Blog 5: Materials, materials and materials (Week 11 &12)🔦🔎

Hey, everyone, it's your buddy🤗, Valarie is back in action for the blog😎, and you may be wondering where is blog 4 the egg challenge, and 3D printing will be out soon okie let's stay tuned to that blog soon.

Remember to check out my previous blog on a journey in 3D printing and egg challenge. If you have not read it, you are missing out a lot so please do check it out. Below is the link:

https://valeriegoh32.wixsite.com/mysite-1/post/blog-entry-3-covers-week-5-practical-2

For this week let go for an adventure on what I learned during my ICPD lesson will be:

• Material for Design (MFD)

• Design for Material (DFM)

• Sustainable Design

Let's move on to the first part on Material for Design (MFD)...

Aim🎯:

To select the most suitable materials that will allow the product to function as per its intended design and enhance its competitiveness through cheaper and easier manufacturing processes.

Selection of Materials

The aim of the material selection process is to identify one or more materials with properties that satisfy the functional requirements of a product. Even better materials that can optimize performance objectives. The “most suitable” material is a trade-off between requirements and numerous constraints.

Material Properties

As engineers, we are most concerned with characteristics such as:

Mechanical Properties🛠:

• Strength: Yield Strength; Ultimate Tensile Strength; Shear Strength Ductility

• Young’s Modulus

• Poisson’s ratio

• Hardness

• Creep

• High or low-temperature behavior

• Density

• Anisotropy

• Fracture Toughness

• Gas and Liquids: Viscosity

Thermal Properties♨️:

Thermal expansion coefficient; Thermal conductivity; Specific heat capacity

Magnetic Properties🧲

Fabrication Properties⛓️:

• Ease of machining;

• Ease of welding, casting, etc; Hardening ability; Formability; Availability; Joining techniques

• Environmental Properties: Corrosion properties; Toxic effects

• Gas and Liquids: Viscosity

Environmental Properties🏕:

• Corrosion properties;

• Polluting effects

• Toxic effects
  

Stages in Material Selection Process

• Step 1: Define Material Requirements for the Design

• Step 2: Select and evaluate candidate materials (COWS)

• Step 3: Choose the most economical material

CA2 Report Part 1: Material Selection Problem

So during the week 11 tutorial lesson, my group was tasked to select a material for the teat and cover of a polycarbonate baby milk bottle.

Function	It is typically used by infants and young children or if someone cannot be able to drink from a cup for feeding oneself or being fed.
Constraints	- wear and tear - lightweight - strong - corrosion resistance
Objectives	Convenient and easier to accessible

Table 1: COWS Matrix for Teat

		Option 1	Option 2	Option 3
Criteria	Weightage	Silicone	Latex	Neoprene SDA Nitrile
Safe for Consumption	50%	Excellent Score: 5 5(50%)=250%	Excellent Score: 5 5(50%)=250%	Excellent Score: 5 5(50%)=250%
Flexibility	30%	Excellent Score: 5 5(30%)=150%	Good Score: 4 4(30%)=120%	Good Score: 4 4(30%)=120%
Wear and Tear	20%	Poor Score: 1 1(20%)=20%	Good Score: 4 4(20%)=80%	Excellent Score: 5 5(20%)=100%
Total	100%	420%	480%	500%

Table 2: Choosing the Most Economical Material

		Option 1	Option 2
Criteria	Weightage	Latex	Neoprene FDA Nitrile
Cost of Material	60%	Cheap Score: 5 5(60%)=300%	Cheap Score: 5 5(60%)=300%
Ease Fabrication	40%	Good Score: 4 4(30%)=120%	Medium Score: 3 3(30%)=90%
Total	100%	420%	390%

Based on Table 2 above, my group has come to the conclusion that the selected material for the teat is Latex.

Table 3:COWS Matrix for the bottle

		Option 1	Option 2	Option 3
Criteria	Weightage	Borosilicate Glass	Polyethersulfone (PES)	Stainless Steel
Lightweight	35%	Heavy Score: 1 1(35%)=35%	Light Score: 5 5(35%)=175%	Medium Score: 3 3(30%)=90%
Strength	30%	Weak Score: 1 1(30%)=30%	Very Strong Score: 5 5(30%)=150%	Very Strong Score: 5 5(30%)=150%
Non-reactive to milk	35%	Non-Toxic Score: 5 5(35%)=175%	A Little Toxic Score:4 4(30%)=120%	Non-Toxic Score: 5 5(35%)=175%
Total	100%	240%	445%	415%

Table 4: Choosing the Most Economical Material

		​Option 1	Option 2
Criteria	Weightage	Polyethersulfone (PES)	Stainless Steel
Cost of Material	60%	Expensive Score: 3 3(60%)=180%	Cheap Score: 5 5(60%)
Ease of Fabrication	40%	Medium Score: 3 3(30%)=90%	Excellent Score: 5 5(30%)= 150%
Total	100%	270%	450%

Based on Table 4 above, my group has come to the conclusion that the selected material for the teat is Stainless Steel.

Design for Material

So moving on after the material for design is done, let us move on to DESIGN FOR MATERIAL...

You may be wondering what is Design for Material:

In most cases, we use a certain material for certain reasons and because of that, we make changes and even compromises to the product design to accommodate the materials. These reasons can be cost, aesthetics, and environmental sustainability.

During class we talk about examples of knives🗡:

The blade of the knives is normally made of metal. However, ceramic knives can be used as the blade of the knives.

Pros of using ceramic knives as:

• very lightweight

• extremely thin, which allows for very thin slices of food

• stays sharp for a very long (10 times longer than a similar steel blade.

• The blades are non-porous, preventing bacterial growth.

• The knives will not stain.

• Ceramic knives will not transfer ions from the blade surface; steel knives leave ions (which can result in faster oxidation of some sliced fruits)

Cons of using ceramic knives as:

• brittle

• chipping of the blade

Should the metal blade of the knife simply be replaced with ceramic?

In conclusion, there are many factors that we need to take note of such as cost and environmental sustainability before finalizing which is the suitable material.

CA2 Report Part 2

From this section onwards, my group was tasked to select ONE material that appeals to our group. We can choose from the resources available in the library or from any other sources and discussion among our group how this material can be used as a replacement for material in an existing product without any significant changes in the design. To add on, on how to enhance the functionality of an existing product through some changes in the design.

Sustainable Design

Lastly, let's find out more about what is Sustainable Design...

It is the approach to creating products and services that have considered the environmental,

social, and economic impacts from the initial phase through to the end of life.

Some Design Considerations/Principles:

• Use non-toxic, sustainably produced, or recycled materials.

• Use energy-efficient processes.

• Make products last longer.

• Design for reuse and recycling. (e.g. easy to disassemble)

• Consider product life cycle.

• Shift from personal ownership to shared ownership.

• Buy from nearby

For example:

C2C-CERTIFIED PRODUCT BAYONIX® BOTTLE

The drinking bottle is constructed from a special polymer, designed to be safe for biological cycles, humans, animals, and the environment. Additional materials such as seals, coatings, and imprints were deliberately dispensed with.

CA2 Report Part 3:

We were tasked to make some changes to our CA1 Design for clarified butter to make it more environmentally sustainable.

Thanks for reading my blog!😎Hope you all will like, share and subscribe to my blog for more amazing content from this ICPD modules and with my team!🤩Stay tuned for my weekly blog!!!🤗