Plastics

His success plastics owe largely due to a set of unique features, such as low density (0,9-2,15 g/cm³, steel ~ 7.8, glass 2.5), corrosion resistance, ease of large-scale formation of finished parts (repetitive, which does not require after-treatment), and relatively low cost associated with many raw materials being the waste-products of crude oil processing. The first attempts to introduce large-scale plastics (thermosets - Bakelite, cross-linked rubber (Vulcanite), thermoplastic cellulose derivatives) instead of the expected enthusiasm brought extending even today the so-called aura of "Ersatz" - a low quality products used as substitute of prime raw material, appeared only due to harsh economic reasons (raw materials blockade of Germany in 1914-1918, the great crisis of the 30-ties of XX century). Meanwhile, childhood diseases of the plastics industry were caused mainly by the lack of understanding of the unique spectrum of properties of the materials and their proper use in everyday products and industrial applications. Until now we cold found bad recommendations, and, what is worse, the bad application example for parts of Bakelite plastic working at high temperatures (the handles of kitchen utensils), when the temperature of the decomposition of phenol-formaldehyde resin, which is a binder of this type of material, is close to 160°C. The first beneficiaries of the advantages of plastic was (outside the military, of course), transportation (reducing the weight of cars and planes) and packaging - to prolong the shelf life, facilitating the transport and distribution of food, ease of decoration promoting advertising content. Later they were joined by the textile industry (artificial fibres, the solution of the eternal problem of natural resources - to eat or to dress), construction (thermal insulations, plumbing), electrical (insulating housings, printed circuit boards, modern electronic components) or household appliances (housing and internal components in place of expensive stainless steel). Plastics are now ubiquitous (for some people over-present), increasingly replacing metals and other traditional construction materials, which is largely possible due to increasing experience of designers and, from other side, by constant pressure from end users according to the "cheaper and faster" rule, which is not necessarily reflected positively on the quality of the implemented solutions. Hence the constant need for a balanced and competitive knowledge-based support implementation by experienced consultants.