A Guide to Choosing the Right Material for Your Product

The selection of a product’s material is a critical step in the development process. With so many materials and potential combinations available, making the right choice can be challenging. The materials you choose will directly influence a product’s functionality, durability, cost, and aesthetic appeal. A poor choice can lead to a product that is expensive to produce, fails to meet user needs, or simply doesn’t last. This is where the expertise of a product design engineer is invaluable.

For personalised guidance on your next project, Talk To Us.

Key Consideration Factors

When choosing a material, you need to consider a number of key factors.

1. Function and Performance

Start by thinking about how the product will be used. Consider the operating environment and the specific demands that will be placed on the material.

• Strength and Durability: For products that need to withstand impact, a metal or reinforced plastic is a good choice. If you need flexibility, a polymer like silicone or rubber is a better option.
• Weight: In applications like aerospace or sporting goods, where every ounce counts, lightweight and strong materials like carbon fiber are a top priority.
• Thermal Properties: The material’s ability to conduct or insulate heat is critical for products exposed to extreme temperatures.

2. Manufacturing and Production

The material you choose must be compatible with your manufacturing processes.

• Formability: Consider how easily the material can be shaped. Plastics are ideal for injection molding, while metals are often used for casting or machining.
• Production Quantities: The number of parts you want to make will influence the type of manufacturing process you can use. For example, for a smaller run of 100 parts, 3D printing is a more accessible option than injection molding.
• Tooling Costs: Some materials may require specialized, expensive tooling.
• Waste and Recyclability: Evaluate the material’s potential for waste reduction and its recyclability to align with your sustainability and cost goals.

3. Cost

The total cost of the material will significantly impact the final product price.

• Raw Material Price: The market price of materials like steel, aluminum, and plastics can fluctuate.
• Processing Costs: A material with a low raw cost may be expensive to process, increasing your overall production costs.
• Labor: While automating the manufacturing process can eliminate high labor costs, it often comes with a high entry point for production quantity.

4. Aesthetics and User Experience

The product’s visual and tactile properties are just as important as its performance.

• Appearance: Choose a material based on the desired finish—glossy, matte, transparent, etc. For example, polycarbonate is known for its transparency, while anodized aluminum provides a distinctive, premium look.
• Haptics (Touch): The tactile feel of the material is crucial. A soft-touch TPE will feel very different from cold, hard stainless steel.

The Handy Rehab Conundrum

When we helped take the Handy Rehab from prototype to production, material choice was critical. The final product needed to be both lightweight and extremely durable, and the robotic hand had to be comfortable to wear while being stiff enough for the fingers to work without flexing. Here’s what we learned:

• Die-cast metal was initially considered for the gears to ensure longevity. However, an engineering-grade plasticwas chosen instead. It was durable enough for long-term use and offered a slight flexibility that accommodated movement in the human hand.
• A rubber was used to cushion hard plastic from the skin. It proved uncomfortable, so we added cutouts to increase flexibility and comfort.
• A mixture of injection-molded and 3D-printed components were used to help with setup costs and give us flexibility in the design approach.

Why Choose Mouse?

We can help you navigate the material selection process with a focus on these key areas:

• Engineering: We design parts to maximize strength-to-weight ratios and provide the exact level of flexibility or stiffness you need for optimal performance.
• Durability: We ensure longevity by using materials specifically chosen to prevent premature wear and tear.
• Cost: We prevent you from overpaying by selecting materials that are perfectly suited for the job, avoiding the unnecessary expense of over-specifying.
• Sustainability: We can provide eco-friendly and alternative materials so you can make environmentally responsible choices.

Conclusion

Choosing the right material is a strategic balancing act. There is no single “best” material, only the most suitable one for a product’s specific requirements. Careful consideration of function, manufacturing, cost, and aesthetics is essential for product success.

Ready to start your next project with a team that understands the importance of material selection?