How Are Composites Used in Product Design?

Product design and development has become increasingly more sophisticated, with more complex materials and techniques being used by engineers to create better performing, lighter and more efficient products. Composites are one of the most popular materials used in product design, due to their unique properties that allow them to be tailored for specific applications.

What are Composites?
Composites are materials made up of two or more distinct components that when combined together, create a new material with improved properties that can be tailored for specific applications. These components may include a combination of different fibers such as carbon or glass, and a matrix material such as epoxy or polyester resin. The fibers provide strength while the matrix helps to bind the fibers together and protect them from environmental damage.

Advantages of Composites
The main advantages of using composites in product design include their light weight, high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance and good thermal stability. This makes them an ideal material for applications such as aircrafts or automobiles where light weight, high strength and efficient design is essential. Additionally, composites can be moulded into complex shapes which further enhances their suitability for product development projects.

Uses of Composites
Composites can be used in a wide range of product development applications including aerospace engineering, automotive engineering, sporting goods design and marine engineering. In the aerospace industry composites have been used for years due to their lightweight yet strong nature which allows for greater fuel efficiency and increased performance.

In automotive engineering composites can be used to make lighter body panels which reduce vehicle weight while still maintaining structural integrity. They are also increasingly being used in sporting goods such as skis and golf clubs due to their ability to absorb shock while also providing good structural support. In marine engineering they are commonly used in boat hulls as they provide good buoyancy while also being extremely durable against wear and tear from salt water exposure.

Conclusion

Composite materials have proven to be an invaluable material in product design due to their unique characteristics which allow them to be tailored for specific applications. Combining different fibers with a matrix material allows engineers to create lightweight yet strong components that possess excellent fatigue resistance and corrosion resistance properties making them suitable for a wide range of industries from aerospace engineering through automotive engineering all the way to marine engineering.