"Plastics - they are everywhere." The first sentence of this book hints at the problem it seeks to address. The shear diversity of plastics materials has led to their use in products as varied as disposable packaging, life-saving medical devices, giant wind-turbine blades and tiny electronic components. Their prices and properties vary as widely, and they can be moulded, extruded, blown, formed, and shaped in many other ways. Traditionally made from petrochemicals, designers can now also choose from a range of natural materials. Performance will depend on chemical constitution, but also on the selection of processing aids and property modifiers which can be added to the basic material. For years, people have asked for a simple book to help them understand this complex subject. This is that book Managers, sales personnel, industry newcomers, designers and end-users are all confronted with a bewildering range of technology and terminology by their colleagues, customers and suppliers. The Instant Expert: Plastics, Processing and Properties provides clear descriptions of the wide range of plastic materials, and explanations of the basic shaping and finishing processes. The author also talks about materials properties and testing, and provides some simple examples of why particular plastics are used in common or more challenging applications. Common abbreviations are explained. Readable from cover-to-cover, or easily referred to when questions arise, this book will be indispensible.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Handbook, Second Edition, is a one-stop reference on current electronic waste legislation initiatives, their impact, and the latest technological considerations for reducing electronic waste (e-waste) and increasing the efficiency of materials recovery. It also provides a wide-range of global and corporate examples and perspectives on the challenges that face specific regions and companies, along with the solutions they are implementing in managing e-waste, offering further insights on how discarded products can be treated. Sections introduce the reader to legislation and initiatives to manage WEEE and discuss technologies for the refurbishment, treatment and recycling of waste electronics. Further sections focus on electronic products that present particular challenges for recyclers, explore sustainable design of electronics and supply chains, discuss national and regional WEEE management schemes, and more.

This revised 3rd edition details the factors involved in the injection moulding process, from material properties and selection to troubleshooting faults, and includes the equipment types currently in use and machine settings for different types of plastics. Since material flow is critical in moulding, the book covers rheology and viscosity. High temperature is also discussed as it can lead to poor quality mouldings due to material degradation.

Electrical and electronic waste is a growing problem as volumes are increasing fast. Rapid product innovation and replacement, especially in information and communication technologies (ICT), combined with the migration from analog to digital technologies and to flat-screen televisions and monitors has resulted in some electronic products quickly reaching the end of their life. The EU directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) aims to minimise WEEE by putting organizational and financial responsibility on producers and distributors for collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of WEEE. Therefore all stakeholders need to be well-informed about their WEEE responsibilities and options. While focussing on the EU, this book draws lessons for policy and practice from all over the world. Part one introduces the reader to legislation and initiatives to manage WEEE. Part two discusses technologies for the refurbishment, treatment and recycling of waste electronics. Part three focuses on electronic products that present particular challenges for recyclers. Part four explores sustainable design of electronics and supply chains. Part five discusses national and regional WEEE management schemes and part six looks at corporate WEEE management strategies. With an authoritative collection of chapters from an international team of authors, Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) handbook is designed to be used as a reference by policy-makers, producers and treatment operators in both the developed and developing world.