What will I learn?

Attending the course will ensure that the delegates have a general understanding of the most common polymer materials, available additives, processing requirements and identification testing procedures. In addition, the course will explain the history of plastics materials development, as well as potential future developments associated with the topic.

Attending candidates will leave the course having heard the theory behind materials developments and been involved in ‘hands-on’ identification exercises for a range of polymers. They will also have discussed the various topic areas to draw on experiences that illustrate the key points being made throughout the course by the tutor.

What skills will I gain?

The prime objective of this intensive course is to provide a thorough understanding of the most common types of plastics materials and will cover their manufacture, molecular structure, additives, processing characteristics and identification methods. The programme enables attending personnel to manage material selection and consolidation exercises to reduce ongoing and future cost implications associated with raw materials and their storage. Once selected it is also important to process these materials in a manner that will ensure optimum service properties are obtained. On completion of the course the delegates will be able to:

• Understand why the mechanical properties of various materials are different
• State the chemical names, their abbreviations and common trade names for a range of materials
• Classify different polymers in various sub-sections depending upon molecular structure and service properties
• Explain the reasons why polymer melts behave as they do when processed
• Differentiate between a range of mechanical properties quoted by material suppliers
• Select materials based on their properties and additives available
• Select manufacturing processes suitable for various material types
• Describe suitable application areas for various polymer materials
• Conduct material identification test procedures using various techniques
• Contribute to future material selection and consolidation activities to reduce the cost involved