A History of Plastics

Plastic-like materials have existed throughout history. Synthetic plastic saw much of its significant development during the second industrial revolution with chemical synthesis and mass production increasing during this period. The development of nylon fiber saw one of the greatest commercial successes as the most widespread product demonstrating the application of plastic material in everyday consumer products. Different plastic processing techniques were developed to meet the need for feasible processes to convert these plastic materials into products. Some of these processes were borrowed from other fields such as textiles, rubber processing, and metalworking. Many of the fundamental processes are still in use today despite having seen significant modification and advancement over the years. This chapter reviews some of the historical development of plastics and plastic processing techniques.