The Future of Polymer Processing / Budu nost preradbe polimera

The 40th anniversary of the Chair and Laboratory for Polymer Processing at FMENA in Zagreb was a good opportunity not only to look back, but also to look into the future. What will the challenging topics be in science and research? What will be the demands from industry and customers? Modelling and simulation, although already at a high level, will become even more important, since the need will increase to understand and predict the processing of complex products with new materials. Since reliable material data are a key factor for good simulation results, a great deal of effort will be invested in this fi eld. Simulation and good material data will then be the basis to develop polymer processes further beyond the now existing limits and thus enable new designs with new materials like special compounds, bio plastics or recycled material. Polymer processing will not only stay fascinating, but become even more exciting with the new possibilities and the new challenges that the future will bring. / etrdeseta obljetnica Katedre i Laboratorija za obradu polimera na FSB-u u Zagrebu bila je prigoda ne samo za pogled unatrag nego i za pogled u budu nost. Koji e biti izazovi u znanosti i istra ivanju? Koji e zahtjevi biti postavljeni industriji i kupcima? Modeliranje i simulacija, iako ve na visokoj razini, jo e vi e dobiti na va nosti, jer e se pove ati potreba za razumijevanjem i predvi anjem obrade kompleksnih proizvoda s novim materijalima. Budu i da su pouzdani podatci o materijalu klju an imbenik dobrih rezultata simulacije, velik dio napora ulagat e se u to polje. Simulacija i kvalitetni podatci o materijalu bit e onda osnova za razvoj polimernih postupaka izvan sada njih granica i tako e omogu iti nove konstrukcije s novim materijalima kao to su posebni spojevi, bioplastike ili oporabljeni materijal. Obrada polimera ne e samo ostati fascinantna nego e postati jo uzbudljivija s novim mogu nostima i novim izazovima koje e donijeti budu nost.