Material Selection for a product
Material selection for a product
Materials
Materials are commodities which are used directly or indirectly in producing a product.
Material Selection
The cost of a product is determined by the raw materials. Among the various elements of cost, raw material cost forms a major portion of the total cost of any product.
In choosing the right material, there is not always a single definite attribute of selection. Designers and engineers have to take into account a large number of material selection attributes.
These attributes can be broken into the following areas.
(a) Material Properties: Expected level of performance from the material
(b) Material Cost: Material must be available at a cheaper price
(c) Material availability: Should be easily available
(d) Processing: Should be easily machinable
(e) Environment: The environmental factors should not affect the raw material
Material selection procedure
Translation: Express design requirements as constraints and objectives.
Screening: Eliminate materials that cannot do the job.
Ranking: Find the materials that can do the job best.
Selection: Select and verify the supporting materials.
