Although the published literature on the subject of polymer nanocomposites is vast there is still much work to be done on development of a detailed understanding of the relationship between raw material, processing, structure and properties of the final product. Since different processes such as sheet extrusion and blow moulding involve different deformational and thermal regimes it is reasonable to expect that the structuring of the polymer nanocomposite will be affected in different ways and it is thus important to explore how different processing routes may influence structure development. It is also important to understand how the incorporation of nanoparticles into a polymer influences its processability. In this paper we examine the links between nanocomposite material properties, processing, structuring and final part performance. The work reported on here is mainly focused on free surface moulding processes which are an important category of processing that includes blow moulding, thermoforming and rotational moulding. The paper will show how the processability of a polymer may be altered due to the incorporation of nanoparticles and how steps normally taken by processors to improve processability may be detrimental to the structuring and properties of the final product. It will also point to the need for robust process control in the manufacture of polymer nanocomposites