Materials Technology and Manufacturing Innovations

Manufacturing Innovation is the current trend in production engineering and deals with various manufacturing practices, research, design, development, processes, machines, tools, and equipment. Manufacturing is a process to turn raw materials into an updated or new product in the best economic, efficient and effective way. It involves understanding how products and machinery work/ how to design/ make or use of it. From basic steam engines to high-performance automobiles, air-conditioned environments and jet aircraft, Manufacturing Innovations has changed society for the better

Nanotechnology is the handling of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale.  The interesting aspect about nanotechnology is that the properties of many materials alter when the size scale of their dimensions approaches nanometers. Materials scientists and engineers work to understand those property changes and utilize them in the processing and manufacture of materials at the nanoscale level. The field of materials science covers the discovery, characterization, properties, and use of nanoscale materials. Nanomaterials research takes a materials science-based approach to nanotechnology, influencing advances in materials metrology and synthesis which have been developed in support of microfabrication research. Materials with structure at the nanoscale level o have unique optical, electronic, or mechanical properties. Although much of nanotechnology's potential still remains un-utilized, investment in the field is booming. The U.S. government distributed more than a billion dollars to nanotechnology research in 2005 to find new developments in nanotechnology. China, Japan and the European Union have spent similar amounts. The hopes are the same on all fronts: to push oneself off a surface on a growing global market that the National Science Foundation estimates will be worth a trillion dollars. The global market for activated carbon totaled $1.9 billion, in 2013, driven primarily by Asia-Pacific and North American region for applications in water treatment and air purification.

Characterization, when used in materials science, refers to the broader and wider process by which a material's structure and properties are checked and measured. It is a fundamental process in the field of materials science, without which no scientific understanding of engineering materials could be as curtained. Spectroscopy refers to the measurement of radiation intensity as a function of wavelength. Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye.   Characterization and testing of material is very important before the usage of materials. Proper testing of material can make the material more flexible and durable. Research indicates the global material testing equipment market generated revenues of $510.8 million in 2011, growing at a marginal rate of 3.1% over the previous year. The market is dominated by the ‘big three’ Tier 1 competitors, namely MTS Systems Corporation, Instron Corporation, and Zwick/Roell, while other participants have performed better regionally, such as Tinus Olsen in North America and Shimadzu Corporation in Asia Pacific.

Biomaterials from healthcare viewpoint can be defined as “materials those possess some novel properties that makes them appropriate to come in immediate association with the living tissue without eliciting any adverse immune rejection reactions.  Biomaterials are in the service of mankind through ancient times but subsequent evolution has made them more versatile and has increased their usage. Biomaterials have transformed the areas like bioengineering and tissue engineering for the development of strategies to counter life threatening diseases.  These concepts and technologies are being used for the treatment of different diseases like cardiac failure, fractures, deep skin injuries, etc.  Research is being performed to improve the existing methods and for the innovation of new approaches. With the current progress in biomaterials we can expect a future healthcare which will be economically feasible to us. Equipment and consumables was worth US$ 47.7 billion in 2014 and is further expected to reach US$ 55.5 billion in 2020 with a CAGR (2015 to 2020) of 3%. 

Material science has a wider range of applications which includes ceramics, composites and polymer materials. Bonding in ceramics and glasses uses both covalent and ionic-covalent types with SiO2 as a basic building block. Ceramics are as soft as clay or as hard as stone and concrete. Usually, they are crystalline in form. Most glasses contain a metal oxide fused with silica. Applications range from structural elements such as steel-reinforced concrete, to the gorilla glass. Polymers are also an important part of materials science. Polymers are the raw materials which are used to make what we commonly call plastics.  Specialty plastics are materials with distinctive characteristics, such as ultra-high strength, electrical conductivity, electro-fluorescence, high thermal stability. Plastics are divided not on the basis of their material but on its properties and applications. The global market for carbon fiber reached $1.8 billion in 2014, and further the market is expected to grow at a five-year CAGR (2015 to 2020) of 11.4%, to reach $3.5 billion in 2020. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic market reached $17.3 billion in 2014, and further the market is expected to grow at a five-year CAGR (2015 to 2020) of 12.3%, to reach $34.2 billion in 2020.

Materials Science and Engineering is an acclaimed scientific discipline, expanding in recent decades to surround polymers, ceramics, glass, composite materials and biomaterials.  Materials science and engineering, involves the discovery and design of new materials.  Many of the most pressing scientific problems humans currently face are due to the limitations of the materials that are available and, as a result, major breakthroughs in materials science are likely to affect the future of technology significantly. Materials scientists lay stress on understanding how the history of a material influences its structure, and thus its properties and performance. All engineered products from airplanes to musical instruments, alternative energy sources related to ecologically-friendly manufacturing processes, medical devices to artificial tissues, computer chips to data storage devices and many more are made from materials.  In fact, all new and altered materials are often at the heart of product innovation in highly diverse applications.

Ability of a nation to harness nature as well as its ability to cope up with the challenges posed by it is determined by its complete knowledge of materials and its ability to develop and produce them for various applications. Advanced Materials are at the heart of many technological developments that touch our lives. Electronic materials for communication and information technology, optical fibers, laser fibers sensors for intelligent environment, energy materials for renewable energy and environment, light alloys for better transportation, materials for strategic applications and more. Advance materials have a wider role to play in the upcoming future years because of its multiple uses and can be of a greater help for whole humanity. The global market for conformal coating on electronics market the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% from 2015 to 2020. The global market for polyurethanes has been growing at a CAGR (2016-2021) of 6.9%, driven by various application industries, such as, automotive; bedding and furniture; building and construction; packaging; electronics and footwear.

Different geophysical and social pressures are providing a shift from conventional fossil fuels to renewable and sustainable energy sources. We must create the materials that will support emergent energy technologies. Solar energy is a top priority of the department, and we are devoting extensive resources to developing photovoltaic cells that are both more efficient and less costly than current technology. We also have extensive research around next-generation battery technology. Materials performance lies at the heart of the development and optimization of green energy technologies and computational methods now plays a major role in modeling and predicting the properties of complex materials. The global market for supercapacitor is expected to grow from $1.8 billion in 2014 to $2.0 billion in 2015 at a year-on-year (YOY) growth rate of 9.2%. In addition, the market is expected to grow at a five-year CAGR (2015 to 2020) of 19.1%, to reach $4.8 billion in 2020. 

Materials chemistry involves the synthesis and study of materials that have interesting and potentially useful electronic, magnetic, optical, and mechanical properties. Material chemistry is one of the most talked topics in the last few years. They are the new branch of materials science which take advantage of new developments in chemistry. In fact, chemistry may provide a complete new board of materials for materials scientists and engineers to use. Chemistry began, and largely continues today, to be inextricably associated with preparing, processing, and utilizing materials. Much of the focus of materials chemistry in discovering and developing materials that may be exploited for desired applications. Today, many materials chemists are synthesizing functional device materials, and the discipline is often seen as directed towards producing materials with function—electrical, optical, or magnetic. Material chemistry is involved in the designing and processing of materials. Global market for catalysts is expected to reach $28.5 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR (2015 to 2020) of over 3%. Asia-Pacific is having the largest market for catalysts accounting for more than 35% share. Major players for Catalysts are Albemarle, Arkema, BASF, Chevron, Clariant, Dupont, Zeolyst International and others.

Ceramics cover a very wide range of materials from structural materials like concrete to technical ceramics like PZT – a piezoelectric.  Usually they are defined as solids with a mixture of metallic or semi-metallic and non-metallic elements (often, although not always, oxygen), that are quite hard, non-conducting and corrosion-resistant. The most useful technique for finding the composition of a ceramic is energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Ceramics are mostly made by powder processing techniques, for example sintering. Composites are often used in applications that require specific ‘conflicting’ properties such as a high strength and high toughness. The properties may be conflicting because having a high yield stress sometimes relies on trapping and tangling dislocations, but these reduce the ductility and toughness of the material.  Composites often consist of a matrix and fibres or particles that affect the properties.

Composite materials have unique advantages over monolithic materials, such as high strength, high stiffness, long fatigue life, low density, and adaptability to the intended function of the structure. Significant achievement has been made in the design/development and applications.

Considerable innovative research is still continuing for the development of continuous fibre composites and particulate composites for critical applications. Structural requirements demand ultimate and reliable composite material performance to react to global static and dynamic external and component loads.