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<b>Designing Plastics Parts for Assembly</b> 
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		 <p align="right"><b>Foreword to 2nd Edition</b></p> 
         <p align="right"><i>Henri (Ari) Sayag,</i></p> 
         <p align="right">Research Manager,</p> 
         <p align="right"><a style="color:#0000ff" target="_blank" href="http://www.mecaplast.com">Mecaplast</a></p> 
         <p align="right">February 1995 Monte Carlo, Monaco</p> 
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         <p>Plastic
         parts and plastic materials have had a bad image over the decades. This
         was due to inadequate design, poor knowledge of both materials and
         manufacturing. Many products were rejected after disastrous first
         trials, and this situation lead managers to turn back to traditional
         solutions excluding plastic materials.</p> 
         <p>Paul
         A. Tres is a part of the generation which made the pioneering times of
         plastic technology turn toward the modern era. Those, nostalgic of the trial
         and errors method, of heroic adjustments with an after taste of weariness, may not
         appreciate this book. Those who have never lived these days and nights
         of anguish, trying and trying, increasing a radius here, adding draft
         angle there, adding thickness and so on, cannot understand how
         important it is to get ready&#8211;to&#8211;bake solutions. That&#39;s the task of this
         book and it is well done. It will enable all those searching for effectiveness and the
         best time-to-market, to find a method, I would even say a recipe. You
         can find here, in terms of assembly, the right solution, including the
         right material, to meet the requirements of your product. This book is
         one of those which shows that the plastic material technology has
         reached the age of reason. The frontiers of voodoo will be set back and
         as each time limits are pushed back, new solutions, and innovative
         applications appear on the market. The professionals then know how to
         do things better, inspiring confidence in their clients, and others who
         are often far away from the world of plastics. This restored confidence
         allows people to consider daring solutions, since we are surrounded by
         a deep knowledge of the materials, and their behavior in all the
         situations they will come across during their lifetime. As in any good
         Hollywood movie, the happy end is then assured. However it is still not
         easy, the bad experiences of the near past and certain adventurers who
         ignore or disdain these tools make it difficult to restore full
         confidence to the users.</p> 
         <p>One
         must admit that before the advent of analytical methods the anxiety of
         the customer was absolutely legitimate. Paul&#39;s book contributes to the
         establishment of fruitful dialog between the client and his supplier.
         The client can begin his concept on a solid, communal basis, thus
         allowing a notable more savings, fewer second thoughts because of the
         recognized scientific basis on one hand and the fine tuning added by
         Paul's substantial experience on the other hand.</p> 
         <p>Compared
         to metals, plastic materials present many advantages but have one major
         defect: they have characteristics which vary significantly according to
         temperature and time. This makes plastic design not as easy to deal
         with as metal design. Plastic expertise is needed, as well as specific
         knowledge about operating conditions. Mostly, the failure in plastic
         design takes place when the designer is not aware of two topics:</p> 
         <p>- Safety factors</p> 
         <p>- Behavior of plastic materials</p> 
         <p>The
         advice I can provide you, is to begin your reading with chapter 2. You
         will find an exhaustive panorama of the safety factors you will need to
         deal with while designing in plastic. Afterwards, in chapter 1, spend
         the time you need to understand why plastic materials may have such a
         surprising behavior compared to metal. Then, you are free to choose the
         assembly technique that fits your product.</p> 
         <p>Nevertheless,
         I have one regret. Paul and I often discussed the opportunity to write
         a book summing up our experience. Paul did it. I did not. I hope one
         day, I can forgive him!</p> 
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<td>Copyright ©1994-2003
              Carl Hanser Verlag. All rights reserved.</td> 
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