Introduction to Polymers Processing
Introductory course on polymer processing principles, covering industrial techniques, polymer physics, viscoelasticity, rheology, and applications like 3-D printing and waste recycling.
Summary
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.62 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.34 GPA, 75.0% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.10 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades).
What you’ll be able to do
State the differences between the various processing techniques used to convert polymers to useful products including those, for example, for automotive, aerospace, energy, consumer, and medical applications.
Apply the concepts of transport phenomena (i.e. fluid, heat, and mass transfer) to the design of polymer processing operations and add topics typically not covered in undergraduate courses (e.g. non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, radiation heating, self-diffusion).
Describe the connection between polymer molecular structure and polymer flow by using basic concepts in polymer rheology.
Analyze the connection between properties of the product (e.g. strength, stiffness, degree of crystallinity, degree of molecular orientation) and processing conditions (e.g. stress generated during flow, heat transfer conditions).
Theorize as to requirements for the design of recycling schemes for polymers.
Compare what is possible via traditional processing methods vs. modern methods such as 3-D printing.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapE P D 636 and (E P D 640 or CHEM/M S & E 421, or concurrent enrollment), or declared in Capstone Certificate in Polymer Processing Manufacturing
- take all
- declared in Capstone Certificate in Polymer Processing Manufacturing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Any of
- All of
- declared in Capstone Certificate in Polymer Processing Manufacturing
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
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Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.62 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.34 GPA, 75.0% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.10 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
No workload feedback recorded.
Topics
- Polymer physics, viscoelasticity, and rheology
- Industrial polymer processing techniques
- Process design for material structure and properties
- 3-D printing and polymer waste recycling
Skills
- Designing processes to achieve desired polymer structure and properties
- Applying transport phenomena to polymer processing design
- Connecting molecular structure to flow via polymer rheology
- Theorizing requirements for polymer recycling scheme design
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
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Through Fall 2025
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Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
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Model & dataset provenance
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