x x.
Share:
Press Release Summary:
x
Original Press Release:
New Software Helps Coatings and Restricted Substance Decisions
Cambridge, UK - Granta Design has announced extensions to its GRANTA MI software that help Product Designers, Materials & Process experts, and Environmental, Health & Safety (EH&S) professionals to make vital decisions on coatings and surface treatment. The new capabilities, developed in collaboration with Rowan Technology Group, focus on the complex compliance, regulatory, and risk factors relating to restricted substances.
Coatings are critical in many engineering applications, enabling designers to control mechanical, electrical, thermal, and other properties, as well as the look and feel of a product. But coatings add complexity to design decisions. How do designers not only choose a coating that meets functional and cost requirements, but also avoid problems with manufacture, supply, or restricted substance regulations, such as the European Union's REACH?
Rowan Technology Group, experts in advanced materials and coatings, have helped Granta to compile the Coatings Data Module - a dataset that can be added to corporate materials databases stored in the GRANTA MI system. GRANTA MI provides browser-based tools to search, browse, and use this data. The Data Module covers over one hundred coatings of types including: anodizing, corrosion inhibitor, conversion, CVD, electro/electroless plate, heat treat, primer, PVD, topcoat, and thermal spray. Traditional coatings such as cadmium plate with chromate-conversion are included, as well as new and alternative coatings such as aluminum and low-hydrogen embrittlement zinc-nickel, with trivalent and non-chrome sealers. Each coating is described in a well-referenced record detailing over sixty technical, restricted substance, substitution, cost, and other properties.
Within GRANTA MI, this data can be integrated with an existing database of over 6,000 restricted substances and sixty regulations, legislations, and industry standards that impact these substances. Related substances, materials, coatings, legislations, and company material and process specifications are linked. GRANTA MI reporting tools then make it easy to answer questions such as:
* What is the impact on my parts and processes of the restrictions on Hexavalent Chromium or REACH candidate list substances?
* Are any of the coatings that I use affected by legislative requirements in other countries?
* What is the risk that this coating may be subject to future restrictions?
* Which substitute has the lowest risk of regulation in the future?
* What are the trade-offs amongst substitutes for Cadmium plating?
GRANTA MI thus supports strategic decision making on coatings. For example, it helps to design new parts with coatings that will not require substitution during the part's production lifecycle. This will avoid part non compliance and/or stock redundancy issues.
"We're pleased to provide our customers at leading engineering enterprises with a new solution to important problems relating to coatings, surface treatments, and restricted substances," comments Dr Patrick Coulter, Chief Operating Officer at Granta Design. "The Coatings Data Module also demonstrates Granta's collaborative approach to product development - the expertise of Rowan Technology Group has been extremely valuable in building a high quality tool."
The GRANTA MI coatings and restricted substances solution will be demonstrated in a web seminar on March 10 - details at www.grantadesign.com/webseminars/.
ABOUT GRANTA
Granta Design Limited are the materials information technology experts. Granta develops the leading software for materials information management in engineering enterprises, and the leading teaching resource for materials engineering education. Granta serves sectors as diverse as aerospace, defense, energy, medical devices, automotive, motorsports, manufacture of consumer and industrial equipment, materials production, and publishing. Customers realize multi-million dollar benefits in reduced cost, enhanced product performance, improved quality, and faster design turnaround. Granta was founded in 1994 as a spinout from the University of Cambridge and the work of Professors Mike Ashby and David Cebon.
ABOUT ROWAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP
Rowan Technology Group are experts in coatings and surface treatments, supplying technical and engineering services to coating users and providers, including aerospace companies and the US Department of Defense. They assemble detailed performance information on coatings used across the world, in all industry sectors, and particularly advanced coatings that are replacing traditional coatings in aerospace and defense, where performance and reliability are critical. Keith Legg of Rowan is the Technical Lead for ASETSDefense, the US DoD initiative that collects and supplies engineering data on the performance of clean alternatives to restricted materials.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Supporting images: http://grantadesign.com/news/media.htm#coatings
Coatings Data Module product information: www.grantadesign.com/products/data/coatings.htm
Granta Design: www.grantadesign.com
GRANTA MI is a trademark of Granta Design Limited.
