Polymers & Plastics

Where the practice works in this sector

• Engineering plastics, polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters and polycarbonates, styrenics, polyurethanes and thermosets.
• Degradation and ageing — hydrolysis, oxidation, UV attack, environmental stress cracking.
• Formulation and additive-package effects on performance and processability.
• Biodegradable and bio-derived plastics, and the end-of-life questions that come with them.

Questions that typically call for an outside view

• Why is a part that ran for years now cracking, warping or discolouring?
• Is the “equivalent” grade a supplier is offering actually equivalent in this application?
• Is the material degrading in processing, or in service?
• Which polymer can take this combination of temperature, load and chemical exposure for the design life?
• Can recycled or bio-derived content be introduced without giving up performance?

How the practice is engaged

• Failure & Root-Cause Analysis — why it failed, and what is defensible.
• Materials Selection & Qualification — choosing and validating a material.
• Manufacturing Process Optimization — yield, quality, throughput.

Every engagement starts with a short conversation with the principal and a written scope before any work begins. If the problem belongs with your own team or your supplier’s technical service group, you will be told so.

For attorneys

Where a failure in this sector has become a claim, see Plastics and polymer expert witness, or go straight to the confidential conflict check.