This revised edition has been updated to include recent developments in ceramics, composites and semiconductor processes, and to take account of high-temperature super-conductors and amorphous materials. A new chapter on polymers and their mechanical properties has been added. The chapter on optical processes has been extended, and new sections on piezo-electric and ferro-electric materials have been included. A set of self-assessment questions and appendices on units and conversion factors, physical constants and physical properties of materials complete the text. The book assumes minimal knowledge of physics and chemistry.