Key course information
- Course learning format: RECORDED ONLINE COURSE
- More course dates: See below or click 'Register'
- Pricing and early bird rates: click 'Register' to preview
- Course duration: 4 hours of recorded modules available
- Course access: 28 days to access course materials, learn when it suits you
- Learning support: Optional live Q&A after course completion
- Electronic course notes
- Gain CPD Credits: Smithers training is IOM3 Quality Assured and counts towards professional development.
To book, click Register and choose a session
Looking for an alternative format?
Upcoming online course dates
| Select a session when registering | |
|---|---|
| 8 Dec – 5 Jan 26 | 20 Jul – 17 Aug 26 |
| 19 Jan – 16 Feb 26 | 14 Sep - 12 Oct 26 |
| 27 Apr - 25 May 26 | |
Course overview
Plastic components are widely used in demanding engineering applications where performance and reliability are critical.
When failure occurs, it can be costly and disruptive.
This online course explains how and why plastics fail, covering material selection, properties, failure mechanisms and investigation methods to help you identify causes, prevent recurrence and improve product durability.
Learning outcomes
- Understand the key properties and behaviours of plastic materials.
- Know how to specify and select materials based on service requirements.
- Recognise common modes and causes of plastic component failure.
- Understand the principles and methods used to investigate material failure.
Course content
Introduction to Plastic Materials- Basic introduction to the fundamental properties of plastics and how this affects their performance.
- Understanding the limitations of plastics and how this can affect their durability.
- Overview of the wide range of plastic types.
- How the structure of plastics affects their properties.
- The importance of material specification and selection at the design stage.
- How good practice in material specification and selection helps support product durability and also assists any failure investigations.
- The various common modes of plastic product failure and how to recognise them.
- Factors related to design, manufacture, service, environment and also human factors.
- Failure and cracking mechanisms including chemical attack, degradation, environmental stress cracking (ESC), creep, fatigue and relaxation.
- Typical approach to take when investigating the failure of a plastic component.
- Principal analytical tests and how they can be used to confirm the root cause of failure.
- Examples of plastic component failure with a review and explanation of the cause and method of diagnosis.
Who should attend
This course is ideal for anyone who needs to ensure that plastic materials or components are fit for purpose in their intended applications. It will be particularly valuable for:
- Engineers, designers and specification staff involved in material selection and product performance.
- Quality and technical professionals responsible for assessing or preventing component failure.
- Anyone engaged in the investigation and analysis of plastic component failures.
Meet your expert tutor
Dr Andrew Hulme – Principal Consultant, Plastics
An expert plastic consultant for over 25 years – Andrew specialises in durability and lifetime predictions for plastic components in their operating environments (including material selection, failure prevention, and design for manufacture) – providing clients with improved confidence in design and material selection.
What our delegates say about the course material
“Good course, we are considering running this in-house."
John Iles (Huntleigh)
Contact us or download a brochure
Reach out to the training team now - ask about this course or discuss your training goals.
Prefer training tailored to your business?
Smithers also delivers custom and in-company training designed around your products, materials and processes. Get practical, targeted content delivered online or on-site by the same experts who run our public courses.