Design and materials are intrinsically connected in the best products. Materials are the essential building blocks of all products. We've interviewed Chris Lefteri, Marshall Hamachi, and Owen Foster to glean their insights on materials-centric design, plus rounded up some success stories from the Avient Design team to illustrate how this concept plays out in the real world. 

But with so many material choices, where do you begin? Avient Design Discover the comprehensive technical services available through Specialty Engineered Materials at Avient to assist customers

The distance the material flows is measured in inches. For spiral flow information about a specific grade or additional details about the spiral flow test procedure, please contact your Avient representative. The shrinkage values reported by Avient are determined using a 0.125" thick plaque.

The distance the material flows is measured in inches. For spiral flow information about a specific grade or additional details about the spiral flow test procedure, please contact your Avient representative. The shrinkage values reported by Avient are determined using a 0.125" thick plaque.

Catheter Materials & Medical Tubing

IMPACT PROTECTION D E S I G N A N D M A T E R I A L S O L U T I O N S Avient Corporation 1 PROJECT KICK OFF B R I E F Application: Protective sports equipment Challenge: Provide functional material to protect against impact for chest protector Requirements: • Compact - reduce thickness and weight for improved comfort and functionality • Meet EN standards • EN1621-1 level 2 & EN1621-2 level 1 • Eliminate the use of foam and glue • Be waterproof and easy to clean • Sustainable • Easy to prototype & considers manufacturing efficiency Avient Corporation 2 VIBRATION DAMPING TECHNOLOGY (VDT) H O W D O E S I T W O R K ? Avient Corporation 3 Simplified Drop Test • 65g steel ball • Dropped from 305mm • Onto 3.175mm thickness flat samples Materials Tested • Standard TPE 30 Shore A • TPU alloy 60 Shore A • Damping TPE 32 Shore A VDT reduces bounce Avient Corporation 4 SIMULATION & CALIBRATION E N 1 6 2 1 - 1 L E V E L 2 Image courtesy of Airobag TV https://www.youtube.com/c/AirobagTV/videos Simulation of Impact A weight dropped onto protective element in contact with rigid substrate https://www.youtube.com/c/AirobagTV/videos Avient Corporation 5 SIMULATION & CALIBRATION E N 1 6 2 1 - 1 L E V E L 2 REFINING THE DESIGN D E S I G N A N D M A T E R I A L C O M B I N A T I O N Avient Corporation 6 • A number of different shapes and designs are created and simulated to determine which one works best • Refining to meet EN standard • VDT TPEs can help reach compliance with EN1621-1 level 2 and EN1621-2 level 1 • Optimum protection can be achieved by combining industrial design and engineering Avient Corporation 7 VALIDATION P R O T O T Y P I N G W I T H 3 D P R I N T I N G 3D Printing Validation -15% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10% Density Tensile Strength // Tear resistance // Rebound resilience 2mm 3D Printed VDT vs Injection Molded VDT can be 3D printed for concept evaluation early in the design process SUMMARY Avient Corporation 8 • Enabled a new, compact design with a customized VDT TPE formulation • Improved user comfort and functionality • Fulfilled EN standards • Reduced number of prototyping tools required • Reduced time spent in product development by 40 percent, enabling faster commercialization of product

Selecting a Raw Material Raw material cost Raw material cost

Selecting a Raw Material Raw material cost Raw material cost

We come alongside our customers to navigate product development, identify proper materials, enhance product performance, improve sustainability, optimize manufacturing, and more. Through the combination of specialty engineered materials and comprehensive support services, Avient helps customers overcome challenges in a range of industries and applications. 

We come alongside our customers to navigate product development, identify proper materials, enhance product performance, improve sustainability, optimize manufacturing, and more. Through the combination of specialty engineered materials and comprehensive support services, Avient helps customers overcome challenges in a range of industries and applications.