Outlines a method of constructing a thermoforming machine at a fraction of the market price. (GB)

The process of foam formation is used for demonstrating the way in which the application of physiochemical principles and knowledge of the physical properties of the materials contributes towards the understanding of a wide range of phenomenon. Solubility of gas and bubble growth should be considered during the development of foamed polymer…

Random-climb models enable undergraduate chemistry students to visualize polymer molecules, quantify their configurational properties, and relate molecular structure to a variety of physical properties. The model could serve as an introduction to more elaborate models of polymer molecules and could help in learning topics such as lattice models of…

Describes the machines and equipment needed to teach plastics in the industrial arts curriculum for the '70s. (GR)

Describes a tri-level program at the high school level in plastics technology. (GB)

Filament winding of reinforced plastics is presented as a possible curriculum project. (GB)

The Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, has successfully used urethane roofing to lower mechanical and electrical expenses. (MLF)

This student learning activity explores the history and evolution of packaging technology and concerns about plastics and other packaging materials. (SK)

Far from being just cheap packaging materials, plastics may be the materials of tomorrow. Plastic can conduct electricity, and this opens up a host of high-tech possibilities in the home and in energy generation. These possibilities are discussed here along with how plastic can be recycled and perhaps even grown.

Judge Harry T. Roman, an electrical engineer and inventor, has selected the best of the crop in the 2006/2007 Tech Directions Inventors Award Competition. The challenge this year called on students to slow the filling of landfills by devising uses for discarded plastic water, juice, soda, and sports-drink bottles. Judge Roman noted "many common…

The electrical properties of polyaniline changes by orders of magnitude upon exposure to analytes such as acids or bases, making it a useful material for detection of these analytes in the gas phase. The objectives of this lab are to synthesize different diameter polyaniline nanofibers and compare them as sensor materials. In this experiment…

Reports interference fringes that appear when a loaded plate of transparent non-crystalline plastic is placed between crossed polars; describes polarization of light sources and the origin of the analyzing polarizer. (GS)