CHAPTER 3 -- MATERIALS SELECTION PROCESS

See also Chp.2 of Ashbys Text

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 Materials Selection Process

Before making a more detailed description of the

Materials Selection Process, we review Figures 2.4
and 2.5 from Chp. 2 the stages of the Product
Development Process in which the Materials
Selection Process is embedded.

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Figure 2.4 - The Role of Materials in PDP

Materials Selection/Analysis Materials Fabrication & Testing

3
FIGURE 2.5 - CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Material Selection

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 MATERIALS SELECTION PROCESS

COMPONENT A
COMPONENT B
PRODUCT
COMPONENT C
*
*
*

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 MATERIALS SELECTION PROCESS
4

Component Performance
Specifications Requirements
_____________________ _________________
Function Strength
Performance Stiffness/Deflection
Geometry Fatigue life
Package Hardness
Weight Wear Resistance
Reliability Friction
Cost Operating
Temperature Range
Corrosion Resistance
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 MATERIAL SELECTION PROCESS

Define Initial Use Ashby Charts To

Assumption of Make Initial
3D CAD Assumption
Geometry To
of Materials That Will
Meet
Constraints of Meet Performance
Function & Requirements
Package Space

Modify Design & Use Design Analysis

Iterate Until Tools ( e.g., FEA ) To
Optimized Design Test Design
Is Obtained Assumptions

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 PROTOTYPE FABRICATION & TESTING

Material & Component Plan Process

Fabrication Process are Sequence.
Considered Together At
Identify Critical
The Concept stage of
Process Parameters
Design ( e.g. , cast Al,
that Determine
Stamped sheet steel,
Performance Variation
molded plastic, etc.)
& Quality.
Geometery, Package Fabricate Parts and
Function, Cost And Test.
Quality Influence
Process Selection. Adjust Control
Parameters To Achieve
Past Experience Functional, High Quality
Plays A Role. Part

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 PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT

DESIGN FABRICATION TEST FINAL

DESIGN

MODIFY REANALYSIS

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 COST ANALYSES

As geometry, performance and process selection

become better defined, initiate cost analyses.
Cost analyses should be done - even approximately -
as early as possible
Compare cost of original part design, material
and process with new part design as fabricated
from alternate materials and processes.

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 COST ANALYSES
(Continued)
Analyses should include several cost elements:
Materials
Fabrication, including tooling &
facilities
Finishing steps
Transportation
Assembly
Impact on warranty

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COST ANALYSIS SYSTEMS

Life Cycle
Product + Warranty

Total Product

Sub-assembly

Part

Materials Production

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 COST ANALYSES
(Continued)
Cost comparisons should be made at the part
level, but the impact on surrounding parts and
on the complete product must be examined.
If the cost comparison is favorable, the new
technology may be adopted, provided the
impact on warranty is favorable.
If the cost comparison is unfavorable, the
following criteria generally apply (see
Automotive example)
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 COST COMPARISONS
(Automotive Example)

New technology will be implemented, provided:

It is a saleable customer feature that can be priced so that it
retains or improves economic profit
It results in a lower variable cost with no significant adverse
warranty impact
It has a higher variable cost but favorable warranty impact;
the cost improvement can be calculated from current
warranty costs.
It is required to meet regulations; the innovation may or may
not be price-recovered. If not, efforts will be made to offset
the resulting cost increase and recover economic profit,
e.g.,make other options standard and price accordingly

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 COST COMPARISONS
AUTOMOTIVE EXAMPLE
(Continued)
It is required to meet competition, and the variable
cost increase can be offset either in the same
subsystem or by reducing costs in other areas of
the vehicle
It overcomes the guzzler tax in a cost-effective
manner, considering variable cost, publicity, and
market share impact.

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 IMPACT OF COST CRITERIA
AUTOMOTIVE EXAMPLE

If these criteria are rigidly applied,it

implies:
only well-proven concepts will be
admitted into the vehicle programs.
and in turn, this implies that enough
information is available so that all
essential cost elements can be
evaluated and are favorable
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 IMPACT OF COST CRITERIA
AUTOMOTIVE EXAMPLE
(Continued)
Quality of new /modified product must be > or = than
its predecessor
"Proving process is costly and time-consuming, but
needed to reduce risk
Fear of poorer quality impedes introduction of new
technology

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 IMPACT OF COST CRITERIA
AUTOMOTIVE EXAMPLE
(Continued)

Important unknown is the value of new technology to

the customer.
Will new technology (e.g., new materials) increase
customer satisfaction, causing increased market
share or profitable features?
Alternate/new materials rarely result in value
perceived by the customer

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 PERCEIVED CUSTOMER VALUE OF
NEW TECHNOLOGY
New Technology Perceived Value
Titanium Driver High
Composite intake Low
manifold
Aluminum car body Low
Graphite tennis racquet High
Fiber optic Low
communication links
Chromium dioxide Low
recording tape
Platinum/Rhodium
tailpipe catalysts Low

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 SUPPLIER INFRASTRUCTURE

Tier 3 Tier 2 Tier 1

XYZ OEM

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 SUPPLIER INFRASTRUCTURE
(Continued)
Quality is a key issue
New or alternate material suppliers are often not experienced in
supplying in high volumes and mis -judge their capability to
scale up their material and process to high volumes and still
produce parts very reliably.
Fabrication process must be scaled up on equipment that is
close to anticipated high volume production equipment.
Prototypes often are run in production plants.
Suppliers must be, and usually are, strongly involved in upfront
cost analyses.

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 TRANSITIONING TO ENGINEERING
MATERIALS

Before we study examples of materials selection in

various industries -- so-called Case Studies, -- we
must first study the classes of Engineering Materials
and their Properties.
This is the subject of Chp. 4 in my lecture notes and
Chp. 3 of our text, Materials Selection in Mechanical
Design by M. F. Ashby

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