The importance of material science and production technology
Many designers lack sufficient material knowledge to thoroughly assess the impact of their application in high-tech equipment, says Pieter Kappelhof, our Director of Technology. So, we set up a course with innovative high-tech partners taught at the TU Delft | Mechanical Engineering. Cor Heijwegen, the founder of Hittech, is one of the initiators of this ‘course that was still missing’ for the faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft. Pieter Kappelhof is one of the architects of the course and explains its importance.
“Material science in the education of engineers and designers is key to the application, development, and production of high-tech products and systems. Target markets influence the choice of materials like steel, aluminium or plastic through their specific applications, such as cryogenics for labs, cleanliness for semicon, ISO standards for medical and vacuum and dynamics for space. Their integral designs determine whether production will be optimal and whether products will be successful.
This sound basis of material science in the education of engineers is of the utmost importance as they will be the future developers of these products and systems. We developed this base by taking the students through the system engineering process and focusing on material science and production technologies in the system development process. Then, we take the students through the parts production, treatment, joining, and assembly stages with 13 showcases presented by experts from the industry and explained in detail by qualified university teachers.”
In the photo:
One of the cases presented in the course is the production of a cooler at Hittech. The initial design consisted of complex machined titanium parts joined by anodic bonding. This was transferred into a one-piece 3D metal-printed part, which led to a significant cost and lead time reduction.
More information:
Students interested in the next course, Application of Materials in High Tech Engineering, can contact Pieter Kappelhof, Joris Dik, or Sven Erik Offerman.
Students looking for a job at one of our companies can check out the jobs tab on the Hittech Group LinkedIn page.
