ABSTRACT
All plastics products are made from the essential polymer mixed with a complex blend of materials known collectively as additives. Electrical and electronic industries also benefit from the use of plastics, making electrical goods safer, lighter, more attractive, quieter and more durable. The shaping process is done by the application of heat and pressure, and it is the behavior of the material when heated that distinguishes between the two classes of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. Phenolic plastics are based on phenol formaldehyde resins and are often referred to as bakelite. Glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) more commonly referred to as fibreglass, has many useful properties such as high tensile and compressive strength, hard smooth surfaces unreactive to chemicals, fire resistance, insulator of heat, electricity and sound, impervious to water, easily moulded and coloured, long lasting and low maintenance and can be manufactured into all manner of products.
