Provides the reader with access to lessons learned in the author’s 40 years of plastics product design experience

Part 1 of the book provides the reader with an introduction to plastics as a design material and a discussion of materials commonly in use today. There is a discussion of a variety of processes available to the designer to make a part along with the design considerations each process will entail. This section also includes a discussion of useful prototyping processes, including advantages and disadvantages of each. Next, the book discusses general design considerations applicable to most plastics product designs.

In Part 2 of the book the author discusses elements of design of a number of generic plastic product types based on his more than 40 years of experience of product design and development for several companies with a variety of products. This section includes discussions of structural components, gears, bearings, hinges, snap fits, packaging, pressure vessels, and optical components. This section also discusses the general considerations that apply to these applications as well as specific insights about each particular application. There is also a chapter on the most important joining techniques. Part 2 ends with a discussion of the general design process.

The book concludes with 3 appendices on thermal properties of selected generic materials; properties of selected structural components; and common abbreviations for plastic materials.

Audience

This book is aimed at product designers and plastics application engineers who have had limited or no experience with plastics materials as well as a more experienced designer who is designing a part for a use, process or an application that they are not familiar with.