This book is for the industrial designer interested in the applications of plastics in products and industry. It explains how different plastics are processed, and it contains extensive examples of common and unusual plastic components and products with an explanation of how they are manufactured. Every year, more products are being replaced or augmented by the same product made from plastic, and this trend has resulted in much debate about the effectiveness of plastic replacements. Today's plastics can be designed to operate in all weather conditions and chemical surroundings. They can be economically produced for short run part production or readily adapted to high quantity production, and they can be cut, glued, tapped, or machined by traditional methods to suit design needs. Explains how to choose the best processing method, what fastening or joining methods can be used, and how to use the characteristics of a plastic to judge its suitability for an application. Covers all major contemporary molding processes. Discusses, in detail, important topics such as surface finish and special effects.