Material selection and sourcing is going digital

The future of engineering heavily relies on companies being able to embrace digitalisation. Materials search engine Matmatch has released an infographic presenting the company's recent research findings about digitalisation in the materials industry. The infographic looks at the top industries sourcing materials online, the properties most commonly searched for and the effects of digitalisation on innovation.

Digitalisation presents several opportunities for engineers and designers to take a better scope of the materials industry and heighten innovation. However, a survey from Matmatch, taken by 359 engineers, found that 65 per cent of engineers do not yet use online material resources to innovate when it comes to selecting materials. Instead, engineers are sticking to traditional methods or commonly used materials.


"No matter the industry, materials selection is pivotal. Engineers need to consider the practicalities of their choice and whether it is fit for purpose," explained Benjamin Stafford, materials expert at Matmatch. "From our research and analysing the different behaviours, we have been able to divide online users into four different categories.

"There are students, buyers, detectives (someone looking for specific data about a material) and explorers. Explorers tend to have a class of material in mind but look for specific material requirements for other possible options.

"At Matmatch we want to change and inspire the way people discover and use materials, which is why our platform is designed to be of value to each of the four types of users we identified from our research. Whether an engineer is looking for accurate data about a material or a supplier, they can do everything from one location.

"Materials selection doesn't have to be a daunting task and engineers can revolutionise their designs by embracing digitalisation, allowing them to choose a new or substitute material they may not have considered or even known about before."

Matmatch's research also found the top industries searching for materials across the globe to be machinery and tooling, oil and gas and transportation. There is a growing use of online materials selection, however, for medical, electronics and consumer goods.

Most engineers that are using online search engines for materials selection, the infographic shows, are doing so to evaluate and compare possible material options. While digitalisation has made it easier for engineers to access a vast amount of data about materials, the issue for many engineers is that there is a wide range of parameters used to describe materials, making research a lengthy process.

In fact, less than ten per cent of online users search for unique terms such as thermal, acoustic and magnetic properties. Instead, design engineers are focussed on identifying the chemical and mechanical properties of a material.

The infographic is available to download from the Matmatch site. Companies interested in finding out more about listing their materials on Matmatch's platform should visit the supplier area of the website.

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