There are three main drivers for changing materials in the current engineering and industrial climate. The first, and most obvious, is cost. The second is to lightweight. And the third is to increase performance.
Justing Cunningham - Editor Engineering Materials - discussing the subject of metal replacement, in particular engineering plastics as a replacement material.
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Demand for higher-level product performance combined with the drive for greater efficiency and a more environmentally-friendly approach, is creating new challenges for product developers in their material choice.
Add to this the growing multitude of legislative guidelines, and weight savings, emission reductions and more efficient resource use have become essential elements in the decision-making process. Plastics have consequently captured selected areas previously reserved for metals or other high performance traditional materials with benefits such as lower weight, insulation properties and moldability, well established within the community of design engineers.
However, to further extend the potential for plastics in demanding applications, ... (click here to read on)
February/March 2011
As a design engineer, machinist or simple user; have you ever experienced a failure when using plastic components?
April/May 2010
Machinable engineering plastics have been used in aerospace applications for over 40 years.
August/September 2009
Many designers and machinists have questions about fabricating critical tolerance parts for cutting edge industries like medical and life science equipment manufacturers.