The History Of Plastics from Last Century

Feb. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- The history of plastics goes back more than 100 years. However, compared to other materials, plastics are relatively modern. Their usage has enabled society to make huge technological advances.

Probably the earliest form of plastic was invented by Alexander Parkes in 1855. He called it Parkesine – what we know today as celluloid. The material was an organic material that once heated could be moulded, and retained its shape when cooled. PVC was first polymerised between 1838-1872 and while in 1907 Leo Hendrik Baekeland created Bakelite, the first fully synthetic resin, mass-produced plastic.

The advancement of plastic materials started with the use of natural materials with plastic properties such as chewing gum and shellac, then progressed with the development of chemically modified natural materials – rubber, nitrocellulose, and collagen – and finally the wide range of modern plastics started to be formulated around 100 years ago.

Plastics became so highly developed that they could not only imitate but in some cases surpass the performance of the real thing! This is the case of PVC which looks like leather, and solid surfaces which imitate granite or marble are now available.

Plastics are broadly integrated into today’s lifestyle and make a major, irreplaceable contribution to virtually all product areas. The demand for plastics has increased constantly; plastics are now accepted by designers and engineers as basic materials along with the more traditional materials.

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