Cambridge, 11 July 2006

GRANTA MI 1.2

Software Helps Designers Avoid Environmental Stress Cracking Product Failures

Latest GRANTA MI release adds key capabilities for plastics users

Granta Design has announced the latest release of GRANTA MI™, the leading system for managing, analyzing, and applying materials information in engineering enterprises. GRANTA MI 1.2 makes it easier for users of plastics to analyze materials usage, saving time and cost, to identify and avoid issues related to environmental stress cracking (ESC), to optimize polymer selection, and to manage, use, and share information about their materials.

ESC is a critical issue when designing with plastics. A recent study showed that 25% of plastic part failures are related to ESC – cracking due to the combined effects of stress and a chemical agent.

It has always been hard to design against ESC. It is not always easy to predict the fluids to which a plastic part will be exposed during service. The designer is also constrained by a real lack of data covering the performance of different materials, in different chemical environments, and under different stress conditions. Where such data exists, it is relatively complex and not quick to review and interpret. 

GRANTA MI 1.2 provides simple guidance on the ESC performance of plastics, based on an analysis of the available data. It integrates this guidance with analysis tools that make it easy to study and compare materials, and to highlight potential ESC risks during design.

Plastics users also get enhanced data on permeability and biodegradability – information that will be useful in areas including eco-design, packaging, and medical devices. GRANTA MI can now handle any document type, allowing users to store, search for, and view all of their materials information in a single place – whether that information consists of numbers, text, spreadsheets, images, or PDF and Word documents.

“This second of two releases during 2006 keeps up the pace of development that has seen GRANTA MI become the leading system for enterprise materials information management,“ says Dr David Cebon, Managing Director at Granta. “We are already working with our partners and customers to deliver the next major release.”

LINKS TO FURTHER INFORMATION:

Supporting image: www.grantdesign.com/news/media.htm#MI12

GRANTA MI product information: www.grantadesign.com/products/mi/