Material selection products

It is important to note that LCA is a tool to evaluate all environmental effects of a product or process throughout its entire life cycle. This includes identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, assessing their environmental impact, and evaluating opportunities for improvement. LCA can also be used in various ways to evaluate alternatives including in-process analysis, material selection, product evaluation, product comparison, and policy-... 

Much work has been done in this field and it has been concluded that there are several aspects which are important, such as raw material selection, production techniques and working environment. Current recommendations to minimise the likelihood of blistering are ... 

Liquid Dosage Forms. Simple aqueous solutions, symps, elixirs, and tinctures are prepared by dissolution of solutes in the appropriate solvent systems. Adjunct formulation ingredients include certified dyes, flavors, sweeteners, and antimicrobial preservatives. These solutions are filtered under pressure, often using selected filtering aid materials. The products are stored in large tanks, ready for filling into containers. QuaUty control analysis is then performed. 

The final product has a low ash and/or low iron content achieved by raw material selection or special processiag. 

The selection of materials to be used in design dictates a basic understanding of the behavior of materials and the principles that govern such behavior. If proper design of suitable materials of construction is incorporated, the eqiiipment should deteriorate at a uniform and anticipated gradual rate, which will allow scheduled maintenance or replacement at regular inteivals. If localized forms of corrosion are characteristic of the combination of materials and environment, the materials engineer should still be able to predict the probable life of equipment, or devise an appropriate inspection schedule to preclude unexpected failures. The concepts of predictive, or at least preventive, maintenance are minimum requirements to proper materials selection. This approach to maintenance is certainly intended to minimize the possibility of unscheduled production shutdowns because of corrosion failures, with their attendant possible financial losses, hazard to personnel and equipment, and resultant environmental pollution. 

As discussed in Chapter 2, The Toller Selection Process, evaluating the site s safe work practice procedures should have been a part of the review during the toller selection process. Still, new materials may indicate a need to revise or develop special procedures to address unique chemical and physical hazards. New hazards such as vacuum, ciyogenics, ultra-high pressure, or new rotating equipment could be introduced. Medical monitoring requirements or special handling and spill response procedures for the toll s raw materials and products may indicate a need to write or revise safe work practices. 

More specifically, data bases are now available which are designed as aids to plastics material selection. One estimate in 1993 was that there were 300-400 systems in the field.Systems vary as to whether they are limited to the products of a particular company, to a particular area of activity and to the depth of coverage over a broad area. 

Material selection for the enclosure shell should consider the corrosiveness of the environment. Aluminized sheeting is preferred over zinc-coated material in a steel-production environment. 

The principal economic implications of corrosion of a plant are the initial cost of construction, the cost of maintenance and replacement, and the loss of production through unplanned shutdowns. The initial cost of the plant is influenced by material selection, and a choice of material that is more corrosion resistant than is necessary for the safe operation of the plant over its design life is a very expensive error. This cost involves initial outlay of money, and plants have been built which could never be profitable because of the inappropriate materials selection. 

The materials selection procedure for new or replacement plant is crucial to the safe and economic operation of that plant. There is no one correct way to select the appropriate construction material, since for small plant handling toxic or inflammable products the integrity of the plant is high in priority, whereas large plant producing bulk material in a competitive market is more likely to be made of cheaper constructional materials, and the occasional leak or failure may have fewer safety implications. 

The term quality control has been widely and loosely employed in the frozen food industry. In the dynamic sense it means the application and control of those techniques of raw material selection, handling, processing, warehousing, and distribution which are known to be required for the production and maintenance of a given level of product quality and condition. 

It is the prediction of performance in its broadest sense, including all the characteristics and properties of materials that are essential and relate to the processing of the plastic. To the designer, an example of a strict definition of a design property could be one that permits calculating product dimensions from a stress analysis. Such properties obviously are the most desirable upon which to base material selections. 

There are several ways in which the impact properties of plastics can be improved if the material selected does not have sufficient impact strength. One method is by altering the composition of the material so that it is no longer a glassy plastic at the operating temperature of the product (Chapter 6). In the case of PVC this is done by the addition of an impact modifier which can be a compatible plastic such as an acrylic or a nitrile rubber. The addition of such a material lowers the glass transition temperature and the material becomes a rubbery viscoelastic plastic with much improved impact properties. This is one of the methods in which PVC materials are made to exhibit superior impact properties. 

Another factor to consider in the early stages of design is material selection in relation to cost per volume rather than by weight. This subject volume vs. weight will be reviewed latter in this chapter entitled Analysis Method. Since the material value in a plastic product is usually over one-half of its overall cost, it becomes important to select a candidate material with extraordinary care. 

Design involves establishing the configuration of the products that will form the basis on which suitable material selected for anticipated requirements and processes can be applied. During the drawing of shapes and cross sections, there are certain design features with plastic materials that have to be kept in order to avoid failure or degrada-... 

Using the several materials selected and the basic design possibilities, products should be designed to meet the criteria as far as deflection is concerned, and the cost of manufacture estimated. If the designer does not have this type experience it is best done with the assistance of the fabricator who will fabricate the product. In addition to the material cost and the production labor costs, the amortization costs of the tools are to be included. 

The technology of manufacturing the same basic type or grade of plastics (as with steel and other materials) by different suppliers may not provide the same results. In fact a supplier furnishing their material under an initial batch number could differ when the next batch is delivered and in turn could effect the performance of your product. Taking into account manufacturing tolerances of the plastic, plus variables of equipment and procedure, it becomes apparent that checking several types of materials from the same or from different sources is an important part of material selection and in turn their use. 

Selecting an optimal material for a given product must obviously be based on analysis of the requirements to be met. A simplified approach involves comparing the specific service requirements to the potential properties of a plastic. What follows is a simplified but practical material-selection approach. This longhand system is a basis of the fastest computerized databases. 

The problem of acquiring complete knowledge of candidate material grades should be resolved in cooperation with the raw material suppliers. It should be recognized that selection of the favorable materials is one of the basic elements in a successful product-configuration design, material selection, and conversion into a finished product (Appendix A PLASTICS DESIGN TOOLBOX). 

The functions and property characteristics of a product will be largely determined by the performance requirements and material selected for fabrication. The basic requirement of the process is its capability of handling a suitable material. For example, if a major function requirement is for resistance to creep under high loads, it is probable that a long-fiber RP will be necessary. Thus it would immediately eliminate such processes as blow molding and conventional injection molding. 

Some plastics can be worked by many different processes, but others require a specific process (Fig. 10-9). Process selection can take place before material selection, when a range of materials may be available, or made first to meet performance requirements and only then have the applicable process or processes chosen. (Chapter 7, SELECTING PLASTIC and Chapter 8, SELECTING PROCESS) Usually, in the latter situation only one special process can be used to provide the best performance-to-cost advantages. A particular design group may have its own processing capabilities. Unfortunately, some operations use just whatever equipment is available. This situation could either be very unprofitable, limit profitability, or restrict product... 

The first interactive electronic encyclopedia for users of plastics, materials selection is carried out using 3 search routines. The Chemical Resistance Search eliminates materials that cannot meet user specified chemical resistance requirements. The other search routines ( Elimination and Combined Weighting ) eliminate candidate materials based on 72 properties, falling within one of the following groups General and Electrical, Mechanical, Cost Factors, Production Methods and Post Processing. All data is evaluated and based on independent tests conducted in RAPRA s laboratories. 

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