Concise Encyclopedia of Plastics, 2000

After over a century of worldwide production of all kinds trol persons, cost estimators, buyers, vendors, consultants, of products, the plastics industry is now the fourth largest and others. industry in the United States. This brief, concise, and prac­ The bulk of the book is the alphabetical listing of en­ tical book is a cutting edge compendium of the plastics tries. Preceding those entries is A Plastics Overview: Fig­ industry's information and terminology-ranging from ures and Tables (which presents eight summary guides on design, materials, and processes, to testing, quality control, the subjects examined in the text) and then the World of regulations, legal matters, and profitability. New and use­ Plastics Reviews (which presents 14 articles that provide ful developments in plastic materials and processing con­ general introductory information, comprehensive updates, tinually are on the horizon, and the examples of these de­ and important networking avenues within the world of velopments that are discussed in the book provide guides plastics). Following the alphabetical listing of entries, at the to past and future trends. end of the encyclopedia, seven appendices provide back­ This practical and comprehensive book reviews the ground and source guide information keyed to the text of the book. The extensive and useful Appendix A, List of plastics industry virtually from A to Z through its more than 25,000 entries. Its concise entries cover the basic is­ Abbreviations, lists all abbreviations used in the text.

A Plastics Overview: Figures and Tables.- The Plastics Phenomenon.- SPI: The Industry’s Voice.- Challenge 2000: Making Plastics a Preferred Material.- Advancing the Plastics Industry Through Education and Research.- Modern Plastics in the Year 2000.- Plastics Technology in the New Millennium.- Plastics News: Born to Feed Need for News.- Molding Our Future Vision.- Thinking Like a Manager and Managing for the Long Run.- Making Marketing Work.- The Plastics Industry: All Sectors, Including Machinery and Equipment.- Basics and Overviews of Plastics Fabricating Processes.- Guide to Processing Basics and Overview into the Future with Pictorial Views.- Fundamentals of Designing with Plastics and Reinforced Plastics.- Alphabetical Listing A to Z.- Appendices.- Appendix A. List of Abbreviations.- Appendix B. Conversion Tables.- Appendix C. Worldwide Plastics Industry Associations.- Appendix D. Worldwide Plastics Industry Events.- Appendix E. U.S. Government Publications and Groups.- Appendix F. Trade Magazines and Publications.- Appendix G. Websites on Plastics.- References.- About the Authors.

'An eclectic combination of formats, with tables, review articles, directory information, and a very extensive plastics glossary, this book contains some well-written initial review articles. The work's major portion, the section of alphabetical entries, is more extensive than comparable works like Whittington's Dictionary of Plastics (3rd ed., CH, Apr'94). The work is recommended for materials science and engineering collections, at the undergraduate level and above.'Choice, 38:8 (April 2001)