A new farm-to-closet vision for the clothes we wear--by a leader in the movement for local textile economies

There is a major disconnect between what we wear and our knowledge of its impact on land, air, water, labor, and human health. Even those who value access to safe, local, nutritious food have largely overlooked the production of fiber, dyes, and the chemistry that forms the backbone of modern textile production. While humans are 100 percent reliant on their second skin, it's common to think little about the biological and human cultural context from which our clothing derives.

Almost a decade ago, weaver and natural dyer Rebecca Burgess developed a project focused on wearing clothing made from fiber grown, woven, and sewn within her bioregion of North Central California. As she began to network with ranchers, farmers, and artisans, she discovered that even in her home community there was ample raw material being grown to support a new regional textile economy with deep roots in climate change prevention and soil restoration. A vision for the future came into focus, combining right livelihoods and a textile system based on economic justice and soil carbon enhancing practices. Burgess saw that we could create viable supply chains of clothing that could become the new standard in a world looking to solve the climate crisis.

In Fibershed readers will learn how natural plant dyes and fibers such as wool, cotton, hemp, and flax can be grown and processed as part of a scalable, restorative agricultural system. They will also learn about milling and other technical systems needed to make regional textile production possible. Fibershed is a resource for fiber farmers, ranchers, contract grazers, weavers, knitters, slow-fashion entrepreneurs, soil activists, and conscious consumers who want to join or create their own fibershed and topple outdated and toxic systems of exploitation..

This book provides a structured methodology and scientific basis for engineering injection molds. The topics are presented in a top-down manner, beginning with introductory definitions and the big picture before proceeding to layout and detailed design of molds. The book provides very pragmatic analysis with worked examples that can be readily adapted to real-world product design applications. It will help students and practitioners to understand the inner workings of injection molds and encourage them to think outside the box in developing innovative and highly functional mold designs.

Injection molding continues to be a core plastics manufacturing process, but now has competition from additive manufacturing for certain applications, and environmental concerns are in the spotlight. The 3rd edition addresses these issues, in particular with a new chapter on mold manufacturing strategy to provide an overview of the most common machining and additive manufacturing processes with cost and time models to guide the manufacturing strategy; updated and simplified break-even cost models to assist in the mold layout design (number of cavities and type of mold) vs. 3D printing; a new section on environmental concerns include mold design for recycled resins; and updates to the International Tolerance standards, and the new technology and simulation sections.

The first time since Independence, India is at a crossroads of secular and Hindu Rashtra (nation) ideologies. The Constitution of India is ambivalent about secularism, pandering to the demands of both the majority and minority communities. The founding fathers could not even agree on calling the Constitution 'secular'. The word 'secular' became a part of the Preamble only during the 'Emergency'. There is no consensus yet on its definition. In the process, secularism, though declared by the Supreme Court as a part of the 'basic structure' of the Constitution, has lost all credibility. Godbole's thoughtful and comprehensive agenda for strengthening secularism includes setting up a constitutional commission on secularism, the separation of religion from politics, defining the words 'secular' and 'minorities', doing away with the freedom to propagate religion, an amendment of Article 48 by deleting the provision prohibiting cow slaughter and increasing the role and responsibilities of the central government. The implementation of this will require national consensus, statesmanship, maturity and far-sightedness. Secularism should be a must-read for the youth of this country, political parties, legislators, professionals, academia, media, social thinkers and opinion-makers. For, no other issue will decide the future of India as decisively.

This applications-oriented book describes the construction of an injection mold from the ground up. Included are explanations of the individual types of molds, components, and technical terms; design procedures; techniques, tips, and tricks in the construction of an injection mold; and pros and cons of various solutions.

Based on a plastic part (bowl with lid) specially developed for this book, easily understandable text and many illustrative pictures and drawings provide the necessary knowledge for practical implementation. Step by step, the plastic part is modified and enhanced. The technologies and designs that are additionally needed for an injection mold are described by engineering drawings. Maintenance and repair, and essential manufacturing techniques are also discussed.

With full-color illustrations, this third edition builds on the success of the previous ones, with significantly expanded coverage of molding simulation, including many new figures, and updates and small corrections throughout the book.

An injection mold is the heart of any plastics molding workcell. Understanding the principles of an injection mold design and its importance to a successful plastic part is fundamental to the success of the product. This book helps guide the designer, engineer, project manager, and production manager in making sure that the injection mold to be designed will work as intended.

This book will take the reader through the process of conceptualizing and designing an injection mold that will produce the desired plastic part. Since it all starts with the plastic part, the book will first focus on key features and details of the plastic part which are necessary for good mold design. The design of the main components of an injection mold will be discussed and good design practices will be shared. Finally the process of testing and gaining customer acceptance of the mold for production will be detailed. A comprehensive appendix and detailed drawings will provide the required detail for completing a mold design.

We cannot imagine a world without plastics. Plastic products make our daily life safe, healthy and convenient. Besides all the benefits, the current plastics economy gives rise to environmental concerns with respect to fossil oil depletion and plastic waste accumulation. In a circular economy, however, plastics can be redesigned for reusability and recyclability. This book makes the topic of sustainable plastics approachable for students and career starters alike, describing the nature and chemistry of (bio)polymers as well as how to create a closed loop of plastic materials. The new edition expands on vitrimers, microplastics, recycling and examples.

Discusses

• the new plastics economy
• chemistry and properties of polymers
• biodegradable plastics and polymers from renewable resources
• and plastics recycling.

From hardware and materials through processing and properties, a broad coverage of blown film extrusion is presented. A primary objective of this book is to ensure a useful balance of theory and practice. The reader will find the answers to why they encounter certain effects in the blown film process so that they are better able to troubleshoot and improve their operations. At the same time, current practices and equipment are emphasized to keep readers up-to-date with the most productive and efficient technology. The companion computer-based learning tool, The Blown Film Extrusion Simulator, is provided to enhance the reader's understanding. This software was developed specifically to teach blown film extrusion equipment operation and processing principles, and is available for download. Throughout this book, exercises using the simulator are described to complement the methods and principles explained. New in this third edition is a chapter on polymer rheology, with an overview of the rheology of polymer melts and its effect on extruding blown film. Additionally, improvements and corrections have been made throughout the book.

This book is an easy-to-read introduction to plastic materials and processing with many examples taken from everyday life. It is suitable for students and professionals at all levels and includes over 600 color images to illustrate the wide variety of plastics and process workflows used today. With its comprehensive coverage, this is probably the most versatile plastics handbook ever written

In setting up an injection molding machine, reliable initial processing data is necessary to optimize and stabilize the process, and guarantee excellent results. This powerful tool will provide you with the most important processing data, such as viscosity, thermal properties, mold temperatures, and suggested heater temperatures for the most commonly used materials in injection molding.

This indispensable manual focuses on heat-treating by ASM, SME, and AISI standards. It has been created for use in student education, as well as to guide professionals who have been heat treating their entire lives. Written without the typical metallurgical jargon, it will serve as a training manual from day one in learning how to heat treat a metal, and then also serve as a day-to-day reference for a lifetime. This manual zeros in on the popular tool steels, alloy steels, heat-treatable stainless steels, case hardening steels, and more. It deals with these metals with up-to-date usage and processing recipes. What is different with this manual from all the others is that it doesn't just deal with the heat-treatment process, it also covers the continuation of the hardening process with cryogenics. It is written to help those who may want a thorough understanding of what goes on in the process of heat-treating and how to do it better. It also shows how proper heat and cryogenic processing can save your company money through longer life tooling, decarb-free and stress relief, all while learning how to create a better, finer grain structure. This manual shows that hardness is only an indication of hardness, and that the real money savings is in the fine grained structure. Written for toolmakers, engineers, heat-treaters, procurement, management personnel, and anyone else who is involved in metals, this manual covers the complete range of thermally treated metals from 2400 F down to -320 F.

Plastic materials continue to play a vital and growing role in packaging applications. It is thus more important than ever that all involved in the packaging industry command a basic understanding of the properties of the common packaging plastics. This highly regarded book provides just that to students and packaging professionals alike: material properties and how they relate to the chemical structure of the polymers, common processing methods for packaging applications, help with writing specifications, designing, fabricating, testing, and controlling the quality of the plastic material are covered comprehensively. The fourth edition has major revisions in discussions of sustainability, recycling, and design for sustainability. Coverage of biodegradable and biobased plastics is also increased. Discussion of coatings is also expanded. Further updates and enhancements throughout ensure Plastics Packaging remains an indispensable resource for both the packaging expert and the novice.

Plastics production comprises the main process steps synthesis (reaction), preparation/compounding at the raw material manufacturer and compounder, and processing (shaping into semi-finished or finished products).

In this handbook, the central middle step, preparation and compounding, is discussed.

The preparation tasks include the removal of components, the incorporation of additives, and the change of particle size. Compounding is the incorporation of additives into a polymer or plastic.

The process engineering fundamentals and the specific equipment and machines used are described. The specialist authors impart their knowledge from the fields of research, polymer production, and equipment/machine production with applications in plastics technology.

While plastics offer undeniable benefits, their exponential growth in production has raised concerns about resource depletion and pollution. Efforts to address the end-of-life challenges of plastics have been hindered by low recycling rates and inadequate waste management systems. Only a fraction of plastic waste is recycled globally, with a significant portion ending up in landfills or polluting natural environments. The persistence of plastic waste, coupled with its widespread contamination of oceans, freshwater systems, and terrestrial habitats, underscores the urgent need for solutions to mitigate its environmental impact. In response to these challenges, emerging circular plastics technologies, particularly chemical recycling, offer promising avenues for transforming plastic waste into valuable resources. Chemical recycling methods, including pyrolysis, depolymerization, and open-loop recycling, present opportunities to break down plastics into fuels, chemicals, and monomers, thus closing the loop on plastic production and consumption.

This book provides an overview of emerging chemical recycling technologies, focusing on advancements in pyrolysis, depolymerization, and open-loop recycling processes. Highlighting notable technological innovations and industry efforts to commercialize these methods, the book serves as a guide to understanding the potential of chemical recycling in addressing the plastic waste crisis.

Single-screw or twin-screw extruder? When the need to produce a homogeneous polymer melt occurs in the industrial environment, both product attributes and equipment cost must be evaluated. For many applications both the single and twin-screw extruder will produce the desired homogeneous melt needed to form the product through an extrusion die. Some applications such as dispersive mixing of solids in a polymer matrix are best accomplished in a twin-screw extruder. On the other hand, applications involving chemical reactions, color concentrate distributive mixing, and in line polymer-polymer distributive mixing can be accomplished with either device.

However, for the same production rate, twin-screw extruders are generally more expensive than single-screw extruders with a diameter less than 200 mm. Therefore, a thorough understanding is needed for the concepts of solids conveying, melting, and mixing for the two types of extruders to make appropriate process acquisition decisions. This book covers engineering and technology concepts that should aid the practitioner in comparing these two types of extrusion equipment relative to process requirements.

This introductory book covers the entire spectrum of plastics technology / engineering, from raw materials to finished plastic products. It is not just for university / college students in plastics technology and other engineering disciplines but also for beginners to the field in general. The interconnectivity between the different relevant knowledge areas of plastics technology, such as materials engineering, processing technology, and product development, is emphasized. A chapter Plastics and the Environment is also included, covering a topic (rightly) often of great concern to students and newcomers to the field. So includes numerous videos, conveniently linked via QR codes, to better demonstrate key processes visually.

Understanding Injection Molds opens up the entire subject of injection mold technology, including numerous special procedures, in a well-grounded and practical way. It is specifically intended for beginners, young professionals, business owners, and engineering students. The chapters are clearly structured and easy to understand. The book is designed so that it provides a complete basic knowledge of injection molds in chronological order as well as day-to-day guidance and advice. The numerous color figures facilitate a rapid understanding of the content, which is especially helpful to the beginner who wants to learn about injection molds quickly. In the forefront of the description are thermoplastic molds. Divergent processes for thermoset or elastomer molds are explained at the end of each chapter. This book captures the current state of the art, and is written by authors who are specialists in the field. The second edition has been updated and improved throughout.

This book shows the true and often-underestimated market potential of plastics recycling, with analysis from economic, ecological, and technical perspectives. It is aimed at both technical and non-technical readers, including decision makers in material suppliers, plastic product manufacturers, governmental agencies, educators, and anyone with a general interest in plastics recycling. An overview of waste handling systems with a focus on the U.S. market is provided. Different methods of waste handling are compared from both economic and ecological perspectives. Since plastic waste recycling is essential from an ecological point of view, common strategies and new approaches to both increase the recycling rate and improve recycling economically and technically are presented. This includes processing and material properties of recycled plastics. Finally, a worldwide outlook of plastic recycling is provided with analysis of additional worldwide markets, encompassing highly developed, fast-developing, and less developed countries. This revised and expanded second edition also contains a new section on fiber-reinforced plastics and considerations for recycling them as well as numerous updates on the data and the context analyzed throughout the book. The spreadsheets used in the economic analyses are also offered as a bonus for the reader to download from plus.hanser-fachbuch.de/en. True to the authors' mission, this book is printed on recycled paper.

For the first time, both the art and the science of designing runners and gates are presented in a concise format. Tried and true runner and gating design techniques successfully used with various materials and molding applications are described together with cutting edge new technologies. The book will help readers determine when to use what type of runner system and how to isolate molding problems generated by the gate and runner vs. other molding issues. Much emphasis is placed on the critical features in a hot runner design and how to determine what type of design is best for a specific application. Finally, readers will be able to separate the sales hype from reality when dealing with hot runner suppliers.

Plastics have a very important role to play in energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies of the present and future, but for them to be classified as sustainable materials, there is a great need for practical and economic recycling methods and infrastructure. This book fills the gap for a modern comprehensive technical guide to recycling of plastics, covering the whole value chain from raw materials to recycled materials.

All important recycling technologies (mechanical, chemical/feedstock, dissolution) are discussed and compared to each other and alternative disposal methods such as energy recovery and gasification. Collecting, sorting, and purification methods are also covered, as are economic, legal, and political aspects.

A strong emphasis is placed on data comparability, e.g. by standardized methods in measuring data. Although this is a challenge to implement, comparing data across technologies, regions, and stakeholders along the value chain yields important benefits. Key instruments for such a target are lifecycle assessments (LCAs), which are calculated in a standard way across the chapters to calibrate the messages among the numerous expert co-authors.

Specialty thermoplastics command a US$3 billion market worldwide. Their use is proliferating in aerospace and transportation, medical applications including implants, electrical and electronics, textiles and general engineering, and the oil and gas industries. This book provides the key details of all specialty thermoplastics in one volume, uncluttered by information on other commodity and engineering plastics. It covers the spectrum of manufacturing methods, major properties, processing, and applications.

The extraordinary resistance of specialty thermoplastics to high temperature, oxidation, hydrolysis, other chemicals, and radiation, as well as outstanding mechanical properties at temperatures from -40 to 300 C make them attractive materials for challenging applications. R&D scientists will appreciate the coverage here of different polymer structures for specialty plastics and why certain structures are technically and commercially preferred. Plastics engineers and product design engineers are empowered to select the right plastic in the right grade for the desired applications.

Guidance on processing of specialty plastics using injection and compression molding, extrusion, and coating is provided, together with a wealth of details regarding applications, including aspects that are not readily visible, such as touch and feel.

In addition to users in industry and academic research, this work is also applicable as a textbook for special courses on polymer science and engineering for graduate and undergraduate students.