Preface 1^st Edition

Paul A. Tres

ETS, Inc

March 2002

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Over the course of last eleven years or so, the information this book is based on has been upgraded many times.

Now this material is available, for the first time, to Chinese designers and engineers working with plastic materials in various industries.

China is currently is becoming a world economic powerhouse. Its plastic industry is now growing by leaps and bounds.

Designing Plastic Parts for Assembly addresses vital issues faced by designers and engineers involved in developing new products with plastic materials and dedicated to bringing more robust and safe products to the marketplace.

For example, a new plastic development and design Case History, included in one of the latest English editions of the book, is an engine component of the 300M vehicle manufactured by DaimlerChrysler in North America under the Chrysler nameplate. This vehicle was named Car-of-the-Year by the prestigious Car & Driver magazine.

By replacing aluminum die cast used in the upper intake manifold of the engine with polyamide (nylon) 66 35% glass reinforced, supplied by BASF of Germany, DaimlerChrysler has improved power output of the engine by almost five horsepower while reducing part cost from $118 to $43. Furthermore, by employing design procedures and techniques, as explained in Press-Fits chapter, DaimlerChrysler has improved product robustness during and after engine warranty while at the same time reducing part count (no need for ball bearing) and obtaining a cost reduction exceeding $1.7 million per year.

Chinese designers and engineers working in many industries (such as aerospace, automotive, computers, furniture, consumer products, agricultural, packaging, medical, etc.) to develop, design, and manufacture plastic parts, systems and products should find this book extremely useful in achieving robust and safe products while maintaining costs down. I would like to take the opportunity and wish the reader success with his/her new and challenging plastic product designs.