Manufacturers make plastics at the same quality as when they were introduced. The supply chain demands even more now and relies heavily on plastic production. To give you better insight into why this is and how it happened, let’s have a brief walkthrough of the history of machined plastic to get our gears turning.
Genesis of Plastic Injection Molding
When injection molding came about at the beginning of the 19th century, two individuals were responsible for its creation, John and Isaiah Hyatt. After they realized the usefulness of their invention, they had a machine patented in 1812. They started with simple articles such as combs and buttons. The quickness and cheapness of production took manufacturing industries by surprise.
Introduction of Thermoplastics
In the 1930s, manufacturers introduced thermoplastics to cut back on the flammability and levels of toxicity of previous plastics. Arthur Eichengren and Theodore Becker were responsible for these plastics coming about. These scientists made such variations as polyolefins, polystyrene, and polyvinyl. These would change the world’s view, yet again, on plastics and their usefulness.
Second World War
During the Second World War, manufacturing was under a ton of stress to supply the troops with all their basic supplies. Plastics gained traction back in the United States during this time in most industries like automotive and manufacturing.
Plastics Today
The demand for these vital materials is higher than ever. Plastics have now become a facet of every manufacturing sector in the world. People leverage plastic machining services in the home appliances market, automotive, etc. It would be hard to imagine a world without plastics at this point.
This has been a brief walkthrough of the history of machined plastic for those of you who were interested. Although this was only an overview, it pinpoints the highlights of the origins and history of plastic.
