Product Spotlight


A Smart Initiative From Feinguss Blank: “SMART MATERIAL” – The Material-App For Designing Engineers And Developers


T


here is an infinite variety of metallic materials - all with specific properties - and if these


are heat treated, these properties and the nature of the materials also change. If you try to represent these dependencies graphically, it quickly becomes complex and confusing. This is a problem that German company FEINGUSS BLANK has set itself the task of solving. The result: a smart solution for designers and developers that replaces conventional and often confusing tables.


The BLANK development team was


faced with the challenge of simplifying the tangled construct of materials before they addressed the following question: “What information do designers and developers need in order to be able to make a well-founded decision about the material to be used?” The collected data showed that the mechanical and chemical properties are primarily decisive for the subsequent application of the materials, as well as various parameters related with the further processing of the components. As a consequence, the focus shifted from the material itself and its composition to its properties that are relevant for later use. The technical requirements were supplemented by the desire for a contemporary solution that could be made available to all users quickly and easily - in other words, smartly. The solution: the first BLANK-app.


What Can the App Do? “SMART MATERIAL” bundles the material expertise of the BLANK- Group and enables the user to select materials easily and intuitively. In the first step, mechanical and physical properties that are required for the use of the later component can be


10 ❘ May 2021 ®


selected. Hardness and corrosion resistance are also criteria that must be taken into account. In addition to these specifications, information on further processing, such as machinability or weldability, can also be selected. However, it is also possible to select according to later areas of application, such as use in medical technology, in gearboxes or in stamping tools. The app then displays the materials in question. These are compared with each other graphically and clearly with regard to certain properties in order to be able to make the best choice for the desired application.


In addition to the technical


side, the app’s range of services also includes a price indication comparing the selected materials, so that a well- founded


decision can be made.


Through this fundamentally new and above all, user-centred way of thinking, the BLANK-Group has created a new standard in the world of materials. Never before has the selection of the


right material been so simple and intuitive. And best of all: the app is available on the smartphone at any time and is always with you!


Andrej Wetzel was involved in


the development as project manager from the problem definition to the realisation of the app. “Our concern was to create a practicable solution that facilitates the daily work with materials. I am convinced that we have succeeded in this with the ‘SMART MATERIAL’ app and that it will replace the conventional, sometimes confusing tables,” says Wetzel. Through continuous expansion of the app and the addition of new materials and heat treatment conditions, the delivered data is always up to date. “The scope of performance of ‘SMART MATERIAL’ is something completely new in the development of components and so sets new standards,” Wetzel explains further, “I hope that this will be soon be part of the daily tools of designers and developers. Furthermore, the app is also


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