Online database makes material research and sourcing easier than ever before

Matmatch, the material database and supplier platform, has launched a series of new website features that simplify the process of materials research. 

The free database connects engineers and product designers with the best materials and suppliers across the globe, allowing them to find materials by filtering on their physical and chemical properties.

Matmatch has incorporated new Ashby charts, or material property charts, to material pages on the platform.

In the current version, they plot density against elastic modulus – this allows design engineers to examine the relationship between the weight of a material and its stiffness and see how that compares to all other materials in the database. There are plans to release charts to plot additional properties in the future, too.

In addition to this, users can see how an individual material compares against other material families (metals, polymers, ceramics, composites and glass), with each highlighted in different colours on the chart. These charts are interactive, allowing the user to drill down into more specific material categories with a few clicks.

“The materials industry has traditionally relied on brochures, trade shows and word of mouth to share material information and learn about different options,” explained Ben Smye, head of growth at Matmatch. “As this year has shown, companies need to adapt to the digital era and move the process of material research and sourcing online. 

“With more material suppliers and design engineers turning their attention to digital platforms like ours, we want to make that transition — and the overall process — as quick and easy as possible.

The new Ashby charts, for example, give engineers and product designers an easy way to visualise material property data. Our other new features further support engineers to find materials that meet their exact specifications and requirements. For suppliers, adding their materials to the platform offers a great way to gain awareness in the early stages of engineers’ material research.”

Another offering Matmatch has introduced is the option to request stress-strain curves (SN curves) for materials.

Engineers and product designers can get the fatigue data of a material, allowing them to accurately evaluate the suitability for their product. In production it is often vital to know how many cycles a material can undergo before it fails, so such data can be critical in the design stage for assessing durability and longevity.

The action of searching for material names, categories, properties and suppliers is now even more easy and accessible. You can use the search bar to begin, for example by typing the name of a material, or go directly to the search results where there is a sidebar for adding and removing filters. If a user is searching for polymers only, additional filters have been made available based on form, modification, filler and processing.