Plastics comprise a family of materials. On combining different elements plastics are created for a variety of uses. The raw material for plastics can be produced in powder, pellet or syrup form and then various consumer durables like toys, tubing and auto parts are manufactured, using various methods. Injection moulding and blow moulding are two of the commonly used methods used for producing plastic goods.
Plastic is increasingly being used as a substitute to materials like rubber, wood, glass and paper in packaging industry and metals in other industries. There has been a consistent rise in the demand of plastic due to its price, versatility, variety and durability. In fact today after steel, plastic is the most widely used material.
The growth of this sector in future in India is assured. Government has identified the petrochemical industry as a high priority area owing to the fact that plastics play an important role in providing the basic necessities for everyday use, while conserving the scarce natural resources.
The functional areas in the plastics industry can be divided into three broad categories namely production, management and marketing. Production involves production of not only the basic raw material but also designing of products. Professional employed in the production process includes chemical engineers and polymer technologists.
The companies producing plastic goods or separate marketing companies handle marketing. These companies appoint marketing and sales executives to handle the marketing of finalized items. These could be for industrial users or general consumers and requires adequate knowledge of the end usage of the plastic and of the qualities and properties pf the material.
In the area of Management normally qualified engineers especially those possessing specialized knowledge in the area of plastics technology and management graduates, are appointed as managers in companies dealing with the production and sales of plastic.
Educational Qualification:
Students interested in entering the area of Plastic Technology should have completed 10+2 with physics, chemistry and mathematics. Plastic Technologist may specialize at the graduate level through a BE course in Chemical/Polymer engineering or a B.Sc. course in Chemistry followed by B.Tech./Diploma in Plastic/Polymer Technology. Graduates in Chemical/Polymer engineering or simple graduates with Chemistry are eligible for postgraduate courses in Plastic/Polymers technology. They however have to clear GATE for getting admission into the postgraduate course.
Other than production, management and marketing are other functional areas and entry in these areas do not necessarily demand a background in Plastic Technology.
