Advances in Screw Processing of Polymeric Materials - In Memory of Professor James Lindsay White

Dear Colleagues,

Screw processing is fundamental for the polymer processing industry and includes many techniques of extrusion and injection molding, e.g., single screw extrusion and twin screw extrusion, both co-rotating and counter-rotating, injection molding and specialized injection techniques, as well as extrusion blow molding and injection blow molding. These techniques provide the conversion from a bulk polymeric material to a product of diverse specifications, and involve the interactions of a process thermomechanical field, material characteristics, and product properties. 

This Special Issue is dedicated to advances in screw processing, and a novelty is crucial for this issue. Invited and submitted articles may be devoted to material compounding and product manufacturing, novel designs and technology concepts, material aspects of processing, modeling and simulation, both for the process and molding tools (e.g., extrusion dies and injection molds), optimization and scale-up, artificial intelligence applications. The issue is not limited with respect to the type of polymeric materials, and studies on screw processing of polymer blends and composites are also expected. The goal of the issue is to present the latest achievements and the trends for future development in screw processing.

Special Statement: This Special Issue of Polymers is dedicated to the memory of Professor James Lindsay White  who passed away ten years ago (1938-2009) (website ). Prof. White was a pioneer in establishing Polymer Processing as an academic discipline. Various polymer institutions, societies and industries around the world have recognized his many fundamental research contributions in rheology and polymer processing. He published over 500 papers in international journals. He has also published eight books on the subjects of rheology, polymeric materials and polymer processing, and received numerous awards for his accomplishments, e.g. Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology, Charles Goodyear Medal of the American Chemical Society. Yuko-Sho Award of the Japanese Society of Rheology, Heinz Herrmann Award of the Society of Plastics Engineers, and many others. Prof. White served The University of Tennessee as the Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering, and The University of Akron as the Harold A. Morton Professor of Polymer Engineering. Prof. White is the father of the International Polymer Processing Society which was founded to foster scientific understanding and technical innovation in polymer processing by providing a discussion forum for the worldwide community of engineers and scientists in the field. He also founded two scholarly journals: the Journal of Polymer Engineering and the International Polymer Processing Journal. Prof. White was a man of encyclopedic knowledge and great erudition. He had a great knowledge of world history, and he was an expert in the history of polymer engineering. The Guest Editor of this Special Issue had a chance to stay in The University of Akron as a Fulbright Scholar working with prof. White. Later, prof. White visited Warsaw University of Technology several times, showing his special consideration to our youth, students and PhD students. We remember prof. James Lindsay White with our highest respect for everything he did for the polymer processing community.

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Wilczyński
Dr. Andrzej Nastaj
Dr. Adrian Lewandowski
Dr. Krzysztof J. Wilczyński
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.