Polymer/Plastic Engineering

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. Eligibility 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.