Preliminary Examination or Design

Whichever of the above procedures is employed, it is essential to commence with an analysis of the function of a component, a critical examination of the design and to establish the property requirements of the material under consideration.

Design affects the materials-selection procedure at all stages. A component may fulfill its function in more than one way due to different designs which result in different materials-property requirements and hence different optimum materials and different manufacturing routes - For example, a box with a hinged lid may be made from two pieces of thin metal sheet and pin or from one piece of polypropylene.

The effect of design on a manufacturing process is particularly important when considering a materials change in an existing product, for example from metal to plastic or ceramic.

Design and materials selection is an iterative process: design affects the optimum material, which in turn affects the optimum design.