This textbook clearly and vividly demonstrates how the use of plastics in many areas has successfully led to entirely new products and opened up new perspectives for engineers to implement their ideas. The reader is provided with an overview of the properties and their optimization through the use of additives, along with reliable guidance for the correct selection for specific applications. This is illustrated with practical examples that include detailed solutions from various fields of engineering. In the current edition, two case studies have been added, the quality and clarity of illustrations have been improved, and brief summaries of each main chapter have been included.