Cincinnati, OH, October 18, 2006
Leading manufacturers talk materials strategy in Cincinnati
Representatives of leading manufacturing enterprises joined
Granta in Cincinnati this week to discuss a new initiative that will
develop and apply innovative software to optimize materials usage
and strategy. The one-day Materials Strategy Forum
coincided with Granta's participation in the adjacent MS&T Conference
at which Granta speakers presented significant progress in the application
of materials information technology.
Materials Strategy Forum
The Materials Strategy Forum, held at the Cincinnati Hyatt Regency
Hotel, introduced a systematic, software-based approach to addressing
critical issues such as:
- Managing inflationary, volatile, and uncertain raw material prices
- Adopting new or substituted materials or processes
- Rationalizing materials or suppliers
- Complying with environmental legislation
- Decision-making about manufacturing location
- Procuring equivalent materials at multi-national locations
- Eliminating design bottlenecks due to problems in finding materials
data
New software lets users combine considerations of cost and function
to inform key materials decisions, and helps them to make the resulting
technical and business strategy available thoughout their business.
The meeting demonstrated new technology and described its use in practical
industrial projects, including a case study presented by Dr
Robert Rivett, Vice President of Technology at Emerson's Advanced
Design Center.
Participants
then discussed their ideas and priorities for further development
and new applications. Delegates also reviewed a proposed collaborative
project that will bring organizations together to develop and apply
software that meets their most urgent needs for optimizing materials
strategy. Based on the discussions, Granta is finalizing the structure
and focus of this collaboration.
Companies attending the Forum meeting were:
- Airbus
- ATI Corporation
- Boeing
- Caterpillar
- Daimler Chrysler
- Emerson Electric
- Federal-Mogul
- GE-Aviation
- Goodrich
|
- Halliburton
- Kohler
- Morgan Carbon
- NASA
- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
- Raytheon
- Ticona
- US Army Research Lab
- Whirlpool
|
View presentations and notes from
the meeting (for attendees - requires password).
Non-attendees wishing to view the meeting information should contact
Granta.
View complete information on Granta's
materials strategy initiative...
Granta at MS&T
The MS&T conference, which ran from October 15-19 at the Duke Energy
Center, saw considerable interest in Granta's new materials strategy
initiative, as well as in the progress of existing efforts
to improve materials data management for aerospace and other high-performance
engineering applications. Granta also presented its educational software.
Granta presentations in the technical program were:
Beyond Cost per Pound in Materials Strategy
Dr Patrick Coulter, Chief Operating Officer, Granta
Abstract: The material competition should
be won by the material that meets product design and manufacturing
requirements at the lowest cost. This is an easy statement to
make, but much harder to analyze in an objective manner for real
part designs. This talk looks at advances in computer-based analysis
of material choice and material economics, using the "Ashby
approach". It will show examples that confirm much of our
instinctive feel for material choice but that also throw up a
few surprises. It will look at the trade-offs between steel,
aluminum, and magnesium for specific applications and at metal-plastic
replacement economics. A final example will look at a material
that is not very strong and not very stiff and was little known
50 years ago. Yet today it rivals the mighty steel in its popularity
for everyday structural applications. We ask: how and why did
this happen?
Facilitating Computational Analysis of Materials Behavior
Dr Will Marsden, Product Manager, Aerospace, Defense & Energy,
Granta
Abstract: Materials are the bedrock
of all products and structures. Their influence within the
aerospace sector is particularly significant since they govern
performance and drive innovation. An influential group of commercial
and government groups (including OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, materials
suppliers, DoD, DoE, NASA, UK MOD, and ASM International) recognized
this and set out to create a toolset for managing this vital
resource within their organizations. Together they have influenced
the development of software to streamline and manage their materials
workflow – meeting
their own individual requirements through a common platform. This
group, known as the Material Data Management Consortium,
is in its second three-year phase and has a growing collective understanding
of the problems they face, how the system they developed addresses
them, and where further development is necessary. The results of
discussions within the MDMC, the software, and future development
were discussed. The software was demonstrated.
The Design Led Approach to Materials Teaching Using the CES EduPack
Dr Patrick Coulter, Granta (on behalf
of Dr Helen McLachlan)
More information
You can find more information on all of these topics on this website,
particularly at the links below — or contact
us.
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