Results of first 5-year phase demonstrated at JEC Americas and SAMPE Tech Conferences in October
Cambridge, UK – October 3, 2013 – Granta Design, the leaders in materials information technology, today announced Phase II of a Project to enable effective management of composite materials information, providing essential support for organizations that are innovating in their use of composites. The Composite Data Management project is driven by the Material Data Management Consortium (MDMC), a unique collaboration that develops and applies software to manage mission-critical materials data in the aerospace, defense, and energy sectors. Today’s announcement comes from the JEC Americas Show in Boston, MA, where Granta are demonstrating the software tools that resulted from Phase I. Granta will also speak on this topic at the upcoming SAMPE Tech Conference in Wichita, KS (Oct 21-24).
In Phase I of the Project, members of the MDMC’s Composites Subcommittee (which include Boeing, GE - Aviation, Honeywell, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Rolls-Royce, and others) guided design of a database structure to capture the complex interconnected data needed to characterize composite materials. They also specified requirements for tools to help them apply this information traceably and securely within their organizations. Granta Design used these findings to develop composite data management templates and tools within the leading materials information management system, GRANTA MI™.
Five areas were identified where composites pose a particular data management challenge: ensuring traceability, capturing complex interrelationships, handling anisotropy, maintaining additional variables, and capturing processing information.
At the end of Phase I, a robust materials information management solution has been developed to meet these challenges. It ensures that data is easily accessible, traceable, and available for use in further analysis, and that the results of this analysis can then be stored in the same system. The effectiveness of this solution has been validated through practical application by MDMC members. Phase II will draw on this experience to further advance the system, reducing risk and saving time in the development of composite structures and the products that use them.
“The main focus of the Material Data Management Consortium has always been to maximize productivity, while maintaining quality, traceability, and security of mission-critical materials data,“ explains Granta’s Dr. Will Marsden. “As the Composites Subcommittee enters Phase II, we look forward to drawing on the requirements, experience, and expertise of the members to further enhance this solution. We invite any organization with an interest in managing or using composite data to join this collaboration, which represents a very cost-effective way to implement best practice.“
About Granta
Granta Design Limited are the materials information technology experts. Granta develops the leading software for managing materials and process information in engineering enterprises, and a series of tools for applying that data to key materials and product design decisions. 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.
Further information
Media are welcome to contact Granta if they wish to organize a demonstration or review of Granta software.
Granta Design website - www.grantadesign.com
Supporting images - www.grantadesign.com/news/media.htm
Granta at the JEC Americas Show (booth G33) - www.grantadesign.com/events/2013/JECAmericas.shtml