Material returns

Effective use of materials information is important to engineers in development of parts and components.

Every manufacturing enterprise uses materials. The associated challenges are particularly relevant to designers of vehicles, their components, and systems. These engineers aim to extract every last drop of performance from alloys, composites, ceramics, and plastics, while minimizing risks, cost, and inefficiencies in the design and manufacturing processes.

Capturing, managing, and applying data on the properties of materials is vital to this battle. Yet, rather than being seen as a resource for enhancing products and, ultimately, profitability, materials data is often viewed as a problem by businesses struggling to deal with its complexities. In 2002, a consortium of industry leaders set out to transform this situation. Their efforts are beginning to pay off.