If you’re not already using some form of online research in your engineering material selection process, frankly I’m surprised you’re here on this website. But what you may not know is that online research can be more than just convenient. It can improve your material selection process and part design, and help reduce cost.
Matmatch is a free online materials database that has some great features for engineering design and materials sourcing. So, beyond simple convenience, what makes online research better? And what could the future hold for online engineering research?
Matmatch is part of a larger trend in technology. Professional careers in medicine, law and engineering have always required arduous education and training because of the vast domain knowledge required. The image of the professional in his study, surrounded by stacks of reference volumes, is a familiar one. However, this last-century image of the professional has been killed by a newer, faster one, assisted by the digital tools of our age. Moreover, the digital tools you’re familiar today with are already in the sights of more cutting edge intelligent technology.
It's not just the engineering profession that benefits from digital research technology. According to a recent article in the Washington Post, the legal profession has seen a recent boom in the use of complex data mining and AI tech, such as IBM’s Watson. These machines can parse through endless case law for esoteric answers faster and more accurately than human lawyers, freeing up thousands of human hours for higher level tasks such as strategy, ideation and problem solving.
In medicine, pathologists detect and diagnose disease using their broad knowledge of the markers of each condition. In places like China, where labor shortages mean intense case loads for doctors and radiologists, cutting edge software using AI and deep learning technology can help flag possible conditions based on symptoms, scans and test results.
In the past, computers have served professionals in tasks such as number crunching, bookkeeping, and communication, but the fascinating examples in law and medicine show how data technology is helping professionals in an area no computer system has helped before: supporting their domain knowledge. So, what about engineers?
Search Engineering Material by Property Value
Inventing, designing, building and analyzing new things requires not only creativity and high-level problem solving, but deep domain knowledge. It’s a waste of time to “reinvent the wheel,” so while engineering is partly about creating the completely new, it’s also about applying knowledge of existing materials and systems in a new way. However, engineers differ from doctors and lawyers in that when it’s time to begin a new design process, you may be stepping out of familiar territory and looking to use something new.
For example, a manufacturing engineer accustomed to designing for plastic injection molding is asked to design a part that specifies a living hinge, while past designs have not required that level of flexibility. For this engineer, it’s time for research. Yesterday’s research resources may have included material catalogs from suppliers, reference books or basic Web searches. But it can be difficult to find relevant, trustworthy information online, and with all three of these common methods it’s often difficult to find what you need quickly.
Materials Engineering Advantages
Matmatch is a free-to-use, online materials research platform that helps engineering professionals find, evaluate and source the best materials for any project. While old research methods like Web searching or catalogs only allow you to find a material if you already know the name, Matmatch helps you discover new materials by offering searching by material property, application or shape. These features are essential in cases where you’re looking for a new material for a rework or redesign.
For example, picture an engineer working on a simple, laser-cut metal jig. However, the prototype has shown that with use, the jig becomes magnetised, affecting the assembly process. To resolve this issue, the design engineer needs to find a material which can be laser cut as cleanly and accurately, but which does not become magnetized.
This is a great use case example for the capabilities of Matmatch. The design engineer will simply input the desired property parameters, and Matmatch will return a list of conforming materials to choose from. Since the material data is provided by suppliers, every material can be easily sourced.
Another benefit of Matmatch is that new materials, developed by materials engineers, can find new users without significant marketing expenditure. This means that if someone develops a new flexible 3D printing filament material, users could someday be able to find it on Matmatch before the larger 3D printing community even knows it exists. After all, digital communication technology has always been a great boon to the speed of innovation. With Matmatch, this speed is brought to the materials space.
Benefits of Online Research – Community as a Resource
If the extent of your materials research starts with your own experience and ends with a supplier catalog, you’re missing out on another benefit of the Internet: the community. Matmatch has a feature called Projects, which in private mode simply helps users organize their research. In public mode, however, the projects feature allows users to collaborate, share ideas and pitch in to solve problems and share advice on common challenges.
If you’ve ever tackled an IT or coding problem, you’ve probably taken advantage of exactly the type of community that Matmatch is creating in the materials space. To check it out, visit matmatch.com/projects.
The Future of Online Research: What’s Next?
Online research may be the current standard, but what does the future hold for research? We’re already seeing the next generation of augmented and virtual reality devices being used in industry for training, design and other tasks. One day, services like Matmatch could be brought together with these cutting-edge experiences, delivering data on new materials during simulations and right before your eyes.
Furthermore, searchable databases like Matmatch lay the foundation for AI systems like Watson. Some day soon, there could be an artificially intelligent tool to help engineers tackle the toughest problems.
For now, Matmatch is still young. The search and projects features are completely free to use, so check it out! You may find inspiration for a new project or the solution you are looking for. Visit Matmatch now.
This post is sponsored by MatMatch. All opinions are mine. – Isaac Maw