1st Edition

Process Techniques for Engineering High-Performance Materials

By Tim Oberle Copyright 2014
    494 Pages 323 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    493 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Most processed materials retain a memory of their production process at the molecular level. Subtle changes in production—such as variations in temperature or the presence of impurities—can impart performance benefits or drawbacks to individual batches of products. Some product developers have taken advantage of this process dependency to tailor properties to specific customer needs. In other cases, poorly engineered processes have resulted in serious failures. Process Techniques for Engineering High-Performance Materials explores practical strategies to guide you in systematically developing, improving, and producing engineered materials.

    The book describes an R&D approach that is common to many material types, from polymers, biochemicals, metal alloys, and composites to coatings, ceramics, elastomers, and processed foods. Throughout, hundreds of examples illustrate successes and disasters in the history of materials development. These examples clearly show how product management and development tactics are constrained by the nature of the production process and the strategy of the company.

    The author offers practical advice on how to:

    • Foster creativity in an industrial environment and avoid factors that unintentionally suppress technical innovation
    • Develop products when the properties of the product are highly dependent on processing variables
    • Avoid the inevitable scale-up problems that occur on process-dependent materials
    • Get the most out of expensive trial work in a production plant environment
    • Combine products into a systems solution to customer problems

    Highlighting important rules for product development, this book helps you better understand the mechanics of engineering processed materials and how to adjust your processes to improve performance.

    Introduction to Process Dependency

    The Process, the Product, and Its Ultimate Life Span

    The Process
    The Product
    The Knobs
    Product Life Span
    Types of Process Deficiencies
    Summary

    Fitness-for-Use Testing

    Finding the Critical Properties of Process-Dependent Products
    FFU Tests
    Getting Creative with FFU
    Know Thy Customer
    Summary

    Technical Creativity and Idea Generation

    Creativity in an Industrial Environment
    Reality Check on the Innovation Climate
    Fostering Technical Innovation
    Formalized Brainstorming
    Mechanics of Creative Development
    Organizational Hostility
    Overcoming Systematic Barriers to Innovation
    Needs Bank and Opportunity List
    Summary

    Finding Product Opportunity
    Market-Driven Organizations
    Manufacturing/Process-Centric Approaches
    Balanced Approach
    Paradox of Product Evolution
    What to Look for in a Product Opportunity
    Cold Calls by Outsiders
    Customer Requests
    Customer Modification of Your Product
    Summary

    Prioritizing Project Proposals
    Prioritization Styles
    Considering Risk
    Considering Process Factors When Prioritizing
    Project Review
    Summary

    Evaluating Critical Parameters in the Process
    Things We Want to Understand
    Proactive Record Keeping
    End-to-End Data Collection
    Auditing Product Performance
    Active Experimentation
    Customizing Products for Niche Markets
    Tracing the Process Paths
    Summary

    Organizing Development Projects
    Defining the Product
    Conflicts in Creating Specifications
    Costing Concerns for Dynamic Products
    Planning for a Quality Outcome
    Summary

    Project Execution and Oversight
    Project Problems
    Project Organization
    Project Execution Guidelines
    Basic Steps
    Intellectual Property
    Development Resources
    Summary

    Small-Scale Trials
    Tools for Small-Scale Development
    Procedures for Small-Scale Development
    Barriers to Effective Projects
    Managing the Development Organization
    Retaining Samples and Information
    Scalability
    Summary

    Development Trials on Large-Scale Equipment
    Trials from the Manufacturing Point of View
    Preparing for a Plant Trial
    Running a Plant Trial
    Follow-Through
    Types of Plant Trials (From the Plant Perspective)
    Types of Plant Trials (From the R&D Perspective)
    Equipment Considerations for Plant Trials
    Summary

    Managing and Controlling the Process
    Detecting Process Variability
    State of the Process
    Asking the Right Questions
    Functional Responsibilities
    Dealing with Trade-offs
    Technical Decision Making
    Anticipating Risk
    Failure Analysis and Corrective Action
    Summary

    Controlling Raw Materials
    Material Guidelines in the Development Phase
    Material Rules for Industrial Scale-up
    Material Considerations During the Specification Writing Step
    Qualifying Second-Source Raw Materials
    Summary

    Complex Manufacturing Situations
    In-Line Process Trains
    Considering Outsourced Production
    Qualifying a Toll Vendor
    Managing the Relationship
    Summary

    Human Factors
    Human Input on the Plant Floor
    Organizational Behavior
    Technical Behavior
    Marketing/Sales Behavior
    Economics of Scarcity
    Summary

    Managing Customer Expectations
    Customer Mentality
    Customer Input
    Knowing Where You Stand
    Getting the Business
    Keeping the Business
    Summary

    Proprietary Systems
    System Trade-offs
    Developing Products for Proprietary Systems
    Summary

    Index

    Biography

    Tim Oberle holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois. His employers have been the American Can Company, W.R. Grace, and Sealed Air Corporation. This experience includes research, manufacturing, and commercial and management roles in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Over the course of 33 years in the industry, he has performed polymer processing, converting, and fitness testing on packaging and cushioning products. These activities routinely involve the engineering of process-dependent materials. Tim has 12 issued patents and additional patents pending.

    "This is an excellent guide to understanding the impact of the engineering process of new products and processes which are essential for our growth and enhanced quality of life. The process has far-reaching and long-term implications, both good and bad, and this book provides an opportunity to consider how developments are done, not just the end result."
    —Alan S. Weinberg, Vice President Global Technology, Cryovac (Retired), USA

    "[The author’s] composition style and content make for an interesting format for the reader. He uses analysis of well-known historical and current events from many areas of human experience that underline the techniques he is reinforcing for successful processing of high-performance materials. This format should resonate with many R&D engineers, design engineers, and manufacturing engineers as well as other related manufacturing professionals, who will be able to identify with the examples given. The subject content ... will appeal to any engineering and manufacturing professional who is looking to develop a comprehensive ‘road map’ from an original concept or idea to executing a plan, including research and leading to comprehensive quality-based volume production. ... Graduate students developing a career path in many engineering disciplines would benefit from this approach to problem definition and resolution."
    —John Simpson, Retired Project Engineer, USA

    "This book is comprehensive and exhaustive in understanding the issues encountered in developing and manufacturing a fit-for-use high-performance material or product, and in validating its reliability and consistency in both lab scale trials and real application conditions. I like the narrative style and the numerous and enlightening real-world case studies brought as examples. This kind of hands-on approach makes the text very appealing for the audience to whom it is directed. A key learning out of this reading is that it is far more efficient to design quality (fitness-for-use) ahead of time than it is to readjust a wrong design in a never-ending project with an expensive repair job."
    ––Francesco Arena, Program Director Fluids Europe, Sealed Air, Italy