive textiles, solar units, intelligent jackets, and the "wearable office."
A comprehensive encyclopaedic dictionary on polymer technology with expanded entries - trade name and trade marks, list of abbreviations and property tables.
This handbook addresses nylon plastics technology, including blending and toughening. State-of-the-art analytical techniques, transition phenomena, and structural details are fully discussed.
A hands-on guide to choosing and using old and new technologies for joining plastics and elastomers. Includes detailed discussions of over 25 techniques used to join plastics to themselves and to other materials. Advantages and disadvantages of each technique along with detailed discussions of applications are presented. A second section is organized by material and provides details of using different processes with over 50 generic families of plastics and how different techniques and operating parameters affect weld strength and other criteria. This book is an excellent reference and an invaluable resource for novice and expert alike in determining the best joining technique for their application and providing guidance in how to design and prepare for production.
A comprehensive collection of professionally validated comparative data, on the most widely used plastics materials. The Plastics Compendium covers thermoplastics, thermosets, composites and thermoplastic elastomers. Volume 1 of The Plastics Compendium contains clearly presented data on 351 generic and modified material types, in the following main sections property and commercial data sheets, an alphabetical trade name index, a listing of suppliers' (or their agents'), and a detailed alphabetical index to the materials for which data are listed.
Offering nearly 7000 references-3900 more than the first edition-Polymeric Biomaterials, Second Edition is an up-to-the-minute source for plastics and biomedical engineers, polymer scientists, biochemists, molecular biologists, macromolecular chemists, pharmacists, cardiovascular and plastic surgeons, and graduate and medical students in these disciplines. Completely revised and updated, it includes coverage of genetic engineering, synthesis of biodegradable polymers, hydrogels, and mucoadhesive polymers, as well as polymers for dermacosmetic treatments, burn and wound dressings, orthopedic surgery, artificial joints, vascular prostheses, and in blood contacting systems.
What do nylon stockings and atomic bombs have in common? DuPont. The chemical firm of DuPont de Nemours pioneered the development of both nylon and plutonium, playing an important role in the rise of mass consumption and the emergence of the notorious “military-industrial complex.” In this fascinating account of the lives and careers of Du Pont’s chemical engineers, Pap A. Ndiaye deftly illustrates the contribution of industry to the genesis of a dominant post–World War II “American model” connecting prosperity with security. The consumer and military dimensions of twentieth-century American history are often studied separately. Ndiaye reunites them by examining Du Pont's development of nylon, which symbolized a new way of life, and plutonium, which was synonymous with annihilation. Reflecting on the experiences and contributions of the company's engineers and physicists, Ndiaye traces Du Pont's transformation into one of the corporate models of American success.
Flexible films are defined as being planar forms of plastics, which may be thick enough to be self-supporting but thin enough to be flexed, folded and/or creased without cracking. Films comprise around 25 per cent of all plastics used worldwide, around 40 million tons, and are thus a massive market sector. Commodity plastics dominate, with polyethylene and polypropylene together accounting for around 34 million tons. This is an expanding area with increased demand each year particularly in the developing regions of the world and with a move from rigid to flexible packaging. There are many material types used in films from single layer polymers to multilayer structures with tie layers and copolymers. Multilayers permit custom adaptation of material properties from barrier to strength. Technology, such as the orientation of polypropylene, has produced better properties and more valuable materials. High performance plastics are also being used in applications such as telectronics. There are details of the main suppliers including mergers and capacity. coextrusion, casting, extrusion coating, extrusion laminating and metallising. Blown extrusion was the first process used to make films of polyethylene. These processes have advantages and disadvantages depending on the material type in use, the width and thickness of film required. Films are mainly used in packaging for foodstuffs, but there are also substantial market segments for medical, electronic, automotive and construction applications. Specific applications include decorative wrap, form-fill-seal, blood bags, flexible printed circuits, bed sheeting, diapers, and in-mould decorating of car parts (to replace painting and provide a more durable surface coating). Carrier bags and garbage bags are big markets, with imports to Europe; there are environmental concerns about the use of plastic bags and these are discussed in the report. geomembranes and similar applications. PE and PP are the main materials used in packaging films. PET is primarily used in magnetics, optics and telectronics. PVC is found in consumer goods and medical applications, while PVB is mainly used in automotive and construction applications as glazing protection. Multimaterial films account for around 7 million tons of the films produced, with around 95 per cent of this going into packaging applications. These are just some of the examples listed in this market report. Europe and North America each account for about 30 per cent of the total world consumption of plastic films. The plastic films supply structure and individual company information are summarised in the second half of this market report on Plastic Films in Europe and the Rest of the World.
Derived from the fourth edition of the well-known Plastics Technology Handbook, Industrial Polymers, Specialty Polymers, and Their Applications covers a wide range of general and special types of polymers