THE KINGDOM OF PLASTICS

[Music] so [Music] i haven't done it well i know daddy daddy can i have your handkerchief huh please why you sure you carry around my head too will you i'll bet i can guess what you're getting ready to do oh i bet you can't yeah you just give me one yes okay you're getting ready to play blind man's bluff that's not it you're gonna be the one that does the guessing that's right okay there you are thank you there we go are you real sure you can't see anything of course not silly all right now start guessing heavy heavy hangs over thy head go on yes says it's wrong the animal kingdom [Music] the vegetable kingdom has just gotta belong to the mineral kingdom [Music] uh-uh it's not a mineral either but it just has to be one of them that's all there is there are only three kingdoms animals vegetable and mineral let me see oh a symbol but why arthur simpson that is to a mineral well it ain't iron or tin or or anything like that isn't it not eat anyway it is to a mineral daddy doesn't just belong to the mineral kingdom my daddy knows he's an engineer well now let's see animal vegetable mineral i hadn't thought of that before maybe this little female belongs to a kingdom all of its own the fourth kingdom the kingdom of plastics plastics plastics are not new materials they're as old as grandfather's handlebar mustache remember the high celluloid collars he used to wear well they were plastic the beauty of them being that they never had to be sent to the laundry but even though celluloid could be cleaned with a moist handkerchief granddad soon found out that it was a pain in the neck and dangerous many modern plastics however are fire resistant one of the numerous improvements science has made in plastic articles plastics come from many different raw materials some of the materials are natural elements like water and air some are growing things like corn and potatoes others are minerals such as oil coal and limestone from these various raw materials chemists derive many different chemicals which when combined properly will form plastics now suppose you could look inside one of these chemicals you would find that like everything else it is made up of billions of tiny particles called molecules molecules are so small that even with the help of the most powerful microscope we cannot see them but let's suppose they look like combinations of those building blocks with which every child is so familiar by joining blocks together in combinations we have different kinds of molecules each combination forming a pattern which is characteristic of a different material water for example has one pattern salt another and so on when scientists start to make a plastic they select those chemicals that have the patterns they need and mix them now when two different molecules come together in the right way a very interesting thing happens some pieces are attracted to others more than to the ones to which they're attached so they separate join the ones that attract them and move off to follow their own devices those that are left get together too this may keep on until there are a whole lot of them linked together like a chain millions of these chains are formed in the chemical mixture and because the molecules are different from the ones with which the plastic chemist started a new material is born the new material actually looks like this it's called a resin and in each particle of it there are millions of those tiny new molecules in making a plastic article a resin is heated and molded in something like a waffle iron after pressing and heating in the mold the resin is allowed to cool of course if a waffle iron were used you'd get a plastic waffle if the waffle were made from a resin in which the molecules were linked together like a chain it could be softened again then put into another mold to make it into another shape and there you are a different shaped waffle from the same material but scientists discovered something else if they used a type of resin in which chains of molecules became linked with one another like this they got a different kind of plastic with more and more heat more and more links appeared between the chains these acted as braces or tie rods making the chains rigid and inseparable you can't soften and remold anything made from this kind of resin once it is set it is set for good this is called a thermo-setting plastic like your telephone receiver or an ash tray for example heat won't affect it frequently in making plastic articles a material called a filler is mixed with the resin this filler may be chopped rags walnut shells or one of many things the filler makes the molded product much stronger the desired qualities of the product of course determine the kind of resin that should be used from the resin in which the molecules are in separate chains a number of beautiful and useful things are made some bright with color some crystal clear and from the resin in which the chains of molecules are rigidly linked together come those articles which need greater strength and are likely to be subjected to heat pressed between sheets of paper cloth or wood this type of plastic makes the gears that turn the wheels in factories and in automobiles or such household articles as cigarette proof table tops it was indeed lucky for us that the men of plastics had labored so long and well for suddenly we found ourselves at war faced with a critical metal shortage and unprecedented production demands armament manufacturers immediately turned to plastics for assistance and the kingdom of plastics responded with remarkable speed and ingenuity in new moles plastics took on countless new shapes and sizes providing a wide variety of essential parts for every type of military equipment on a 75 millimeter gun there are a number of plastic parts dozens are used in a modern tank several hundred to fly in some of our fighting eagles thousands of plastic pieces of equipment to sail in each ship of the line equipment ranging from mortar fuses to ship telephones from antenna housings to switch gear produced with greater speed and economy but bringing new strength and efficiency to almost every allied weapon but out of the flames of battle the promise of a new day plastics take their rightful place in a world of peace a world dedicated to a richer fuller life for all in transportation plastics play a role of ever increasing importance lending their unique qualities to body construction and more and more of the mechanical parts certainly there will be more lightweight accessories more handsome trim and interior refinements in tomorrow's cars trains and planes the future will bring plastic fabrics wondrously fine yet resistant to wear wrinkles and stains even the hazards of washing shoes more glamorous than cinderella's but that's not all there will be furniture combining strength with lightness comfort with eye appeal homes throughout will be bright with color economically but beautifully appointed with many contributions of the kingdom of plastics designed for practical gracious living yes this is a dream of the future get out of such dreams has come all that we call progress so in the years ahead dreams like this and many more will become realities [Music] you