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The visit took place on Tuesday 6-3-1438 AH to SABIC (Department of Plastic Applications Development). SABIC is one of the leading companies in our country that provides quality products and services through innovation.

The elements of the visit included the following:

First: Safety and security, and safety regulations:

Eng. Abdullah Al-Dosari explained some safety and warning signs and their indications.

Second: Introduction about polymer:

Eng. Ali Al-Khuraifi stated that about 50% of SABIC products are chemicals and 30% are polymers. Then, he explained the various kinds of polymers and the differences among them, in addition to the pros and cons of polymers. Finally, he explained the stages of plastic production and some of its applications.

Third: SABIC products and research centers:

Eng. Abdulmalek Al-Sulaimi has stressed the importance of providing quality products and services to improve profitability through cooperation with international companies that contributed to the development of their products in 2007.                                

SABIC Plastic Applications Development Center (SPADC)

The center includes 4 labs:

1- Mechanical testing lab: For the measurement of the strength of plastic materials.

2- Thermal properties lab: For the measurement of thermal properties on plastic materials when they have a direct exposure to heat.

3- Chemical properties lab: For the measurement of the effect of different climate conditions on plastic products (High or low temperature - moisture - light - dark... etc.).

4- Optical properties lab: The measurement of the translucency is an important element in the quality of the plastic materials. The more protrusions appear in the plastic product, the less quality obtained.

Forth: Questions and inquiries:

At the end, the delegation made a field trip to labs, explored instruments and their function and expressed their views regarding kinds of plastic products.

Achieved objectives from the visit to (SPADC):

- Knowledge and familiarity with SABIC (objectives - branches around the world - number of employees).

- The following topic were addressed: Materials used, work mechanisms, important aspects of the substances produced by the center, and the types of the substance.

- The visit included exploring all the available labs of various functions, and machines used for plastic products and plastic engineering (extrusion - molding - blowing). Students viewed some samples tested with tensile strength, flow rate, resistant friction, fusion degrees, and shock resistance.    

- The delegation stressed the positive impact of the visit on students who had previously studied plastic applications theoretically. As a result of the visit, the working mechanism of plastic products has been clarified and chemical reactions have been practically understood.                                                        

Finally, the delegation thanked Dr. Sami Abdulaziz Al-Husain, the head of the Department of Chemistry; and  Ms. Maha Abdulnasser Al-Ali, the vice dean of the Department of Chemistry for this useful visit. They also thanked Ms. Arwa Sultan Al-Qahtani, Dr. Sarah Talab, and Dr. Muneerah Al-Gunaim. In addition, they thanked SABIC for providing such an opportunity and for their hospitality.