Material selection is crucial to engineering design, but its importance is often overlooked.

Take the submarine, one of the most complex systems built by man, but all it takes is a leaky valve and it can’t even leave the dock. Material selection decisions can affect this and much more.

Copper Alloys supports engineering design in two ways:

Sharing Information and Best Practice:

• The Engineer’s Toolbox, including The Alloy Selector
• Primary research such as The British Corrosion Project

New Technology:

• New Process Technology – expanding options with existing materials.
• New Material Technology e.g. The Elite Alloys

The Cost of Getting it Wrong

Often we see the results of suboptimal material selection decisions in the performance, availability and high maintenance costs of equipment.

Submarines are an excellent example of this, where at any one time up to half the world’s fleet is in dock undergoing repair, costing taxpayers billions in the process.

In this case, the problem is finding materials that can withstand the corrosive environment, resist biofouling and provide sufficiently high mechanical strength, all within budget and the desired timescale. If this is your problem, theElite Marine Alloys could help.

Selecting the correct metal hinges on the understanding of a combination of factors such as availability of information and availability of the metal itself.

Mechanical Engineering Support

Within its technical department, Copper Alloys has the ability to support a customer’s mechanical design process by offering input & feedback.

By involving us in your development stages, you can rest easy that you will finish with a long-lasting, functional component. With our unique knowledge of specialist metals and material technology covering a range of advanced industries, you can be assured that your design utilises the material most suited for its application.

By involving us at an early stage we can help ensure that a component can be made in the most efficient way possible, using not only the best material, but in the best sizes & orientations.

Copper Alloys can also support you in your design and build of fitting rigs, beds and other associated equipment required during the installation of the critical components that we make.