Functional need - Easy to mould - Polymers can be moulded into a wide range of interesting shapes with the use of heat., Functional need - High gloss finish - Many polymers have a natural high gloss finish, which means that a further finish does not need to be applied, Functional need - Colour - Can be obtained in a wide variety of colour, therefore, they do not need to be painted or stained. , Functional need - Corrosion resistance - Do not corrode, therefore do not need protecting from water, Function need - thermal insulator - Polymers are good thermal insulators, so can be used to keep things both hot and cold, Functional need - electrical insulator - Polymers are excellent electrical insulators and are commonly used in electronic products and wiring systems , Functional need - chemically resistant - Plastics are unaffected by chemicals, however they can be affected by solvents, Functional needs - Unaffected by heat - Thermoset polymers are unaffected by heat once moulded so can be used for a range of temperature sensitive situation, Financial Cost - Price per weight - Polymers vary in price and can be considers expensive in comparison to metal and timber , Financial Cost - Manufacture - Polymers are suitable for high volume manufacture which makes polymer-based products generally low, Environmental Cost - Pre production - Sourcing and processing of polymers uses large amounts of energy and releases significant amounts of harmful gases into the atmosphere., Environmental Cost - Recycling - Many polymers can be recycled an can be considered environmentally friendly if recycled correctly , Environmental Cost - Plastic life - Polymers take thousands on years to break down naturally, if they enter the marine cycle they can become micro plastics or gyres which have an impact on birds, fish and animals, Material availability - Polymers are readily available in a variety of stock forms ,

3.7 Selection of materials and components

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