FOCUS ON INDUSTRY

Over the next few months, we shall run a series of articles focussing on particular industries.  Although these will obviously be of interest to those of you working in those particular industries, they will also serve to illustrate how plastics can be used in a variety of often demanding environments.

This is a different approach to looking at individual materials, their properties and applications.  This approach looks at particular requirements and then gives examples of the polymers that are used.  From this you may see how a set of requirements similar to yours have been solved by the use of plastics in another industry sector.

The industries covered will include:

Automotive - The automotive industry is at the forefront of polymer development.  Firstly because there is a need to reduce vehicle weight to improve fuel consumption and reduce emissions.  Secondly, because of its highly competitive nature requiring constant efforts to reduce costs and introduce innovative design.  Furthermore, The high volume of vehicles manufactured makes the automotive industry attractive to the polymer manufacturers.  As a result, they are prepared to invest in the necessary research to develop new polymer grades to meet the exacting demands.

Utilities – The use of plastics by the gas and water industries, for example, has grown substantially over the last 30 years.  Although many of the mouldings are relatively basic, the performance demands are considerable.  The failure of a gas pipe or fitting could have fatal consequences.

Agriculture – Plastics are widely used in agriculture.  Environmental concerns are becoming increasingly important, none more so than in this industry.

Construction – Polymers are becoming more widely used in the construction industry as they are lightweight, have a long life and offer exciting design possibilities.  Also, the development of more advanced plastic materials means that stringent requirements on strength and stiffness can now be more readily met by a polymer.

Electrical/Electronics – Plastics have been widely used in these industries for decades, starting with thermosets such as Bakelite.  Recent developments in polymers have opened up other possibilities for the use of plastic mouldings.

The application examples provided in the above features will not be confined to products manufactured by Rutland Plastics.

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