What method are you currently adopting to design your new or improved product? Trial and error? Are you producing dozens or hundreds of prototypes? How do you know what to do? Should you use science to guide you?
Association Comment Dr Roger Mulder – CSIRO Group Leader
Structure determines function. The overall design of a product will determine how it functions. But go a little deeper, and the microscopic structure of the material used to build the product is even more important in determining how well it functions.
Let’s assume you have a 3D-printed prototype of your new device. It looks good on the outside, it’s the right shape and should do the job nicely. But how do you know it will be strong enough? This is where materials characterisation and materials modelling come into their own.
Put simply, materials characterisation is the study of matter up close, from the micro- and nano- to the macroscopic levels. By looking at a material’s properties up close, scientists can determine what it can do. Materials characterisation is fundamental to success in the manufacturing industry, contributing to quality assurance, process optimisation, innovation, failure investigation, regulatory compliance, cost efficiency, and sustainability. It provides the necessary insights and data to ensure that materials and products meet the desired standards and perform reliably in their intended applications. Materials characterisation is used when you have a physical product in your hand. Materials modelling helps get you to this point.
Modelling, or more specifically computational modelling, is a method used to simulate and study the behavior of complex systems using mathematical models, computer algorithms, and data analysis. It involves the creation of computational representations (twins) of physical or biological systems to predict their behavior under different conditions.
Instead of building protoypes, we build computer models to test variables such as material selection, or how design parameters such as size, shape and thickness contribute to performance. We can predict what load will make the product fail, or whether one shape is better for heat dissipation than another. All without building a physical object. Without modelling, manufacturers run the risk of high wastage, increased costs, inneficiencies, low quality control, limited innovation and reduced competitiveness in the market place.
It doesn’t matter whether your product is made of titanium, polyethylene, or collagen, materials modelling and characterisation can tell you more about it. At Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, we have the analytical and characterisation expertise and materials and process modelling capability all in one place. We have highly specialised equipment necessary to investigate, study and interrogate soft and hard matter at the nano-, micro-, and macroscopic scales.
With all of this knowledge and equipment at our finger tips, our team will work closely with you to provide detailed data analysis and methodological approaches to understanding a specific material. We excel in collaborating with clients throughout a project’s lifecycle, from conception to delivery. From prediction to observation, we provide integrated expertise in chemical, physical and biological materials interrogation.
We were recently approached by an industry business to design a bespoke replacement component for a load-bearing structure, where a like-for-like replacement was not possible.
Using our in-house expertise, we could use the scans of the defective component and design a 3D-printable metal replacement. Shape, obviously, was the first thing which needed to be taken into account, and because this is visible, this was the simple part.
What made the difference between success and failure is what happened at the microscopic level. Vitally important to the work was optimising strength and density to provide the required load-bearing capacity without being too heavy, while remaining self-supporting. Modelling allowed us to test many variations of structural elements to determine which one would hit the sweet spot of strength and weight, whilst remaining compatible with the rest of the structure. Without having to physically make multiple prototypes for testing we saved not only time but many thousands of dollars in prototyping for the client.
The designed replacement component was made up of a repeating arrangement of small lattice unit cells which could be 3D-printed in titanium alloy to make a single, porous piece. The stress under load was predicted through modelling using techniques such as finite element analysis (FEA). Components produced through additive manufacturing techniques do not have the ‘perfect’ uniformity of a computer model, so printed unit cells were scanned and the stress was modelled in the as-built structure to verify the design modelling before progressing to the full build.
Using this approach we were able to rapidly create a unique component with all of the right performance parameters without the need to construct multiple prototypes for physical testing. The uses for this CSIRO technology are endless, from designing replacement parts for machinery in remote locations, to perhaps even individualised replacement bones for accident victims.
Working with CSIRO’s Materials Characterisation and Modelling team provides industry and businesses access to the complete suite of specialised skills and techniques available.
Should your business or organisation require the services of materials characterisation and modelling, our team would love to hear from you. Contact us via: www.csiro.au/en/contact
or call 1300 363 400.
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