Polymer Processing and Engineering
A section of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360).
Section Information
Polymer processing is commonly defined as the “activity performed on polymeric materials to increase their usefulness”. It involves not only the shaping but also the synthesis, transformation, compounding, functionalization, and stabilization of materials. The combination of these operations determines the final properties and performance of any polymeric product: “Polymer, Processing and Performance all go hand in hand and cannot be decoupled”. Today the development of new materials with improved properties and easy processability is particularly urgent because it offers relief to the environment and increases the acceptance of plastic products. New materials and products cannot occur without improving existing machines, which can even lead to radically new manufacturing processes. The past decade has seen great progress in the design and control of polymer processing operations along with the development of innovative products and fabrication methods. Most of these successes are scattered throughout a wide scientific and technical literature. The purpose of this section is to coherently collect these studies and present them to a wide industrial and academic community.
Topics include, but are not limited to the following:
- New process development
- New materials, additives, and fillers
- Reactive extrusion and co-extrusion
- Mixing and blending
- Long-fiber composites
- Composites pultrusion and laminates
- Fiber spinning and electrospinning
- Film casting and film blowing
- Blow molding and Thermoforming
- Injection, compression, transfer, and rotational molding
- Additive manufacturing and 3D printing
- Bio-printing and bio-fabrication
- Foaming and barrier properties
- Coating and thin films
- Welding and sintering
- Surface treatments
- Process control
- Simulation and optimization of process
- Products testing and analysis
- Polymer rheology and mechanical properties
- Polymer design
- Modified polymer materials
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- 3D Printing of Polymer Composite Materials—Advances in Materials and Processes (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Polymer Materials for Application in Additive Manufacturing, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Additive Manufacturing for Plastics: Latest Advances and Future Challenges (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Manufacturing, Simulation and Process Optimization of High-Performance Polymers and Their Composites (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Resin Additives—Spices for Polymers, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Thermoplastic Foams: Processing, Manufacturing, and Characterization, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Recent Trends in Polymer Processing for Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Advances in Polymer Molding and Processing (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Engineering and Medical Polymer Additive Manufacturing: Current and Future Trends (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Additive Manufacturing and Molding of Polymer Systems (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Materials: Processes, Multimaterial Systems, Qualification and Sustainability (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Based Materials (Deadline: 15 May 2026)
- Processing of Polymer Composites—Preparation, Structure, Properties and Applications (Deadline: 25 May 2026)
- 3D/4D Printing of Polymers: Recent Advances and Applications (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Advanced Electrospinning Technology for Polymer Materials (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Advanced Processing Strategy for Functional Polymer Materials: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Design, Preparation and Molding of Lightweight and Environmentally Friendly Polymer Composite Materials (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Structure-Property Relationship of Nano-Polymer Materials Achieved via Additive Manufacturing Processes (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Next-Generation Polymer Processing and Sustainable Composite Manufacturing of Recycled Polymers (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Electrospinning of Polymer Systems (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Recent Advancements in Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Composites (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Multi-Material Thermoplastic Additive Manufacturing: Interfaces, Architectured Structures and Performance (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Advanced Polymer Additive Manufacturing for Functional, Sustainable, and High-Performance Applications (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- 3D Printing Technologies for Biopolymers (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Polymeric Materials Based on Graphene Derivatives and Composites (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- New Progress of Polymeric Materials in Advanced Manufacturing, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Progress in 3D Printing of Polymeric Materials (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Design and Sustainability: Polymer Composites via Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Advanced Polymers for 3D Printing and Customized Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 10 July 2026)
- Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Polymer and Polymer-Composite Materials (Deadline: 15 July 2026)
- Laser Processing of Polymeric Materials (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Dynamic Behavior of Polymer Composite Materials and Structures, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Advancements in Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Printing of Polymers: Material Properties and Thermal Behavior (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- New Studies of Polymer Surfaces and Interfaces: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Green Innovation in the Processing of Cellulose Derived Polymers (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Advances in Nanoscale Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Polymer Manufacturing Processes (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Additive Manufacturing Technology of Polymer-Based Composites (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Polymeric Materials in 3D Printing, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Research on Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Composites, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- 3D Printing and Molding Study in Polymeric Materials, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Relationship Between Structure and Properties of Polymer Materials in Processing (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Polymer Microfabrication and 3D/4D Printing (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Advanced Modeling and Data-Driven Optimization of Additively Manufactured Lattice Structures: From Unit Cells to Functional Polymer Components (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Advances in Polymers Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions:
