Granta by Innomatnet Project

Case Study

Granta Design A case study of best practice in the integration of materials technology and design to improve innovation

Granta Design creates software tools, databases and visual aids to help engineers and designers more easily access and apply information about material properties, including their environmental impact. With its origins in research and a pioneering materials education programme at Cambridge University, Granta is an active partner in several international research consortia which aim to improve the choice and use of materials in manufacturing, as this InnoMatNet case study demonstrates.

Consortium 1

Best practice in materials and design

UNIVERSITY ORIGINS Granta Design was founded in 1994 by well-known authorities on materials selection Professor Mike Ashby and Professor David Cebon, as a commercial company spin-off from the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge, UK. They had developed interesting ways of collecting, presenting and analysing materials data as part of their research and of educating materials science and engineering students to select the best material for a given application. “We’d like to see more creative thinking

David Cebon

about materials across the educational spectrum, and industry thinking about materials and eco design issues earlier in the design process.” Jamie O’Hare, Granta Design

Mike Ashby

Best practice in materials and design

Their methods included graphical methods – widely known as Ashby Charts – and accompanying software, and over time they realised these might have an industrial as well as educational market beyond the university. The fundamental idea is unchanged in products such as CES EduPack™ (which provides resources to support materials education across science, engineering, processing, and design) and CES Selector™ (a PC application that enables materials experts in product development teams to find, explore, and apply materials property data). But now there is more data, better graphics, and improved tools to interact with and apply the material properties graphs. For example, the Eco Audit™ Tool enables a user to An Ashby Chart, providing a highly

predict the energy usage of a given

visual means of assessing the properties

product over its lifetime, by specifying the

of different classes of materials, and

materials used to make the product, their

providing guidance, in this case, for minimum energy design

weights and finishing processes. Granta has also developed the GRANTA MI™ product line, responding to industry demand for tools to help manage corporate materials data.

Best practice in materials and design

For an educator, it is useful to be able to produce graphs and reports and allow students to explore “what-if” scenarios. Working with CES Selector, a practising designer or engineer might use these graphing tools – or similar reports which Granta’s software can make available within CAD – to help think through which would be the best material for a specific application, taking its environmental impact as well as material performance and cost into account. Much of the company’s evolution has been due to feedback from customers regarding usability and specific technology requirements. Granta actively encourages this collaborative dialogue, particularly through its regular industry consortium meetings. This translates into tools that are designed to be easy for clients to apply themselves, rather than having to buy-in expertise to apply them. Granta’s CES EduPackTM provides world leading teaching resources for materials in engineering, science, processing, and design, supporting and enhancing teaching at over 800 universities and colleges worldwide

Best practice in materials and design

GROWTH OF INDUSTRY SERVICES Significant commercial growth started in 2000 as a result of three developments: 1. The addition of business entrepreneur Patrick Coulter as Chief Operating Officer, who had a track record of success with science based Patrick Coulter

start-ups and could focus on Grantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commercial growth. 2. Increased international profile via collaboration with US materials

3. Discussions with aerospace

engineering society ASM International,

organisations which revealed an

which invested in Granta in order to

opportunity to build software to help

offer their 30,000 members online

them manage, track, and apply the

access to specialist materials data.

huge volumes of materials test data they were generating. Granta saw that their biggest opportunities came from the most material intensive industries, with the most demanding applications of those materials e.g. in aerospace.

Best practice in materials and design

CONSORTIUM APPROACH 1 Materials Data Management From these activities it became clear that a collaborative, consortium-based approach would be valuable, both to Granta and its clients. As a result the Material Data Management Consortium (MDMC) and a significant materials data product – GRANTA MI™ – were formed. Roles were divided between Granta as software developer, ASM International as co-ordinator, and aerospace companies including NASA, Boeing and Rolls Royce as ‘problem owners’ and member-funders.

GRANTA MI grew to become a comprehensive data facility for companies needing to effectively and securely manage and apply in-house data. It also enabled them to access materials data from Granta itself, as well as from other licensed sources. A key benefit of this approach was that consortium members could make their expensively generated data significantly more accessible to in-house engineers and design teams, as well as others who needed to understand and use it, maintaining full traceability.

Best practice in materials and design

CONSORTIUM APPROACH 2 Eco Data Tools In recent years Granta has experienced increasing demand for additional tools to assess environmental performance and to inform complex material choices. By narrowing down materials options and considering environmental performance and risk earlier in the design process, companies are finding they can save time and avoid having to substitute materials that lead to unsustainable outcomes or regulatory problems later in development. This demand led to the formation of a second, parallel consortium in 2008 - the Environmental Materials Information Technology (EMIT). This focuses on issues such as restricted substance use, critical

EMIT consortium meetings are used to: • Gather feedback on the tools that members are already using. • Share insights into emerging environmental legislation (e.g. REACH). • Help define requirements for future software features and data sets which can produce useful tools and guidance. Eco Materials Adviser: providing materials data and eco design tools in Autodesk Inventor

or scarce materials, and energy/CO2 impact. Like the MDMC, this consortium seeks to have a practical impact on how companies design and engineer products in relation to eco issues.

Best practice in materials and design

PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENTfunded research projects Granta have worked on several

emissions, restricted substances and

government funded research programmes

critical materials content to feed into

which succeeded because they combined

corporate risk management systems.

a collaborative approach with a specific purpose and industry input.

Key to the success of Granta’s approach was detailed understanding of the

One such project focused on improving

early stages of the design process, and

the environmental impact of Rolls

interpretation of the underlying needs

Royce’s next generation aircraft engine.

of design teams and engineers as part of

Granta were invited to participate as

creating suitable tools for them.

a result of their existing consortium

They also produced a case study

raw materials, with the possibility

collaborations with Rolls Royce.

documenting key lessons and areas of

of case studies being published in

Their role was to explore tools for

improvement arising from the project.

the public domain.

assessing the business risks associated

The benefits of participation included:

with product design and alternative engine technologies. Drawing on their expertise in assessing environmental impact and reporting on restricted substances, they were able to develop critical materials tools which could be embedded within a Computer Aided Design (CAD) environment. These generate risk reports on energy

• Exposure to current and potential industry partners • Invitations to join industry advisory bodies such as the Design for Environment Working Group which

• Ongoing dialogue with government agencies such as DEFRA on critical

• Development of software capability resulting in new data products. • Product feedback informing next generation software tool development. • Learnings from the working group

is developing common metrics

were fed back into Granta’s

to enable environmental impact

industry consortia, creating new

comparisons to be made across

collaborative opportunities.

different products.

Best practice in materials and design

SUPPORTING A WIDE RANGE OF INDUSTRIES While Grantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industry tools were

Integrating these tools with Computer

originally developed with input from

Aided Design (CAD) software provides

consortia members in aerospace, defence

quick and easy access to up-to-date

and heavy industry manufacturing, they

materials information, as well as reports

have discovered that its systems work

on environmental impact, restricted

equally well managing textiles, plastics,

substances, etc., helping designers take

or other materials data used across a

such factors into account when theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re

wide range of industries.

developing products.

By implementing best practice materials data management, these companies ensure information can be traced to its original source, saving time and improving quality in materials engineering. Grantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s materials decision support tools allow engineers and product design teams to select and substitute materials, optimizing product cost and performance.

Best practice in materials and design

GRANTA’S INVOLVEMENT WITH MATERIALS EDUCATION Alongside Granta’s commercial success,

To facilitate this, Granta get involved in

the company has maintained a strong

the annual Materials Education Symposia

tradition of supporting materials

(www.materials-education.com), at

education. Granta’s educational product,

which educators gather to discuss

CES EduPack, is designed to support

undergraduate teaching about materials

and enhance existing university-level

within engineering, design, architecture,

teaching. It provides a comprehensive

sustainability, and other science subjects.

database of materials and process

For example, at the 2012 event there

information, powerful and highly visual

was a particular interest in encouraging

materials software tools, and a range of

students of industrial design – who

supporting textbooks, lectures, projects,

may not have a very strong mechanical

and exercises, forming a curriculum-

engineering or materials background

wide resource.

– to think in a more structured and

The company values its many connections with university academics, which they feel have potential to influence the engineering and creative

quantitative way about the justification for materials choices – whether based on aesthetics, sound qualities or environmental impact.

industries longer-term.

Best practice in materials and design

GRANTA DESIGN’S INNOVATION WISH LIST Education • Granta staff believe that any initiatives which promote the crossdisciplinary inclusion of materials, manufacturing and related issues in university level education – from industrial design to aerospace engineering – will be highly beneficial. • This should be extended to educating designers and manufacturers about the lifecycle of products, including how products are disassembled, what happens to the materials involved, and how best to retain value in materials at end of life.

Collaboration • They see the benefits of a greater emphasis on materials knowledge being shared in a more collaborative manner. There is a key role for the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board and its Knowledge

dialogue and research, e.g. through feasibility calls.

Eco awareness • Industry should continue thinking about how it can respond to drivers like environmental objectives early in design, thereby reducing cost and environmental impact when it’s easiest to do so.

Practical tools • There also needs to be a focus on practical tools to help people in their day to day work – enabling them to quickly make informed decisions about the environmental impact of materials, based on quantitative data, as well as other design criteria. • There needs to be a cultural change from reporting on eco performance towards being more proactive about it during the design process.

Transfer Networks to facilitate

Best practice in materials and design

The following Granta staff were interviewed for this case study: James Goddin

Jamie Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hare

Stephen Warde

Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; early interest in armoury and

Jamie studied Mechanical Engineering at

Steve first encountered materials science

forging fencing blades led him to study

Bath University, and completed a PhD in

at Cambridge University where he

materials science and engineering at the

eco-design and product development for

enjoyed its practical focus and the sense

University of Bath, specialising in electric

the electronics sector. He joined Granta

of dealing with how things get made

chemistry corrosion for his PhD. After

in 2010, having realised the critical

and work. He then spent 15 years at a

graduation he worked for 10 years in a

environmental impact that material

Cambridge spin-out company working

construction industry research company,

choice has in design, e.g. on product

on computer modelling of materials at

gaining a strong interest in innovation,

mass, temperature performance and

atomic level, to improve the productivity

intellectual property and collaborative

hazard reduction. This coincided with

of scientific research. Steve joined Granta

research. He joined Granta in 2009,

emerging commercial industrial interest

Design in 2006, attracted by its materials

enjoying the opportunity to collaborate

in the connection between materials

focus and vision, and strong connection

with a wide range of end users in

and environmental properties, and the

to Cambridge University.

stimulating materials R&D.

growing need for research data to inform decision-making.

Best practice in materials and design

disclaimer

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This report forms part of the

We are grateful to the following individuals and organisations for their contribution to the InnoMatNet case studies: James Goddin, Granta Design Jamie O’Hare, Granta Design Stephen Warde, Granta Design

deliverables from the InnoMatNet project which has received funding from the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement n° 290583. The report reflects only the authors’ views and the European Commission is not liable for any use that might be made of the content of this publication. The project runs from the 1 April 2012 to 30 September 2014. It involves eleven partners and is coordinated by Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (SPI). More information on the project can be found at www.innomatnet.eu The lead contractor for the case studies was InnoMatNet consortium partner the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, with delivery through

Case study suggestions taken from the InnoMatNet survey. Reviewed by: Claire Claessen and John Conti-Ramsden, Chemistry Innovation KTN John Bound, The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (MaDE, Materials KTN) Research & editing: John Bound, The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (MaDE, Materials KTN) Graphic design: Lara Collins, The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining

the Materials and Design Exchange (MaDE), a group within the UK Materials Knowledge Transfer Network. www.iom3.org.uk www.materialsktn.net/made © InnoMatNet 2013

Best practice in materials and design

Contact Granta Design Limited Rustat House 62 Clifton Road Cambridge, CB1 7EG T +44 (0)1223 518895 www.grantadesign.com