Development trends in processing of plastics

The plastics processing industry is a rapidly growing branch of industry, using many fields of technology: synthesis and modification of polymers, new manufacturing technologies, construction of machines and tools, information systems for designing, simulation and control of manufacturing processes and simulation of product use, i.e. mechanical stresses and the influence of the surrounding atmosphere (thermal shocks, aging under the influence of UV radiation or thermo-oxidation). Numerous advantages of plastics, resulting from their good performance and processing properties, make these materials more and more often become substitutes for traditional plastics. For these reasons, the reflections on the development trends of this industry have focused on such areas as: new materials, in particular polymer composites; innovative, environmentally friendly processing processes, including recycling; systems for computer simulation and processing control (in the sphere of design, processing and use of plastics); new, technologically advanced machines and tools; incremental technologies; systems that provide a flexible response to the individual needs of recipients and consumers.