Case Study
TU Delft A case study of best practice in the integration of materials technology and design to improve innovation
light.touch.matters
the product is the interface
Consortium 1
Best practice in materials and design
“While it’s important for designers and scientists to remain specialists in their respective domains, T-shaped thinking is spreading and everyone needs to have some understanding of the
Delft University of Technology (TU
TU Delft’s educational and research
potential consequence of their actions,
Delft) was founded in 1842 and is now
programmes enjoy deep connections
which can be enormous.”
the largest Dutch technical university
with national and international
with over 19,000 students and 40+
companies as well as the European
Masters programmes. The design
Commission. It helps that these
faculty is based on a three-cornered
organisations tend to think over the
programme covering material science,
longer term since universities like TU
design and business, with courses in
Delft are usually better at finding robust
Industrial Design, Product Innovation
solutions to difficult problems than
Management and Design Engineering.
providing quick fixes.
David Peck
Their interdisciplinary approach has led to collaboration with colleagues specialising in materials technology, architecture and technology policy management, as well as business schools including Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
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For this InnoMatNet case study David Peck, TU Delft Assistant Professor of Industrial Design Engineering, shared his views on solving 21st century problems, business models for the circular economy and the biggest gap in design education.
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Best practice in materials and design
Best practice in materials and design
How to solve 21st Century problems
David Peck believes the silo thinking
a number of forums to facilitate cross-
and single discipline working methods
disciplinary discussion on research and
transforming their analysis tools,
of the 20th century are no longer fit for
funded programme bids.
product development methods and
“Renaissance-style, collaborative research
purpose. Tackling big and complicated
projects which bridge humanities and
problems like resource efficiency
science and involve companies are
requires multiple stakeholders who
the best approach to the complicated
can address the development of new
problems of the 21st century.”
materials, designs and business models concurrently and imaginatively. His team is aware of significant changes in this direction, both at policy level and among research organisations. For instance, EC policy for a resourceefficient Europe is looking for leadership and pathfinders to bring the different disciplines together. However, multi-stakeholder collaboration
projects like ResCoM and Light.Touch.
OEM companies are supported in
manufacturing strategies to the new systems
Matters are beginning to define an
Light.Touch.Matters is led by Assistant
exciting role for product designers in
Professor Erik Tempelman, also of TU
bringing common challenges, disciplines
Delft Industrial Design Engineering
and ideas to the table and developing
faculty, and involves experiments in
things in quite a different way.
collaborative working between designers
Inspired by the EC’s working paper on “the roadmap to a resource-efficient Europe”, ResCoM aims to stimulate innovative
and scientists as part of smart materials R&D. See part two of this case study for more information.
thinking about the conversion of product
Such approaches are thought to be less
waste into valuable resources. It proposes
common in the scientific community,
closed-loop product systems in which:
but individuals are emerging who are
Designers have access to tools
great performers, communicators and
is never easy. Peck suggests a simple
which quickly model multiple
motivators. As well as working on the
solution: “start by talking to each other”,
product lifecycles, and help them
microstructure of materials and thinking
citing a colleague in Materials Science who
design products for optimal closed-
of journal publication, they are starting to
after many years said, “I’ve never spoken
loop performance
ask, “where are these materials going?”
to a product designer in my life but you’re the guys who use our materials, this is fascinating”. It quickly became apparent that they had similar interests and were trying to achieve the same goals, and the relationship blossomed from there. At an institutional level, TU Delft now runs
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In addition, European Commission FP7
•
•
•
Business models support economic and ecological objectives
•
“how are they going to be used?” and “what are the longer-term implications?”
Supply chains can handle the dynamics of multiple lifecycle products
•
Technical infrastructure incorporates the best possible resource efficiency
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Best practice in materials and design
New business models for the circular economy Peck also believes that robust business
While ideas like Cradle-to-Cradle and
models are key to successful problem
Limits to Growth go back to the Club
solving and innovation – if these enable
of Rome, the Circular Economy is a
companies to create new revenue paths
reinvigorated approach, which is causing
that can have a radical effect on materials
organisations to see fresh opportunities.
and products. This is demonstrated by
European Commission materials
flooring company Desso, whose latest
manifestos and the Horizon 2020
products are inspired by the concept of
programme of strategic planning and
the Circular Economy.
funding are further stimulating company
www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/
interest in ‘circular’ business models.
case_studies/desso
TU Delft see an exciting conjunction
The Circular Economy proposes that –
emerging between what companies
rather than a linear path from materials
want, what researchers are exploring
extraction to disposal – options can be
and what funders are able to provide.
created for the re-use, re-manufacturing
They believe researchers should
or recycling of products. New business
respond positively, e.g. by working with
models emerging from this thinking range
organisations such as the Ellen McArthur
from products lasting longer to lease-hold
Foundation or the Schmidt McArthur
as an alternative to ownership.
Fellowship who are inspiring business, engineering, product design and science to find better, circular, solutions to product disposal. The new products and business models that emerge will need rigorous testing in the real world.
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Best practice in materials and design
Why designers need a greater understanding of materials Historically, new materials were
product, problems may arise later on
a superficial knowledge of materials
developed in the laboratory and then a
when they will be much more difficult and
and processes. To remedy this he
market was found for them. Peck contests
expensive to fix.
proposes that, alongside their creative
that product development processes are changing this model, as designers articulate what users need, what will work, what will sell, and make unexpected demands on material science. This has been particularly noticeable in high-tech applications, for instance when new materials were commissioned to improve the battery-life performance of touch screen mobile phones. Unfortunately, the resultant growth in consumer demand has been matched by increasing company uncertainty over the price volatility of materials and security of supply. The challenge for designers is, therefore, to find solutions which
A further challenge is that TU Delft research reveals considerable variation in how different countries and regions define which materials are at risk and why. In future, they suggest, stakeholders from mining engineers to material scientists, product designers and business leaders will need to build a common understanding and agreement on where problems and opportunities around critical materials might lie. There may also be a role for the EC and other policy makers to help facilitate collaborative solutions through selected open innovation around critical materials.
are exciting, marketable, technically
In Peck’s view, the implications of these
sound, and resource efficient. However,
developments are more profound than
if the designer isn’t fully aware of what
many realise, and he points out that the
materials and elements are within the
majority of product designers possess only
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training, designers are equipped to understand where materials come from and where they go to at the end of product life. This is a big step and will require careful thinking about how designers of the future are educated.
Best practice in materials and design
Professor David Peck David Peck is Assistant Professor of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. After a first degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA he worked as a design-engineer in the aerospace industry. He then moved into industrial design, with posts at Coventry University and The Open University. The focus of his current teaching and research at TU Delft is critical materials – exploring links between resource constraints, resource efficiency and product design, and how design thinking could help alleviate risks in those areas.
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Best practice in materials and design
light.touch.matters
the product is the interface
“The romantic notion of a designer suddenly seeing what a highly experienced and knowledgeable material scientist hasn’t is unrealistic.
Light.Touch.Matters is a European
But designers could inspire very
Commission research programme to
interesting combinations of elements
“develop a new generation of smart
and properties that together make
materials that can sense touch and
something special.”
respond with luminescence” in care and
Erik Tempelman, TU Delft
well-being applications. It is funded by the EC’s 7th Framework Programme and runs from February 2013 until July 2016. According to project co-ordinator Associate Professor Erik Templeman of TU Delft in the Netherlands, “the base technologies are novel piezo plastics and flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Being thin, flexible and formable, these light touch materials promise to revolutionise product interface design by integrating luminescence and touch in such a way that eventually the product
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becomes the interface.” What makes Light.Touch.Matters particularly interesting is that it has been constructed as “a unique cooperation between product designers and material scientists, with 17 partners from 9 EU countries.” The project therefore provides an unusual opportunity to experiment with ways of involving designers in the early stages of material development, to document the benefits and pitfalls of doing so, and to disseminate best practice. These experiments in collaborative working methods are as important as the hoped for technological outputs, and provide the main focus of this early stage InnoMatNet case study.
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Best practice in materials and design
PROJECT OBJECTIVES Light.Touch.Matters is driven by the
informing and inspiring future
following technical, commercial and
industry practice. In addition to
methodological aims:
standard forms of dissemination
1. To develop new smart materials to
such as the project website,
a stage where, ideally, they could be marketed. Business models will be developed alongside an annual cycle of new product design, to see which concepts have the best market potential before involving manufacturing partners. 2. To show what the materials can achieve by building technology demonstrators for the care sector and potential spin-off areas such as automotive. In addition, physical materials samples - not just presentations or animations - will become part of the Material ConneXion Italy collection, enabling potential users and researchers to more easily interact with them. 3. To document the methodology of design-led materials innovation used throughout the project so
newsletters, blogs, Twitter and other social media, Professor Mark Miodownik and his team from the Institute of Making (UCL) in London will make a video showing how the collaborative processes evolved over the course of the project. 4. It is hoped that Light.Touch.Matters will eventually lead to many kinds of co-operation between materials development groups, design firms and academics, with or without EC subsidy. Moreover that – as well as speeding up their involvement in materials innovation – designers will become better informed about existing materials and processes which could be deployed in new products thus positioning themselves as technologically outreaching specialists.
that it can be shared with others,
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Best practice in materials and design
Best practice in materials and TUdesign Delft
WHY AREN’T DESIGN AND MATERIALS SCIENCE NATURALLY MORE INTEGRATED? The EC call asked for researchers and designers to work side-by-side, but Tempelman notes several reasons why this might be difficult to implement at the start of an innovation process:
Personality Designers have to be outward looking and in touch with society in order to spot the multitude of trends and opportunities which contextualise their work. Whereas materials scientists tend to be more inward looking and focused on the processes and possibilities of their laboratory work.
Deadlines
Applications
Terminology
Material scientists’ work is driven by
Designers’ work is all about the final
Misunderstandings can easily arise due
quality and results – you can’t easily put
application, with materials and process
to differing use of language and terms,
a clock on material innovation. Whereas
an important factor within that. For
as between TU Delft designers and a
this is standard practice in design,
material researchers it’s arguable that the
chemical company for whom a ‘product’
enabling clients to plan backwards from
application is often less of a driver than
was a molecule.
delivery deadlines to the acquisition
the scientific achievement.
phase. Similarly, while a design project
Expectations
may typically last 6-18 months, 10 years would not be unusual in materials science.
If the material scientists perceive meaningful input from the designers they will use it, if not the collaboration could be over. With designers the danger is that they may lose patience with the slow pace of material development, which can be seemingly unproductive at times.
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Best practice in materials and design
Best practice in materials and design
HOW TO RECONCILE THE DIFFERENCES? Given all these differences between the two communities it’s perhaps logical that design and materials collaborations don’t usually happen by themselves. By initiating Light.Touch.Matters (as well as two similar projects answering the same research call), the EC has validated the role of an experienced academic in finding solutions, giving direction, introducing methodologies and setting up a constructive dialogue between designers and materials researchers. Erik Tempelman speculates that there could be several ways of achieving this…
Role of the project co-ordinator
Motivation
Team building
Find projects that people really want
Select and bring together people and
Ensure that the co-ordinator
to work for, that make a difference
personalities who are comfortable in
understands both sides’ cultures and
to many people. Beyond the thrill of
their own field and curious – ready to
languages, sees how to make them
designing a product, discovering a new
reach out and do something different,
work together productively, and can
material, seeing a paper in a journal
which they believe in and care about.
overcome any scepticism when they
or gaining a business idea, talented
first meet. Knowing what it takes
people are motivated by the pleasure of
to complete a project, how to meet
working on something that is societally
deadlines and to judge when a project
relevant. It helps therefore that Light.
is successful is essential background
Touch.Matters addresses care and well
experience. It may also prove helpful for
being, stemming from the ageing of
the coordinator to have invested time in
society and budgetary pressures to keep
setting the project up so that he or she
populations healthy and happy.
has a clear understanding of objectives and is involved in team selection.
Considerable effort was put into assembling an effective consortium during the 2011/12 bidding process, so that it had the best possible blend of materials experts and top designers with solid product portfolios and the ability to tell an inspiring story. Partner recommendations led to Professor Roberto Verganti at Mälardalen High School in Sweden, Material ConneXion
Tempelman’s background in advanced
Italy, Van Berlo Design in Delft
automotive materials and as a design
Eindhoven, Professor Mark Miodownik
educator has helped him combine a
and colleagues at UCL and others from
strategic and hands-on approach to
industry, consultancy and academia.
Light.Touch.Matters, which he will
Tempelman originally planned to
doubtless need to keep adapting as the
combine piezo plastics with bio-based
project continues.
plastic resins but supply chain difficulties caused him to look at fresh solutions.
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Best practice in materials and TUdesign Delft
Best practice in materials and design
Laboratory visits
Samples
A TU Delft colleague at Aerospace
is that SMEs tend to drive innovation
Make a priority of showing designers
Address the supply of samples to
Engineering suggested replacing these
more than large companies because for
the laboratories and clean rooms where
designers early on. The first question
with OLEDs and so the team was
them there is no alternative, but this also
materials technologies are developed,
designers asked at the Light.Touch.
completed by materials researchers from
makes them vulnerable to commercial
so that they can understand the
Matters start-up workshop was “when
the Holst Centre and Brunel University.
exploitation and prevents the benefits of
considerable amount of technology
can we have samples?” Samples certainly
open innovation from being fully realised.
and expertise needed to conduct e.g.
inspire designers’ leaps of imagination,
Tempelman suggests that it is vital for
electronic printing or other experiments.
but material scientists are often
Inviting students to participate has further increased the project resourcing. While
governments worldwide to restrict cartels
constrained by the considerable costs
and monopolies, and to devise systems
involved in making other than a limited
that protect SMEs from the financial and
variety of sizes, textures, colours and
legal challenges of cooperation.
shapes available.
faculties in support of the consortium’s
Consortium partners: www.light-touch-
While the scientists in the Light.Touch.
design agencies. Students have been
matters-project.eu/ltm-consortium
Matters consortium have been keen
it is normally difficult to interest design students in research projects and scientific papers, Light.Touch.Matters enables practical work to be done by design
excited by the idea of pitching their ideas
to supply samples, flexible OLED
to 20 potential employers at a consortium
demonstrators remain expensive
workshop, and it is hoped this synergy
and hard to source. However, it was
between research and education could
discovered that this could easily be
become as normal in the design schools as
overcome by substituting existing
it in materials development.
electroluminescent foil and asking the
Note: The EC call had been for an experimental design and small/medium size enterprise (SME) led approach to materials development. Consequently TU Delft chose to avoid the overt commercial
designers to imagine this lighting up like glass OLED. That is the kind of mental leap that designers routinely make, but samples – real or substitute – remain a key issue for the project.
pressures that major corporations might introduce at an early stage. Their view
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Best practice in materials and design
Best practice in materials and design
Freedom & constraint
Get together
Understand and communicate where
Hold regular workshops and meetings
design freedom makes sense and where
to help facilitate the growth of
restraint is necessary. For instance,
understanding between partners. A four
exploring how the lighting element might
monthly ‘show and tell’ workshop is built
turn on and off could easily fall within the
into the Light.Touch.Matters consortium
Light.Touch.Matters brief, while diverging
agreement requiring everyone to
into alternative applications such as
participate, whether they have results to
table lamps would not. Conversely, the
show or not. By spending time together,
designers could be expected to steer the
sharing problems and successes, it’s
project in areas such as thickness, so if
hoped that partners will get a feel for how
the materials researchers say “we can
the other disciplines work and appreciate
make it 200th of a millimetre thick and
the quality of the team members.
it will still work”, the designers might respond “below 1 mm we’re not that interested in thickness, but ruggedness is something we care about deeply”
Follow Light. Touch.Matters
About Erik Tempelman
Since Erik Tempelman was interviewed
“I feel really grateful for getting a
only a few months into the project
chance to run this project and do
and initial results are not expected
incredibly cool things with wonderful
until January 2014, the question “can
people against what I can only say
designers play a leading role in materials
is a rather limited amount of EC
development?” remains to be answered
bureaucracy. I’ve come to recognise that
in full. To follow progress and findings
Brussels really is on the same team as
visit the project website:
we are and that’s quite a relief.”
www.light-touch-matters-project.eu
Following his PhD on sustainable transport and advanced materials, Erik Tempelman worked in the automotive industry for five years and spent two years at TNO Science & Industry. He joined TU Delft’s faculty of Industrial Design Engineering in 2006 and in addition to leading Light. Touch.Matters runs a national project on design for sustainability (www. natureinspireddesign.nl). Together with the University of Cambridge and Studio Ninaber, he is also working on an undergraduate book on manufacturing and design, to be released in spring 2014.
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Best practice in materials and design
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: David Peck, TU Delft Erik Templeman, TU Delft
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 author’s 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
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
and Mining, with delivery through 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
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Images pp. 2, 6, 9, 10, 12 © John Bound.
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Best practice in materials and design
Contact David Peck Assistant Professor Industrial Design Engineering TU Delft Postbus 5 2600 AA Delft The Netherlands www.tudelft.nl Erik Tempelman Associate Professor Design Engineering Delft University of Technology Landbergstraat 15 2628CE Delft The Netherlands www.io.tudelft.nl www.light-touch-matters-project.eu
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