Pengenalan Kursus

Many countries throughout the world have or are developing a strong manufacturing base, producing a range of products including household goods, electrical, do-it yourself, and automobile components. They are considered as the most rapidly growing sector of the materials industry consequently increasing the number of people who work in this field.

Plastic and rubber, together with adhesives, resin and fibres, from a group material called polymers. Polymers have special properties which make them very useful in the modern world. The majority of polymers are derived from oil chemicals, although there are some naturally occurring polymers such as natural rubber and cellulose.

The manufacture of products from polymers requires a knowledge and understanding of a broad range of principles and technologies. For example, to make a product from plastic, one must choose which plastic to use from a very large range of plastics available, and then decide which processing method is suitable to produce the desired shaped product. Once these have been decided, it will often be necessary to design and make a mould for the products, and then ensure this mould functions effectively. This does not include the considerable expertise required to design the product in the first place to ensure maximum strength, ease of function and an aesthetic shape.

These engineers need to apply the traditional skills of chemical engineers, such as plant design, process design, thermodynamics, and transport phenomena, to the various problem involving the production and use of polymers. Many of the engineers currently working in the industry trying to solve these problems have the background in either chemical engineering or polymers. The Polymer Engineering Option in Chemical Engineering is designed to produce engineers with both sets of skills.