Polymer Plastic Engineering

Polymer/Plastic Engineering :

Introduction:

We all live in a world wherein plastic is present in every walk of life. Plastics and rubber, together with adhesives, resin and fibres, form a group of materials with special properties, called polymers. Polymer (plastics and rubbers) play a large part in shaping the look and feel of today's world.

In India, the polymer sector have been identified as a 'high Priority' sector, owing to the fact that polymers play an important role in providing the basic necessities for everyday use. Their application ranges from medical to construction of even an aircraft. They are used extensively in all products-i.e majority of household goods, electrical goods, and automobile components contain plastics and rubber parts, and often plastics are used to package these products. Polymers have become a rapidly growing sector of the materials industry and hence the importance of Chemical or polymer engineering as a career option has been increasing manifold.

Polymer engineering is generally a branch of engineering that designs, analyses, and/or modifies polymer materials for aiding the manufacture of articles from polymers. Polymer Engineering uses the theory and knowledge of chemical engineering to solve various problems involving the production and use of polymers. Polymer engineers use the principles of plant design, process design, thermodynamics, and transport phenomena to develop new products. Polymer engineering covers aspects of petrochemical industry, polymerization, structure and characterization of polymers, properties of polymers, compounding and processing of polymers and description of major polymers, their structure, property relations and applications. Many of the engineers currently working in the industry trying to solve these problems have background in either chemical engineering or polymers.

As plastic usage have increased a lot, proper management of plastic is necessary. This necessitated the requirement of developing eco friendly plastics for reducing pollution and increasing recyclability. Here comes the role of polymer engineer. They must have an understanding of both the properties of polymer materials and the processing methods used to shape them into the products we see in our everyday lives. Thus duties of polymer engineer involves supervising the production process of plastics and other polymers. It is under their supervision, plastic moulders and technicians carry out the shop floor manufacturing processes.

Degrees, Process, eligibility & course areas:

Educational: To pursue a career in polymer engineering one must opt for chemistry, physics and mathematics at 10+2 level. B.E./B.Tech in polymer engineering is the basic qualification required to be in this field.

Degree and postgraduate degree courses are offered by the engineering colleges and Institutes of Technology (IITs), and diploma courses by various polytechnics. Admission for B.E./B.Tech is made on the basis of entrance examination (joint entrance exam / JEE for the IIT's and separate state level and national level exams for other institutions). The national level exam AIEEE is also conducted for admissions in the NITs in India and many other prestigious colleges. Those who have obtained a B.E. or B.Tech. degree in polymer engineering can take up M.Tech courses. Candidates who have qualified in the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) exam will find it as an advantage for admission to the M.Tech courses in most of the elite institutions.

The B.E/B.Tech course is of four years duration, while the M Tech / ME program is of one and a half to two years duration. These courses cover the properties and applications of the range of plastics and rubber materials used in the manufacture of goods, and also the engineering aspects of designing products and processing the materials into shaped products. Polymer engineering involves detail study of subjects like Petrochemical industry, Polymerization, Structure and characterization of polymers, Properties of polymers, Compounding and processing of polymers, Description of major polymers, their structure, property relations and applications.

Personnel attributes: Excellent analytical, communication and teamwork skills is a necessity and the candidate should be hardworking, good at organizing and solving problems. As the knowledge and duties of chemical engineers overlap this field, they must be aware of aspects of chemical engineering. Imagination, creativity are required for developing new products and in devising new uses of the basic product. Must be able to concentrate for long periods and pay attention to detail.

Skills:

Excellent analytical skills

Good communication skills

Ability to work in a team

Good problem solving skills

They must be aware in the latest trend of chemical engineerig

You should be creative enough to develop new products.

Must be able to work for long hours.

Must be able to pay attention to minute details.

Top Colleges in India for Polymer Plastic Engineering:

Hindustan College of Engineering, Chennai

IIT, Delhi

Kamaraj College of Engineering & Technology, TN

Central Institute of Plastic Engineering & Technology, Andhra Pradesh

BS Abdur Rahman University, TN

Cochin University, Kerala

Birla Institute of Technology, Jharkhand

Job Prospects & Career Options:

As polymer industry is a rapidly growing sector, those with knowledge and understanding of a broad range of principles and technologies of manufacture of products from polymer is required. This has increased the demand for qualified personnel in this field.

Polymer plays a vital role in our lives because of its uniqueness in properties and extended application in industries, packaging, sports, medicine, perfumes and preservatives, plastics, fuels, toys etc. In all these areas experienced work force who have detailed practical knowledge about polymers and their application is employed. Plastics are also used in the manufacture of Prosthetic devices and surgical equipments. The diversity of use is growing day by day. Hence training in this sector offers good employability both in India and abroad.

Due to the excessive use of polymers in today's world, waste management has emerged as a distinct field of work. This too has created job opportunities for polymer engineers. Polymer engineers are involved in research and development, processing, quality control, technical support and sales, design and manufacture of moulds, training, management and related activities. Students who complete this course undergo campus selection for jobs in major tyre companies, fuel refineries, polymer manufacturing and processing industries and research institutions. Both public and private sectors offer tremendous job opportunities to polymer professionals.

Those with qualification in polymer engineering and technology can find jobs with polymer manufacturing industries as production engineers or technologists, quality control inspectors, polymer specialists, marketing executives and so on. Opportunities also exist in research and development field. Many private companies and MNCs that deal with the production and marketing of plastic commodities also offer employment.

Even though polymer is not a known field compared to other engineering areas, there is ample scope for well qualified resource persons, especially abroad. The research wings of many multinational companies require young dynamic polymer professionals who are capable of fulfilling their goals.

Challenges:

Impact on environment: Plastic is one of the major toxic pollutants of present time. Being composed of toxic chemicals and most importantly a nonbiodegradable substance, plastic pollutes earth and leads to air pollution and water pollution. This also mixes with food chain effecting Environment Humans and animals. There is no safe way to dispose plastic waste and waste causes serious damage to environment during its production process, during its usage and during its disposal process.

Impact on humans: The harmful effects of plastic on aquatic life are devastating, and accelerating. The impacts of plastic waste on our health and the environment are only just becoming apparent. Most of our knowledge is around plastic waste in the marine environment, although there is research that indicates that plastic waste in landfill and in badly managed recycling systems could be having an impact, mainly from the chemicals contained in plastic.

Impact of single use plastics: The single use plastics (drinking water bottles/ packing food stuff) are another issue surrounding the toxicity. Phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA) are the two most notorious toxin which leach from plastics into food or water and when these plastic wastes are discarded improperly, they often end up in water bodies where they continue to leach these harmful chemical for an very long time.

Remuneration: Working experience, qualification, skills are important factors in determining the pay level. The starting salary of Polymer Engineer in public sector ranges from Rs.10000 to Rs.15 000 per month. In the private sector, the starting remuneration can be in the range of Rs.9000 to Rs.12000 per month whereas for those with an M.Tech degree can earn as high as Rs.15000 to Rs.20000 per month at the starting level. Senior Polymer engineers/scientists with more than five years of working experience can earn anywhere in between Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 80,000 per month.

Bibliography: "OMICS International | Open Access Journals." Omicsonline.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: Ramesh, S. "CIPET | Central Institute Of Plastics Engineering & Technology | Department Of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry Of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government Of India." Cipet.gov.in. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "Engineering-Courses.Com." Engineering-courses.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "Deccan Herald Brings Latest News, Breaking News, Live News, India News, World News On Politics, Election, Sports, Bollywood, Hollywood, Business With All Analysis & Reports." Deccan Herald. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "Maa Foundation - Knowledge Is Growth." Maafoundation.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India : Latest News, India, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand, J&K, Sports, Cricket." Tribuneindia.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "College Education Guide: Career Options, Planning & Information Portal." Indiaeducation.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "University College Of Engineering, Thodupuzha - Home." Ucet.ac.in. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "Slideshare.Net." www.slideshare.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "ALL BALTISTAN MOVEMENT." ALL BALTISTAN MOVEMENT. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "2017-2018 Management." Management.ind.in. N.p., 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

Bibliography: "Salary/ Remuneration Of Polymer Engineers | Polymer/Plastic Engineering Careers And Courses In India." career.webindia123.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 29 Sept. 2017.

Bibliography: Raman Sharma, Vipin Koushal, and Meenakshi Sharma. "Plastics: Issues Challenges And Remediation." N.p., 2017. Print.