Optimization in Polymer Processing

Plastics processing is a major industrial activity, which yields components and systems for a wide range of industries, such as packaging, automotive, aeronautics, electrical and electronic, sports and leisure, toys, civil and construction, and agriculture. Most plastic components are manufactured either by extrusion or injection moulding, but other techniques such as blow moulding and thermoforming are also important. The productivity of these technologies is dictated by the equipment design, choice of the operating conditions and physical properties of the polymer system. This book discusses the recent scientific developments on the optimisation of manufacturing engineering problems and applies them to polymer processing technologies.