Qian Yang, Technical Specialist at Goodfellow, explores the ever-changing world of materials facing design engineers frantically pursuing lighter and greener products.
There has never been greater scrutiny and interest in materials, with the pursuit for Net Zero and a more sustainable world bringing ‘how we get there’ into far greater scrutiny.
Add in the recent media furore over Trump’s tariffs and the ‘toing and froing’ on steel and aluminium, then you begin to build a picture of what is an ever-complex landscape.
So, imagine how design engineers are currently feeling? These are the people responsible for exploring which materials they can use to deliver the performance required by their clients, yet at the same time they need to factor in how they can do it lighter, cost-effectively and, the million-dollar conundrum, ensure it is kinder to the environment.
Fortunately, there are several exciting trends in materials science that are shaping the future of design engineering, and we are pursuing many of them at our HQ in Cambridge and across sister businesses in the North East, Switzerland and the US.
From our domestic and international facilities, we support thousands of clients across automotive, aerospace, healthcare, motorsport and renewables.
We also have a massive impact on the scientific sector and R&D teams, helping universities and emerging tech businesses push the boundaries of innovation, including the development of new cancer treatments and the nuclear fusion breakthrough pioneered by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
Across our range of more than 170,000 materials – from metals, alloys, ceramics, glasses and polymers to compounds and composites – we are seeing a host of interesting purchasing trends from design engineers.
Here are some of the material ranges proving increasingly popular.
Biodegradable Polymers & Bioplastics: With growing environmental concerns, engineers are exploring alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. Materials like PLA (Polylactic Acid), PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates), and other bioplastics are gaining popularity for applications in packaging, consumer goods, and even automotive parts.
Recyclable & Circular Economy Materials: The push for a circular economy is leading to increased use of materials that can be fully recycled or reused. Engineers are designing products that use materials like recycled metals, glass, and plastics in ways that maximise their lifecycle.
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRPs): These materials are increasingly being used in industries like aerospace, automotive, and sports equipment due to their light weight and high strength. CFRPs are particularly valuable in reducing the weight of vehicles, which directly translates to better fuel efficiency and performance.
Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRPs): While not as strong as carbon fiber, GFRPs are cheaper and still offer excellent strength-to-weight ratios. They are finding use in applications like construction, marine, and renewable energy, such as wind turbine blades.
Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs): These are materials that ‘remember’ a specific shape and can return to it when heated or exposed to other stimuli. SMAs are being used in medical devices, robotics, and aerospace applications.
Self-Healing Materials: Materials that can repair themselves after damage are an exciting area of research. Self-healing polymers or composites, which can autonomously heal cracks or breaks, are being developed for use in everything from electronics to infrastructure.
Graphene: This one-atom-thick material has extraordinary electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties, making it suitable for applications in flexible electronics, energy storage (batteries and supercapacitors), and even as a coating material for corrosion resistance.
Nanocomposites: By integrating nanoparticles into traditional materials (such as polymers, ceramics, or metals), designers can enhance the properties of these materials, making them stronger, lighter, and more durable.
Advanced Ceramics: These are used for applications where traditional metals or polymers can’t perform, such as high-temperature, wear-resistant, or electrically insulating environments.
Magnesium Alloys: Magnesium is one of the lightest structural metals, and researchers are exploring its use in automotive and aerospace applications where weight savings are critical.
Making the right choice
With so many options, both tried and tested and new, it can be a very complicated puzzle for design engineers keen to get their products to market quickly.
That is why it is always a wise decision to seek external guidance from technical experts and material scientists, who can match the end use application with the right materials.
At Goodfellow, we have what we believe is one of the world’s leading teams and one of the reasons why we work so closely with over 6000 customers.
We provide properties, choose right composition based on mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and the available budget. Also, if technical drawings are available, we can educate on feasibility, and sometimes suggest potential alternatives due to high cost.
Then we have access to our post processing facilities that can deliver material in a bespoke length, size and dimension. Continued investment in new machinery and the acquisition of Potomac Photonics last year has given us comprehensive microfabrication, disc punching, laser cutting and machining capability to tap into.
Into the future
Looking into the future and design engineers will have to get used to an ever-changing picture with further significant breakthroughs in material technologies expected – almost on a weekly basis.
Global investment is pouring into our world as the race for lighter and greener methods intensifies and we hurtle towards some major Net Zero milestones.
The next decade will likely see this accelerate even further. Nanotechnology and changing manufacturing methods, like 3D printing, will play a far more influential role and then we have the convergence of Artificial Intelligence in design.
AI is only getting started and I don’t think any of us really know how far it will be used. What we can say is that the way we design and make everyday products will probably never be the same again.
