Software simulation and nanotechnology increasingly impact materials design and applications. "Exploring the use of new materials in product development has been made easier by innovation in CAE tools," according to John Buchowski, product manager/simulation at PTC. "Iterations of evaluating the effects of different materials on the function of a design are almost free," he continues. "Taking this one step further, optimization technologies enable companies to take an existing design and optimize the properties applied to it to satisfy the performance requirements; thus driving the materials engineering and selection." For more, click here.
A key challenge for industry is developing materials and design processes that "support rapid design, prototyping, manufacturing, and short-run production of higher-value, targeted products," Kubotek COO Robert Bean contends. These materials and processes "will help small-to-medium-sized manufacturing companies to compete with high-volume, mass-marketed products." For more, click here.
Adds Jim Reitz, business manager at DSM Somos: "Nanotechnology is playing [a] more important role within rapid prototyping materials, such as stereolithography, based on processing characteristics (ability to maintain suspensions), as well as dramatically modifying neat resin performance as both a reinforcement as well as special effects filler. . . . As rapid prototyping continues to evolve toward the capabilities required for rapid manufacturing of finished articles and rapid tooling applications, new applications for molded polymers will emerge." (Panasonic X70 camera phone prototype was made from DSM Somos 9120 ProtoFunctional resins.) For more, click here.
Premier Material Concepts is looking at nanotechnology, too. "We see a need in the future for stronger, more durable, and lighter materials," states Eric Hausserman, director of custom operations and engineering. "Nanotechnology is one possible solution to these issues. We have engaged other businesses, polymer organizations, and several universities in our research of this subject." For more, click here.
From Concept to Reality
Rapid manufacturing of materials into parts has moved from concept to reality. "Designs that are created in several parts are produced in a single piece using RP processes," comments Terry Wohlers, president/founder of Wohlers Associates Inc. "Boeing, for example, manufactures a complex air duct for an F18 military jet by laser sintering glass-filled nylon. Previously, the duct required the manufacture of 10 individual pieces that were manually assembled. The use of laser sintering eliminated tooling, welding, inventory, and an entire assembly line."
Reitz also sees a shift to rapid manufacturing. He calls RP a key to the development cycle, "ranging from communication models, fit and function testing, rapid tooling and, increasingly, manufacturing of the final product." He explains: "As RP materials advance in mechanical performance and aging characteristics, rapid manufacturing of finished articles becomes more viable." And as rapid manufacturing advances, "new applications for molded polymers will emerge," Reitz predicts.
"Functional materials are very important in today's plastics industry," observes Hausserman. This drives the development of products that may have to meet requirements including "high impact resistance, fire retardant properties, [and] static dissipation properties. . . .The ability to stay ahead of these trends will be critical in the future." Adds Garland Floor vp/operations Tom Geriak: "Our R & D plan is more affected by market trends, specification from trade groups, and what novel new raw materials are introduced for the market." For more, click here.
Challenges to Integration
The different segments of product development -- design, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain -- remain distinct. "Integration of these segments has made progress, but still faces numerous challenges," notes Lattice3D's Jeff Drust. "Product development-design is successfully changing to 3D from 2D, creating new integration issues of data size and file format standards. For success, 3D publishing needs to alleviate problems with proprietary CAD formats as well as the file-size problems that 3D brings. Simply put, major 3D assemblies are usually extra-large files, which are difficult to handle. Most CAD formats are proprietary and unable to be shared with non-CAD users." For more, click here. (Shown here, screen shot of Lattice3D's MainAssembly.)
Dr. Joel N. Orr, vp/chief visionary at Cyon Research, tells IEN that the "technology is readier than ever for integration of applications, even disparate ones; XML, for example, is a powerful mechanism that is now available. But individual application vendors are not necessarily motivated to work together -- so unless users press the issue, integration will not happen quickly, even now." For more, click here.
"The ability to take design and process knowledge and electronically capture it so that it can be shared anywhere, anytime and forever, is the tide of the future," comments Duane Lowenstein, Americas business development manager for Agilent's Knowledge Services Organizations. "Long gone are the days when the engineer was the only person who could design a certain RF response, or the technician who could debug the failed product." For more, click here. Engineers can now work on the plant floor with laptop PCs and "implement and communicate design changes on the fly," to the entire design team, according to Attilio Rimoldi, president and CEO of ImpactXoft. For more, click here.
But Bean contends that progress remains "hampered by interoperability issues between CAD/CAM systems used by customers and vendors." He continues: "Global supply chain management of not only the data, but the entire process of communication is still a major challenge facing companies today. Modern CAD/CAM products that do not rely on proprietary data files (i.e. parametric feature-based models) to edit and work with data are helping to break down barriers in the supply chain."
PLM On the Rise
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) plays an increasing role in design. "Our business can be heavily impacted by changes in product lifecycle," says Dennis Norman, vp/strategic planning and communication at Polymer Group Inc. "As such, it is imperative for us to include this aspect into our design function. As soon as we introduce a product, we immediately begin working on the next generation, sometimes before the first generation is fully commercial." For more, click here.
Some companies have shifted from Customer Linked Commercialization product development, which emphasizes the "downstream parts of the supply chain," adds David Rouse, marketing and sales manager/North America Tire Yarns and Fabric at Honeywell Fibers. "In the last few years we have implemented a Design for Six Sigma process which forces consideration of upstream supply chain elements like raw materials and manufacturing early in the product development process," Rouse notes. For more, click here. (Polyester tire yarn is shown here being tenderized with a custom coating to improve adhesion of rubber.)
"Collaborative manufacturing strategies are essential in today's product development cycle," believes Hausserman. "Value-added processing is one key element to this process. . . . We try to evaluate the total product, with our customers, and together determine the best place in the manufacturing process to do each step. As a result, PMC has "moved processes upstream in the manufacturing process" including "die cutting, addition of pressure-sensitive adhesive, [and] lamination to other substrates."
Cyon Research president and CEO W. Bradley Holtz observes: "Up to now, different teams have been apart physically and organizationally. The entire enterprise has not had access to the facts (data) until after something is manufactured. Integration is now allowing disparate teams to get to the facts earlier and have influence on decisions made earlier in the process, with a significant financial impact." For more, click here.
