ABSTRACT
After reading this chapter you should understand: (a) what a plastic is and that there are only two basic types (b) how plastics are turned into useful products (c) the principal limitations of plastics compared with metals (d) why there is increasing interest in laminates and composites (e) the most important design guidelines when designing plastic components (f) what an elastomer is and how it differs from all other engineering materials (g) why metallic inserts are frequently incorporated within plastic and elastomeric parts (h) the properties of natural and synthetic rubbers and why they are particularly suitable
for many engineering applications.
