Material Substitution Considerations

This consultant has encountered two different general classes of material substitution problems in working with different clients. In one class of problems, the client is using a polymer (or polymer composite) but has found it to have some serious shortcomings. In the other class of problems, the client is using a metal (or metal alloy) and wants to use a polymer (or polymer composite) instead of it. In either situation, the client does not want to spend a lot of time and money to develop a new material, and instead just wants to replace what is currently being used with the best available "off-the-shelf" alternative.

This expert consultant begins by working with the client to define, as clearly and unambiguously as possible, the desired performance characteristics and cost limitations for the targeted substitute material. In many situations, these discussions lead the client to the realization that some additional issues must be overcome, beyond the ones that they had initially envisioned, in order to make a successful substitution. For example, some clients who are used to working only with metals are not fully aware of the need to consider the much lower heat distortion temperatures of most polymers, and the proclivity of many polymers to soften and/or undergo environmental stress cracking as a result of exposure to the molecules present in the application environment, in selecting a polymer (or polymer composite) to substitute for a metal.

Once the desired performance characteristics and cost limitations for the targeted substitute material have been defined correctly, we use various material property databases, first to search for polymer (or polymer composite) classes that may meet the requirements, and then to identify specific most promising available commercial grades of those polymer (or polymer composite) classes. It is also often helpful to the client to talk to customer service representatives of the vendors of these apparently most promising commercial grades to discuss the application and see if they have any suggestions for the use of these grades in the application.

After making final recommendations, this expert consultant is available to help the client further by providing additional services such as planning and implementing a testing program to evaluate prototypes of their product containing candidate substitute materials.

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