One of the tasks of a design engineer is to identify the best material for a product or component. It is, quite rightly, generally agreed to be an important part of the engineering design process because if you make the wrong choice it can lead to failure, which is a costly result for all involved.
Likewise it is generally acknowledged that if a material selection procedure is not in place, it can impact on the design and consequently render it unsuccessful. For those of you who think it might be a bit like dipping in to a well known Christmas chocolate box, where everyone routinely reaches for the ‘purple one’, well it’s nothing like that.
When making a choice about which material to select, there are actually many technical factors behind the entire decision making process. These include cost, ability to manufacture, environmental considerations, physical and chemical properties and mechanical attributes. The latter includes fatigue limit, plasticity, resilience and strength: core, tensile, yield and impact. All of these aspects are carefully evaluated before selecting the best material for the job.
As a design engineering company we are accustomed to carrying out testing and 3D simulation of a prototype or component, to establish the most suitable material, taking into account the cost vs. design attributes. So, in the world of engineering, an awful lot goes on behind the scenes to ensure the material selected from the engineering selection box, actually works and is enjoyed by all end consumers.
